Last week we attended yet another excellent tasting opportunity at Mark Gasbarro’s as Caymus shipped out their new releases and they were opened for the tasting 
public. They brought a pretty full range, including the Special Selection Cabernet. One thing that was immediately evident is that prices have jumped a bit this year, with the regular Cabernet list price up 30% over the 40th anniversary 2012 wine. That’s a big jump. Would it be worth it? Here are the wines, so let’s see. Keep in mind that you can find these for less in various shops around the country, and Mark takes off 12% when you buy at his tastings as well.
2013 Emmolo Sauvignon Blanc – this we liked quite a bit. It is fresh, with citrus and some honey 
notes. The finish is long and clean. With a list price of $21.99 it’s not cheap, but it is very good.
2013 Mer Soleil Silver Chardonnay – this is unoaked, and is one of those wines that at the very first moment gives you great hope, and your brain says “wow, this is really good”. Then it all very quickly goes south from there. The initial smooth, fruity profile gives way to less pleasant flavors which continue to spiral down into the finish. Three of us tried it and all sort of grimaced at the end. We were not fans of this wine. $22.99
2013 Mer Soleil Reserve Chardonnay – you can basically take the review above and repeat it here, except this wine sees oak, and it was not as bad as the Silver, but did follow the same trend. Another wine that none of us particularly liked. $33.99
2013 Belle Glos Dairyman Pinot Noir – past vintages of this wine have really left me smiling, and
hopes were high. This vintage is different, but in a good way. In the past I have considered the wine to bring great fruit as well as some earthy, terroir driven Burgundy influences. With the 2013, that terroir influence takes the form of a smoky, charred quality that really comes through on both the nose and the palate. There is great fruit up front, then spice and that smoky, charred wood, which dominates the finish. This is all in a good way, and all of us liked the wine. It would be absolutely outrageous with a grilled steak, as there were some noticeable tannins as well. Good stuff, list at $42.99.
2012 Emmolo Merlot – medium bodied, this wine started well and then sort of dropped out. The
mid palate was fading fast, and the finish was very thin. Alex pointed that out immediately, and he was dead on. At $62.99 this was a big disappointment.
2013 Napa Valley Cabernet – the 2012 was $59 last year and this is now $84.99 list. That is one hell of a jump, and maybe comes from the incredible demand they saw last year for the 40th anniversary wine, which has increased in price since release. This wine is dark puply red (all the Caymus cabs are very purple). It has beautiful fruit and perfume notes. The finish is long. It’s a tasty Napa Cab. It’s an expensive Napa Cab.
2012 Special Selection Cabernet – made from the best barrels, this wine is also dark purply red 
with really nice fruit. The perfume notes evident in the regular bottling are subdued, and it is more of a classic Napa profile. Currants and some blackberry came through for me. It’s not really full bodied though, falling just short. Elegant throughout it is very, very good. List price of $194.99 and way past the price we would consider it.
So mixed reviews at best here, and we were overall somewhat disappointed. Still, we got to try them all, and thanks to Mark for making that possible. You really should go to some of these if you are anywhere near Providence.
A votre sante!
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