John Jackson, DipWSET a/k/a Attorney Somm conducts a wine battle – a single-blind-wine-tasting between the iconic Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, which sells for $80, and a Bordeaux that sells for $25 – to discover which wine is better!
Attorney Somm first discusses the history of Caymus Vineyards, Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon and its fruit sources, and then introduces the competitor – the 2020 Château Lilian Ladouys Bordeaux, which sells for $25 and is classified as Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel.
Attorney Somm then tastes each of these wines blind, rates the wines and tries to identify which wine is which. After that, he does the reveal!
Watch to find out whether the $80 Caymus Cabernet can beat a $25 Bordeaux!
#caymus #caymusvineyards #napavalley
For more Attorney Somm wine videos about Napa Valley, please watch the videos below:
ATTORNEY SOMM NAPA VALLEY WINE RECOMMENDATIONS:
Top Napa Valley Wine Values: https://youtu.be/9KKkLpCQAbI
9 Napa Valley Wines I’m Buying Now: https://youtu.be/4KDoe54RPGI?si=HmVyRpgh2rhY0Wxo
8 Napa Valley Wines I’m Buying Now: https://youtu.be/-Drrlii4UIQ
Caymus Cabernet video with 3 $50 Napa Valley Wine Recommendations:
ATTORNEY SOMM WINE TRAVEL VIDEOS FOR NAPA VALLEY
10 Napa Valley Wine Travel Tips: https://youtu.be/W4RrDQbRAVU
French Laundry Wine List: https://youtu.be/bEFAssx7rAc
ATTORNEY SOMM NAPA VALLEY WINERY VIDEOS
Dominus Estate: https://youtu.be/2bz0Vligw8A?si=j__T8lAP7kOnpRh5
Cathiard Vineyards: https://youtu.be/2Lul8I4CBwY?si=wVvQzdFvMCheJS32
Scarecrow: https://youtu.be/o_ra_MS4sGA?si=OOugQY_MrNcUIKtq
Lokoya: https://youtu.be/KE0BpYEFlX4?si=nClHSjBc5k2qA8iM
Mayacamas Overview: https://youtube.com/shorts/DLP0EI0aQP4?feature=share
Opus One Overview: https://youtube.com/shorts/ytMcQLgXkKQ?feature=share
Promontory Visit Highlights: https://youtube.com/shorts/6NlceAa72Rg?feature=share
NAPA VALLEY AVA VIDEOS FROM ATTORNEY SOMM
Napa Valley AVA Deep Dive: https://youtu.be/26-5I9fs0Bw?si=d04hTplROhmOKG1j
Stags Leap District AVA: https://youtube.com/shorts/RgbP_fBZMzw?feature=share
Howell Mountain AVA: https://youtube.com/shorts/xixi2D-yw-0?feature=share
Oakville AVA: https://youtube.com/shorts/QRvRg8Fx5tw?feature=share
Los Carneros AVA: https://youtube.com/shorts/YXYeH6IX4dA?feature=share
Mount Veeder AVA: https://youtu.be/_G4z0c1k–Y?si=zcKheYLU16iqN_Cb
ATTORNEY SOMM PODCASTS WITH NAPA VALLEY WINERIES
Larkmead Interview: https://youtu.be/TV6-aaEn4CA?si=E_hjMoGKUyM8lKmm
Somnium Interview: https://youtu.be/yLEfKbXPQSo?si=gFd_BAWIRDHqiAYz
Chappellet Winemaker Interview & Tasting: https://youtu.be/166WhHsuQz4
Hall Wine Interview & Tasting (Napa Valley): https://youtu.be/fGlrzdnyfn4
Judgment of Paris video: https://youtu.be/5rm1RfS_6bg?si=Sng0XK3eSRxgz8Yf
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we’re going to have some fun today we’re going to do a wine battle a blind tasting competition between the iconic C cabernet soone from Napa Valley and Bordeaux that cost $25 a bottle a couple quick administrative points both of the wines are behind me now you can see they’re in a bag as number one and number two and there’s an evenly filled glass on either side of those bottles there’s also some paper towel at the top of each bottle so that I don’t know what the top looks like these were presented to me so I have no idea which is which also I paid for these bottles personally these are not free samples and I have no bias or skin in the game whatsoever other than personal curiosity and the desire to create a hopefully interesting video based on the price point alone you might surmise that the cus Cabernet will win this battle easily as it sells for more than three times the price of the Bordeaux which is the 2020 Lilian Loui I will warn you however that I suspect that the Lilian Loui will be a formidable competitor as it punches well above its $25 price point in this video I’m going to briefly introduce both of the competitors and then we’re going to get right into the blind tasting I’m going to evaluate each of the wines and let you know my thoughts about those wines after that we’re going to see if I can correctly identify which was which and then we’re going to do the reveal and I’ll give you more reaction at that point cus was founded by back in 1972 by Chuck Wagner and his parents at that time there were very few wineries in Napa Valley so they were undoubtedly one of the original Pioneers in Napa Valley initially they sold only 250 cases of wine and they cost only $4.50 per bottle even adjusted for the time value of money today that would be about $33.7 per bottle fast forward to today en cus produces about 70,000 cases or $40,000 bottles annually of its Cabernet sovon prices are around $80 per bottle now so even adjusted for inflation the wine is