every year this weekend corresponds with when i get my "new caymus." this year it was, of course, 2009. we tasted it blind with two other wines- caymus 2006 and la fleur de haut-bages liberal 2000 (pauillac). the 2009 was first, the 2000 last. the idea was to show the stylistic differences in old and new world cabernet based wine.
the 2009 caymus was dark, fruity, and balanced. the tannins were quite soft and in spite of its alcohol level it had no "burn" to it on the finish. it is quite drinkable now.
the 2006 caymus was uniformly dark, the nose was more complex than its younger sibling's, there were hints of tertiary flavors, the tannins were soft, and it was balanced.
the 2000 pauillac made its point. the wine has not lost any color. the nose is quite complex, with fruits, leather, and cedar. it is well balanced, but the tannins continue to need to soften. this wine has years to last in the cellar- it was great with food but it will continue to improve with age. i am not even going to try the first wine of haut-bages liberal (2000) for a couple of more years since the second one is still youthful.
just for comparison's sake, i put in a ledson 2002 russian river valley reserve zinfandel. nice contrast.
sun dried tomato tapenade
cheeses from the pyrenees and savoie
seared ahi tuna
onion tart
grilled beef tenderloin
grilled squash with onions stewed in tomatoes
tomato, basal, and mozzarella
strawberry and blueberry tart
and the closer is pictured above...
