Caymus Vineyards — Attraction in St. Helena

Caymus was our third stop on a three winery itinerary. I had been here with my friends for an amazing visit in January and this time was even better, despite the Covid-19 precautions, which were well managed and not at all invasive. The check in process was gracious and quick and we were led to a private patio in the outdoor garden area, shaded by a beautiful pergola. The flowers were in bloom, and it was comfortably warm with a gentle breeze. It was a perfect setting and seemed like pre-Covid times.

Our host Tracey Barber was extremely professional, knowledgeable, and friendly and I wish she could have joined our party! She was eager to learn where we were from and happy to share information about herself, her experience at Caymus and the Wagner family history. She also shared recommendations and descriptions of her favorite restaurants in Napa. And her timing was perfect - she was always there when we were ready to try the next wine.

We enjoy all the Wagner Family wines but especially loved the Emmolo 2018 Merlot and the Caymus 2016 Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, and my friends bought several cases.

To top off the fabulous visit, Tracey offered me a complimentary bottle of something we hadn’t tasted and I chose the Red Schooner Voyage 8 Argentina Malbec which is made in CA from grapes grown in Mendoza, Argentina. I can’t wait to try it and am already planning the next trip up to Napa. Caymus will be on the itinerary along with a meal at one of the restaurants Tracey recommended.

Thank you Caymus and Tracey for contributing to a perfect...

Review for Caymus - Rutherford Location

I'm still in disbelief at how disappointing our experience was at this location. Our original reservation was for the Suisun location, but due to a fire there, our tasting was moved to Rutherford. We didn't anticipate how much farther this drive would be compared to Suisun City, which forced us to rearrange our entire day -- including our other vineyard tastings and lunch plans -- to the Rutherford/St. Helena area.

On top of that, heavy traffic and an accident caused a 30-minute delay. Out of courtesy, I called ahead to let them know, and the woman I spoke to assured me it would be fine and that our tasting would simply be shortened. I appreciated that understanding -- until we arrived.

Upon walking in (yes, 30 minutes late as discussed), the hostess coldly informed us that our reservation had been cancelled. She showed zero empathy, didn't care what I explained, and offered no alternatives. She simply said, "Sorry, too bad," and suggested we go buy wine at the bar instead. At a place like Caymus, I expected at least an attempt to accommodate us or reschedule. The dismissiveness was one of the worst customer service experiences I've had at a winery.

The only reason I'm leaving two stars instead of one is for the bartender, who treated us kindly and with respect. Otherwise, we would never consider returning to this location, nor would we recommend it to others. Extremely...

As upscale as this winery is, they treat everyone with love.

The space is AMAZING. I liked that each party was in their own private oasis. We had a little patio area where so many trees separated us from others, making it an intimate setting. I appreciated that we are not in other guest’s way, as they were not in ours.

And hands off to our host Hannah! Hannah was friendly, knowledgeable, and very attentive. Hannah looks very young, but man did she know not only her wine, but the history of the winery and its owner. We learned a lot and appreciated Hannah’s patience with our never-ending questions. I am used to tastings that last about 45-60 min but this one took about 1 ½ hours. I liked that we were not rushed.

The tasting was awesome. I believe we tried five dif wines (two whites and three reds). We also asked if we could try an additional one and since she had a bottle open, she threw that in at no extra charge.

Wine tasting was $50 pp and waived if you buy a bottle worth the same value; this is a no brainer….buy a bottle. I bought two bottles and my friends purchased four total. Aside the discount, their wines are just really good.

Note: The winery only does tastings and sells by the bottle/case. They do not offer food/snacks as permitting out in Napa is complicated.

I will def be back...