much more expensive now than it was when they started out tamus does not disclose much information about its wine making process but we do know a few things number one we know that it’s at least 75% Cabernet sovon because by law if the bottle States Cabernet sovon on the label it has to be at least 75% Cabernet s we also know that K sources fruit from all over Napa Valley in particular from eight of the 16 different Appalachian or avas in Napa Valley some of which are in the mountains and some of which are on the valley floor and they assemble that fruit and create their blend each year this blend is made in a style that’s approachable and ready to enjoy immediately so there’s no need to age cus Cabernet sovon before you enjoy it but it certainly will last for some years as well if you don’t drink it immediately I was not able to find too many scores or ratings for this 2021 cus C snon but I did see that the wine spectator gave it a 92 Point rating now for the underdog the 2020 Lillian Louie lilan Loui is located on bordeaux’s Left Bank in s estf this is a wine that has the crew bis exceptional designation which is the highest of three tiers in the crew bis hierarchy this is a wine that’s an absolute steal for $25 per bottle it received favorable scores from critics this is a wine that matures in 40% new French Oak for around 14 to 16 months this wine is a blend that consists of around 50% Merlo 45% Cabernet svon and their smaller amounts of Cabernet Fran and P Vero as well this is a wine that definitely keeps improving with some additional bottle age but due to the relatively high percentage of marllo it’s one that you can enjoy on the younger side with a healthy decant as well all right now it’s time to taste these wines I put the glass of wine number one on my left and wine number two is on my right normally I would spend a little bit of time analyzing the color of the wines but since they’re both board over idols and they’re about the same age here that would be a waste of time and it wouldn’t really be that informative so we’re going to move on and I’m going to nose these wines and then give them a taste and try to analyze the descriptors the acidity the tannins in the balance so this is wine number one so immediately I can smell some sweet ripe fruit it’s definitely more of a black fruit profile I would say Blackberry maybe a little black currant there’s also definitely some Oak influence on this wine I get a little bit of like sawdust Cedar Oak vanilla so on the palette the wine is very consistent with the arom adx definitely darker fruit uh consistent with what I described earlier the fruit is definitely extremely sweet and there’s a little bit of a cloying aftertaste on the finish I’m also getting a little bit of cocoa or mocha that sort of thing little bit of hints of chocolate I’m not really getting a lot in terms of grippy tannins so the tannins are definitely more smooth to evaluate acidity for a wine what you typically do is you’ll put the wine in your mouth and then you’ll put your head down like that and then see if the the side of your mouth will start watering the more your mouth starts watering the higher the acidity so if you try that with a German reasing something of that nature your mouth will be watering profusely but if it’s a wine that has less aity you won’t have much of that mouthwatering sensation or at least not nearly as much as you would with a higher acid wine such as a reing or Shen so here the acidity is not super high I would say maybe medium and in terms of the finish the Finish is also somewhat short I would say maybe 10 to 15 seconds which is not a particularly long finish and when you’re analyzing the Finish you focus only on those favorable characteristics if you have kind of a lingering bitter nasty aftertaste you don’t keep counting at that point if you’re interested in wine recommendations wine collecting strategies and learning more about wine please do subscribe to my channel I’ve been collecting wine for more than 15 years and also have a level four diploma from the W so I have both formal certification as well as substantial practical Knowledge from the School of Hard KNX so to summarize I think wine number one is a good wine it has primary descriptors and secondary descriptors associated with Oak aging such as the mocha the coffee the oak and vanilla and so forth in terms of acidity it’s probably a little bit low the tannins are maybe medium medium plus and those tannins are definitely smooth and Polished in terms of their nature they’re not grippy whatsoever the Finish is a little bit short for this wine I would describe it as maybe 10 to 15 seconds or so so let’s go to Wine number two so I’m definitely getting a dark fruit profile with this one too definitely some black currant Black Plum Blackberry there’s