TASTING NOTES: Red Schooner Voyage 8 Red Wine / Malbec
This Malbec is made from grapes grown in the Andes Mountains, shipped chilled to Napa Valley, and produced with the same techniques as our Caymus Cabernet. Falling outside standard labeling rules, it does not include a vintage date but is known by the voyage from which it traveled (Voyage 6 is the 2015 vintage). Charles Wagner Family Wine
A dark reddish-purple, Voyage 6 opens with lush earthiness on the nose, as scents of ripe plums mix with Medjool dates, wildflowers, suede leather, and a fresh leafiness. Flavors of this wine follow its aromas, featuring ripe red plums, chocolate graham crackers, brown spice, and soft leather. Tannins are smooth and cool, providing an unusual softness. A wisp of smokiness on the finish creates an alluring entreaty to return for another sip.
Red Schooner started with appreciating good Malbec. We considered making this wine from vineyards in Napa Valley but decided we should source the grapes from the place that is most widely recognized for having ideal conditions for this varietal. We found ourselves asking: Could we create a wine at Caymus Vineyards – our family winery – using fruit from another part of the world? That question inspired the idea for Red Schooner, a “Red Wine of the World” that is about the thrill of voyage and discovery.
This Malbec is made from grapes grown in the Andes Mountains of Argentina and shipped chilled to Napa Valley. We then produce the wine in our Caymus style – dense, dark, powerful and supple. Falling outside standard labeling rules, Red Schooner has no vintage date but instead is known by the voyage from which it has traveled. Charlie Wagner, Red Schooner’s director of winemaking, notes that he loves this wine’s lush softness – as well as the spirit of experimentation that lies behind its creation.
Most distinguished and celebrated from Argentina’s Mendoza, Malbec has seen runaway success since the early 2000s. Mendoza’s agreeable, continental climate with hot, dry summers and cold snowy winters allows the perfect conditions for growing outstanding Malbec. This grape is easy to like for its lusty, deep flavors and aromas of blackberry, plum, red cherry, autumn spice and tilled earth. It’s easy to find delicious, fruit-driven, affordable everyday examples and in prices beyond, quite exceptional ones with dense, supple textures that make them capable of aging.