Charlie Wagner Sr. built his reputation on Cabernet Sauvignon, but his personal favorite in the glass was always Zinfandel. Caymus Vineyards, the winery he founded in 1972 alongside his wife Lorna Belle and their son Chuck in Rutherford, Napa Valley, has quietly honored that preference ever since — producing only a small, limited bottling of Zinfandel each year, a wine that exists specifically because the family patriarch loved it, rather than because it fits neatly into Caymus's broader Cabernet-driven identity.

The wine carries the broader California appellation, drawing on fruit that has historically included two of the estate's most storied Zinfandel sites: the Butala Vineyard in St. Helena, where old, gnarly, head-pruned vines grow without trellis wires in the way Zinfandel has traditionally been farmed for generations, and Mead Ranch, a red-soil site perched high in the mountains of Atlas Peak, where the great majority of vines are now more than thirty years old. The California designation gives the winemaking team the flexibility to draw on the best available fruit for a given vintage from a broader footprint than a single, narrower AVA would permit — a diversified, site-driven philosophy that still carries the same signature Caymus hand that makes even a limited-production side project taste unmistakably like the winery that made it.

Anthony Gismondi of Gismondi on Wine awarded the 2021 vintage 90 Points, calling it "varietally correct, packed full of bright red fruit reminiscent of a southern Rhône Grenache," with crushed raspberries, boysenberries, a touch of pepper, and moderate alcohol — "a sense of freshness here, adding charm to this solid everyday zin that would be the perfect foil to pork ribs or a mushroom pizza." The estate's own tasting notes describe a deep ruby color with an expressive bouquet of blackberry, plum, and dark cherry, complemented by hints of vanilla and oak, full-bodied with a smooth, velvety mouthfeel. This is Zinfandel exactly the way Charlie Wagner Sr. would have wanted it — approachable, generous, and built for the table.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Caymus Vineyards was founded in 1972 by Charlie Wagner Sr. and his wife Lorna Belle Glos Wagner, alongside their son Chuck, in Rutherford, Napa Valley — a family whose winemaking roots trace even further back through Chuck's great-grandfather Lafayette Stice, an early Napa winemaker, and the Glos family, German immigrants who homesteaded on Howell Mountain in the 1880s. The winery remains family-owned and operated today under the broader Wagner Family of Wine umbrella, renowned primarily as a consistent leader in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon production, farming across eight of Napa's sixteen sub-appellations.

Alongside its Cabernet program, Caymus produces a small, limited bottling of Zinfandel specifically to honor co-founder Charlie Wagner Sr., for whom the variety was a personal favorite. This 2021 bottling carries the California appellation. Fruit sources associated with the estate's Zinfandel program have included the Butala Vineyard in St. Helena, where old, head-pruned vines grow without trellis wires in a traditional, gnarly, own-rooted style that produces exceptional wine from soil and vine age alone; and Mead Ranch, a red-soil vineyard high in the mountains of Atlas Peak, where the majority of vines are head-pruned and over thirty years old. Historically, Caymus's Zinfandel shows its full character within two to three years of the vintage date, though it remains enjoyable both on release and after a decade or more of cellaring.

Critics Reviews

Anthony Gismondi, Gismondi on Wine — 90 Points:
"Charlie Wagner Sr. was a big fan of Zinfandel, so the winery still produces a small amount of California Zinfandel yearly. The 2021 is a varietally correct wine packed full of bright red fruit reminiscent of a southern Rhône Grenache. Look for crushed raspberries, boysenberries, a touch of pepper, and moderate alcohol. There is a sense of freshness here, adding charm to this solid everyday zin that would be the perfect foil to pork ribs or a mushroom pizza."

Wine-Searcher aggregate — 90/100 (2021 vintage)

CellarTracker community — 90 average

Nationwide Liquor (official-style retailer tasting note):
"This wine presents a deep ruby color and offers an expressive bouquet featuring notes of blackberry, plum, and dark cherry, complemented by hints of vanilla and oak. On the palate, it is full-bodied with a smooth and velvety mouthfeel, showcasing flavors consistent with the nose, including ripe black fruits and subtle spice. The finish is long and satisfying, leaving a lasting impression of its complex flavors and refined structure."

CellarTracker community (individual review):
"Medium ruby in the glass. Full-bodied, off-dry, soft-to-medium tannins, soft acidity. Primary black fruit aroma of blackberry, red fruit aroma of strawberry, both presenting as more cooked fruit as opposed to preserved/jammy fruit. Spice aroma of white pepper. Secondary earth aroma of potting soil. Tertiary general aging aroma of leather, oak aging aroma of cigar box. The finish is smokey, with a medium length."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Deep ruby color. An expressive bouquet of blackberry, plum, and dark cherry leads, complemented by hints of vanilla and oak. Crushed raspberries and boysenberries add bright red fruit character, alongside a touch of white pepper and a whisper of earth.

Palate
Full-bodied with a smooth, velvety mouthfeel, showcasing flavors consistent with the nose — ripe black fruits and subtle spice carrying through cleanly. Moderate alcohol and a genuine sense of freshness keep the wine from feeling heavy, closer in style to a southern Rhône Grenache than a typically jammy, high-alcohol California Zinfandel.

Finish
Long and satisfying, leaving a lasting impression of complex flavors and refined structure. A soft, approachable close built for immediate, food-friendly enjoyment.

Quick Overview

Category	Details
Appellation	California
Variety	Zinfandel
Vintage	2021
Winery	Caymus Vineyards
Founded	1972 by Charlie Wagner Sr., Lorna Belle Glos Wagner, and Chuck Wagner
Family	Wagner Family of Wine
Named In Honor Of	Charlie Wagner Sr. — co-founder, Zinfandel enthusiast
Associated Vineyard Sources	Butala Vineyard (St. Helena) · Mead Ranch (Atlas Peak)
Vine Training	Head-pruned, no trellis wires
Vine Age	Many vines over 30 years old
Critics	Anthony Gismondi, Gismondi on Wine — 90 Points · Wine-Searcher aggregate 90/100 · CellarTracker community 90
Style / Identity	Fresh, red-fruit-driven California Zinfandel — more Rhône Grenache than typical jammy Zin
Aromas & Flavors	Blackberry, plum, dark cherry, crushed raspberry, boysenberry, black pepper, vanilla, oak
Drinking Window	Now through 2028
Bottle Size	750ml

Food Pairings

Pork ribs — the critic's own specific recommendation
Mushroom pizza
Spicy Sicilian sausage
BBQ and grilled red meats
Pasta with tomato-based sauces

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