definitely a little bit of Oak detected but it’s not quite as prominent as the oak descriptors the secondary characteristics for wine number one so I’m getting a little bit of uh spiciness this wine has a little bit more intensity a little bit more concentration there’s a little bit more grip or bite to the tannins the fruit profile is definitely not quite as sweet there’s certainly no clawing aftertaste on this wine so on this one I’m definitely getting more acidity I would describe the acidity as probably at least medium plus there’s a little bit more liveliness on the palette to this wine definitely as mentioned the tannins are a little bit more grippy as well although they aren’t overly grippy it’s not like you’re drinking a a young nebbiolo or something of that nature the Finish is definitely longer this wine also has a bit more earthiness uh it’s a bit more dark and brooding in nature than Wine number one so I actually got an idea to use a stopwatch and time the length of the finish for this wine number two and so I did that off camera to avoid boring you to death and this wine number two came in in an impressive 30 seconds which is actually quite good I would say 15 seconds is maybe mediocre or average for a wine but certainly if you get to around the 30 second Mark you’re talking about a wine that’s quite good and the other thing I like about this wine number two is that the Finish is definitely not cloyingly sweet and not only is it a little bit longer but it seems to have a little bit more brightness and acidity to it so just to make sure we’re keeping everything even I went back and did the stopwatch test with wine number one and I actually did determine that the Finish was a little bit closer to 15 to 20 seconds and not in the 10 to 15 second range as I speculated when I wasn’t using the stopwatch so when I’m comparing wine number one and wine number two I definitely think that wine number two is the superior wine wine number two definitely has more intensity and concentration in terms of the flavor profile than Wine number one wine number two definitely had a longer more complex finish than Wine number one and was a little bit more balanced due to the higher acidity levels than Wine number one I also thought wine number two was more enjoyable because wine number one had a little bit of a chalky finish and a cloyingly sweet finish a bit like when you take robotussin whereas wine number two didn’t have that clawing sweetness the fruit was ripe but it was not at all clawing or overly done and so the Finish was a little bit more clean and again also much longer than the finish for wine number one the other thing I’ll say is that wine number two definitely has more aging potential as it has both higher acidity and the tannins are a little bit more grippy and it has more tanic structure so if I had to guess what these wines are I’m quite certain that wine number one is the chus Cabernet sovon and wine number two is the Lily and the Dewey but let’s take a look okay we’re ready to open wine number one and as you can see I can’t even see the top here so we have to remove that before we can find out which wine this is and sure enough wine number one is the ks Cabernet as expected with respect to what gave it away it was definitely the sweetness of the fruit and the amount of the oak that was definitely a dead giveaway for that wine and then here’s wine number two this is the Lily and the Dewey 2020 so really an excellent wine you really can’t go wrong at all with this wine for $25 a bottle and in fact the 2023 Futures are on sale for only $19 a bottle now so that’s an even better buy if you’d like me to do more tasting videos like this one please let me know in the comments below and if you’re interested in more wine recommendations for outstanding wines that cost only around $25 a bottle please be sure to check out this video that’s linked above
38 Comments
Yay! I’m so happy that my bet won this battle! No spoilers in my comment because I want more people to see this fun and worthwhile video. The way you set up the wine battle between the Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon and the Château Lilian Ladouys Bordeaux was both insightful and exciting. Your deep dive into the history and background of each wine added so much context, making the tasting even more compelling. The blind tasting and reveal were thrilling to watch, and your expertise shone through every step of the way. Indeed, your expert tasting and rating process kept me on the edge of my seat, and the reveal was a fantastic climax. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and making wine appreciation so accessible and enjoyable! Hope you will make more videos like this—can’t wait to see more wine battles! Maybe Bordeaux vs Barolo in the next one?😂 Cheers, John!
