Deep garnet in color, the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection comes wafting out of the glass with drop-dead gorgeous scents of Christmas cake, Chinese five spice, sandalwood and dried roses over a core of warm cassis, dried mulberries and stewed tea plus wafts of pencil lead and underbrush. Full-bodied, the palate is oh-so-light on its feet, featuring layers of perfumed black and red fruit preserves and an exquisitely fine-grained frame, finishing long with bags of freshness and loads of minerally sparks. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

So delicious now you can hardly keep your hands off it. Blackberry tart ripe blueberry cassis milk chocolate licorice and sweet smoky cedar flavors flood the mouth dramatically huge and memorable and lasting long into the finish. The tannins are obvious but sweetly ripe and soft. A brilliant evocation of Napa Cabernet despite a high production level of nearly 30000 cases which is about the same size as a Bordeaux first growth. Shows the class and potency this bottling has exhibited for many years and believe it or not the price is a relative bargain these days. Drink nowâ_"2020

Dark purple bordering on black. As soon as the aromas fill the air you know this is quintessential Napa cabernet with a beautiful bouquet that offers blackberry cassis a touch of anise and a dash of vanilla-laden oak. Full-bodied and sumptuous on the palate gobs of layered dark fruit expand before gradually fanning out on the lengthy finish. The sweet tannins provide just the right amount of support yet this wine is still in its infancy at this stage of development. Year in and year out Caymus Special Selection never fails to deliver and this effort is right in line with what we have come to expect from this venerable winery.

Temptingly rich and layered with complex mocha plum and wild berry fruit that's spicy and aromatic. Full-bodied gaining depth and turning ever more elegant and detailed with tannins that give this traction. Drink now through 2019.-J.L.