1997 Caymus Special Selection - Opened this to celebrate my friend’s wife’s birthday and the upcoming birth of their first born. He is a big lover of SS, so this was appropriate since he has long since consumed all his 97 SS years ago. Decanted and aerated wine for approx. 1 hour. Back into the bottle and off for a nice steak dinner. Upon opening the perfume of the wine was very evident. Unmistakable Caymus SS nose. At dinner the wine was poured from bottle and the palate was smooth as silk with a nice, jammy fruit mid-palate that gained weight as it continued to breath in the glass. There was no hint of heat anywhere. The finish while acceptable was not as long as some of the newer SS I have experienced. This wine is in it’s prime, but can maintain its stature for another 5 years at the very least. A++ HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
2001 Merus - I am a big Mark Herold fan and I am particularly fond of Merus. This was a good vintage for Merus and it has been awhile since I revisited this wine. We opened the wine the aroma’s were simply beautiful. We decanted and aerated the wine for approx. 1 1/2 hours as we consumed the 97 Caymus SS. We saved the bigger Cab for the main course of filet mignon. At first the wine was very fruit forward, tannin’s still very eviden and some heat on the finish, which surprised me a bitt, but the oak was less pronounced than I remember it from previous tastings. The wine really shined in the glass as it opened up and complimented the steak dinner. Th tannin’s somewhat smoothed out and the heat was gone on the finish. We consumed over an hour and we were all pleased with the wine. I would decant this for at least 2 hours for the near term if consuming.
These two wines were very different. The Merus was a signature Mark Herold effort. Too powerful to consume on it’s own, whereas the SS 97 could have been comfortable with a piece of cheese as a sidekick. The Merus really didn’t shine until it was paired with the steak. This wine will last for many years to come. The SS is ready and will just put a big smile on your face. Had this wine two times in 2009 with consistent tasting notes.
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