A very interesting tasting! I expected the Lilian Ladouys to be better – and it happened: at this price, this is an absolute steal! Ithink that the wine taster did a bit overrate the Caymus with 92 points. This is not a bad wine, it's ok, but not a wine for discerning people. Cheers!🍷
John, I live in Europe and I can’t buy the LL for that money. Really no surprise on the outcome of the tasting, USA wines are way over priced for quality. Always have been. Some really awful wines in the USA. Great quality too but only for the very rich.
I can understand why many poo poo Caymus. The winery's philosophy, however, has always been to create enjoyable wine for everyone. I think the main issue is the price and the "unjustified" fame? I mean, it would be sacrilegious not to have this wine on a fancy steakhouse wine list! Sorry for the rant, please do more blind tastings. They are always informative, and more Spanish Rioja please. Many are not aware how great these wines are.
Yes, I would like to watch other tasting comparison videos between Napa and Bordeaux. I like similar price points, like $50 and $75. I am tending to find better wine for less money in Bordeaux, so I really enjoy your tasting reviews of those.
good show. thank you. mjr tokyo
Really enjoy this format. My first experience with Caymus was the '96 vintage. It was very early in my wine life and it was very enjoyable however I lost interest in the estate over the years as I have had more disappointments than surprises. Overall, it didn't perform well in the cellar, including a few Special Selection bottles ('99 &2001). I no longer have any in the cellar.
Now I collect mostly Bordeaux (no 1st growths however) simply because I find them more reliable in the cellar. St. Julien is my favorite region. I haven't tried the Lilian Ladouys but am planning on seeking some out.
I love the channel and I learn a lot from you! Thanks!
interesting, but there were always going to be signifiers from each of the two regions as you knew in advance. Fun though. I wonder how they will compare over a decade. I imagine that the Caymus fruit will soften and the oak become less obvious. Await further comparison videos as and when. 🙏
As for my own taste preference. I generally prefer Bordeaux to a Californian Cabernet. Though I think some of the Californian wines are really good. I just prefer the more delicate and less fruity taste of Bordeaux since to me it gives a more interesting finish. A really good friend of mine prefers the wines from California and so do some of my relatives. To them the Bordeaux wines are too earthy. I’m guessing it’s because they don’t have much experience trying Bordeaux wines. You can get the same basic flavor in wines costing much less than Caymus from California. That’s not to say that their opinion is wrong, and just a personal opinion. A few months ago I had a Pomerol that cost about $27 compared to a Cabernet costing almost three times as much. I preferred the Pomerol. I had the same Cabernet a few months earlier and liked it, but after comparing the two together the Cabernet was just lacking and one dimensional.
I just would love to know how that ‘94 caymus would compare. Fun video, even if I could predict the outcome:)
Bordeaux represents the best value in wine collecting. So many wines for under $30….
For $25-35, the Caymus would be a reasonable, viable candidate—particularly if one enjoys a sweeter, oaky style of Cab. At it current price point, (and under!) however, too many better options. Kudos to Caymus for finding & exploiting their niche.
Why waste your time on drinking a $80 bottle of “wine” literally made with a syrup?? Worst “wine” in napa. What they do should be illegal, wait it is in Europe.
As soon as I saw the subject line, i had to laugh. C'mon John… You knew which was which just by smelling it.
I know your reason for doing this video was to promote the value of cru bourgeois, but couldn't you come up with something better than Caymus? You poor thing. 🤣
Yes, you achieved an interesting video for sure! However, now my sleeper budget Bordeaux will be pricing up to $50+ lol. Joking aside, we hit on this fantastic Bordeaux with the 2018 vintage and have been buying it consistently through the current 2020 vintage. The 2019 vintage was absolutely stellar. I had to get my merchant to order more from their sister stores. We bought all we could. This and Chateau Palon Saint-Emilion are absolute bargains.
I think the real value of this video is not that Caymus is overpriced plunk, all serious wine drinkers pretty much agree on that. What the tasting really shows is that you can get a really good balance & complex wine for around $25!! The Lilian Ladouys is the real star of the tasting.
Salud🍷
A nice video once again, thank you! As you are so enjoyably analytical, other comparisons immediately come to mind that would be great to watch you do. From certain champagnes to the classic California vs Bourgogne Chardonnays, German vs Austrian Trockenbeerenauslese and so on.
I'm glad you included the Points System to this tasting. Saying a wine is "Great", can mean too many things. You weren't expecting too much from this wine, but it was Much better than anticipated. "92 Points".
Anticipating a Great wine, but disappointed. "92 Points".
It also allows people to calibrate their own palate to yours, making your recommendations more valuable/comfortable with spending money.
This was great
I hate Caymus Cabernet.
Unfortunately Lillian Ladouys is no longer 25$
Likely because of your Chanel!
Great topic. Do more of these. I guessed the Caymus just by your description.
Oh yay, love that you're doing tastings on camera now!
Not surprising the Caymus is cloying at 9-10 g/L of RS (depending on vintage) per the LCBO.
Really enjoyed this! I hope you’ll do more comparisons, perhaps wines that are harder to distinguish on exams. BTW, the WSET should def add “Robitussin” to the tasting grid!
Please do more of these!
For S's & G's, would have loved to of seen you do this video with a friend whom may not be too into wine.
Reg Caymus now a days is a excellent overpriced party drink but not a good wine almost fraud level pricing now on that.
Love the video! My mom loves Caymus, are there any wines that you'd recommend to start branching out from Caymus in addition to this one?
Love your lists of best wines for $40, $50, $75, etc. What would be a great addition is list of cheaper alternatives for some of the other big names. For example, years ago Lynch Bages was known as the poor man's Mouton. By blind tastings what are the "poor man's version" of Biondi Santi Brunello, Dom Perignon, Screaming Eagle, etc.
Actually, I love all your videos – Thanks so much!
Loved the 2019 Lilian Ladouys, discovered at Costco (no connection). Right on the money!
I lile this format, although would be more fun with a handful / half dozen of wines in the blind tasting mix
Is it truly blind if Caymus is one of the wines? Apart from that, great video and I’m glad the underdog won!
When you mentioned sweetness I guessed wine 1 was caymus as well. I’ve maybe only had caymus 4-5 times, but regardless of the vintage I feel like there is a sort of raisin or prune sweetness that gives it away. I still enjoy it, but I really only drink it when someone else brings the bottle.
I just bought 3 bottles of the 2018 Ladouys so this makes me very happy. The 2018 was $28 per botle.
I recently picked up the Château Lilian Ladouys, and it is great that there are still great yet affordable wines from Bordeaux. This makes want to pick up future vintages so I can host my first vertical tasting with friends.
The oak factor was my clue that Number one was Caymus, the second was the tannic structure as the Bordeaux would have a higher tannic structure lending itself to longer aging. Blind tasting is always interesting, but not knowing what the wines are makes it even more fun! And really shows how good your palate is, and what you like.
From you beautiful descriptions I could already work out which was which 😊 thank you for this fun, informative video 😘