Caymus Vineyards

Caymus Vineyards produces a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvginon, as well as its signature wine, Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon. The family's winemaking style stems from farming techniques developed over decades, such as longer “hang time” for the fruit to create suppleness, richer color and mature tannins. The wines are abundant in textural tannins yet soft as velvet.

Caymus Special Selection is the flagship wine of the Wagner family and consists of the very best barrels of the vintage. This wine is not produced in difficult years. Caymus prides itself on producing wines that are as approachable in youth as in maturity. Both of its Cabernets are produced under the winemaking hand of Chuck Wagner.

In addition to the two Cabernets, the family makes Caymus-Suisun Grand Durif, along with other wines under the "Wagner Family of Wine" umbrella. These include Conundrum, Mer Soleil, Emmolo and Red Schooner.

Chuck Wagner and his children are proud to be continuing a true Napa Valley family winemaking legacy that traces back over 150 years and many generations. Chuck's parents, Lorna Belle Glos and Charlie Wagner, were both born to families that helped shape Napa Valley's wine industry in the late 1800s and beyond.

Charlie Wagner and Lorna Belle Glos grew up just one mile apart in Rutherford, California. In 1934, they eloped to Reno, Nevada, and in 1941, they purchased 73 acres of land in Rutherford, where they planted fruit orchards. One of their first acts on their new land was also to plant 10 acres of wine grapes.

In the 1960s, Charlie and Lorna foresaw a bleak future for the family's prune and walnut business, so they decided to pull out the crops and devote their property entirely to wine grapes - including Pinot Noir, Johannisberg Riesling and a special clone of Cabernet Sauvignon that Charlie had acquired from Stags Leap grower Nathan Fay. The Wagners sold their grapes to multiple wineries in the area and were highly regarded grape growers and home winemakers.

In 1972 Chuck and his parents decided to formalize the family's long-standing tradition of winemaking. They saw an opportunity in selling the great quality “home” wines they’d been making from the grapes grown on their property. So they established their own winery and named it “Caymus Vineyards,” after a Mexican land grant owned by George Yount that had once encompassed their land.

It was not long before the father-son winemaking team started producing wines that were rich in character and complexity. Their 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon really put them on the map, as it caught the attention of wine critics, earning them recognition and acclaim. In 1975, Chuck and his dad noticed that there were a few barrels that tasted better than the rest, so they decided to separate them from the batch and bottle under a new label called “Special Selection.”

The Wagner Family of Wine is a collection of fine wines of different varieties produced from premier winegrowing regions in California and beyond. Brands include world-renowned Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as Mer Soleil Chardonnay and Pinot Noir; Emmolo Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot; Conundrum White, Red, Sparkling and Rosé, and Red Schooner. Caymus-Suisun Grand Durif is a recent addition to the family's offerings, produced out of the Suisun Valley, a little-known but exceptional farming region just a 40-minute drive southeast of Napa Valley.

The Wagner family's winemaking started with Caymus Vineyards, which was created in 1972 by Chuck Wagner and his parents, Charlie and Lorna Wagner. Two of Chuck's four children, Charlie and Jenny Wagner, are now winemakers in their own right, working alongside him and carrying on the family legacy.

Charlie Wagner Charlie Wagner is owner and winemaker for Mer Soleil winery in the Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey County. Making both Chardonnay and a recently released Pinot Noir under the Mer Soleil label, he is passionate about how these wines reflect the drama and rugged beauty of the California coast. Charlie is also Director of Winemaking for Conundrum and has overseen the launch of three Conundrum wines, which now include a white, red, rosé and sparkling. His latest endeavor is Red Schooner, a Malbec made from grapes grown in the Andes Mountains, shipped chilled to Napa Valley and produced in the supple Caymus style. Named after his grandfather, Charlie Wagner Sr. – co-founder of Caymus Vineyards – Charlie has a long family history in Napa Valley dating back to 1857.

Jenny Wagner As owner and winemaker for Emmolo Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc, Jenny has pursued a distinct style for these wines and embraces new techniques in both the vineyard and her winemaking. Emmolo is named for her maternal ancestors, who came to Napa from Sicily in 1923 – their land still provides most of the grapes for Emmolo. On the paternal side, her roots trace back to 1857, when her third great-grandfather captained a wagon train to Napa, beginning a long history of farming and winemaking. In 1972, Jenny's father, Chuck Wagner, founded Caymus Vineyards along with her grandparents. She feels extremely fortunate to be following in her family's footsteps and to have the opportunity to put her own mark on Emmolo wines.

Chuck Wagner has spent his life in the vineyards of Rutherford, near the center of Napa Valley, steering his family's business from its earliest beginnings to the present day. Through the years, he has lived through many changes and has been recognized for his winemaking and industry leadership – but he still holds onto a deep humility as well as appreciation for great wine, family and the connections between the two.

Chuck was just 19 when he joined his parents in 1972 to create Caymus Vineyards, taking them up on their proposal to sell the home wines they had been making from grapes they grew on their property. He and his father, Charlie, worked long days side by side, managing every part of the business. His mother, Lorna, took on many jobs including work on the bottling line. Lunches eaten together each day remain one of Chuck's favorite memories, a tradition he has carried on with his own home-cooked breakfasts for his kids.

Both father and son believed in making wines with character, complexity and consistency. They embraced Napa's unique climate and soil, helping to establish the region's singular style and reputation for cabernet sauvignon. One of the family's most exciting moments came in 1989, when Wine Spectator awarded them the “Top Wine of the Year Award” for their 1984 Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon. Five years later, the magazine conferred the award again for their 1990 vintage, the only time a wine has received this honor twice.

For Chuck, an even greater reward has come as two of his four children are now part of the family business. Today, son Charlie and daughter Jenny work alongside him to produce a broad portfolio of wines. In addition to Caymus, these include Mer Soleil Chardonnays, Emmolo Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot, Red Schooner Malbec, and four Conundrums – a white, red, sparkling and rosé. While everyone has a unique point of view, all three Wagners share common family traits – namely, a passion for hard work and trying out new ideas, as they balance tradition with pushing the boundaries to make even better wines.

They also get their hands dirty. Along with the rest of the family, Chuck can still be found in the vineyard and continues to experiment with farming techniques and other aspects of winemaking. He was honored in 2007 to be recognized with Wine Spectator's Distinguished Service Award, presented to individuals who have made significant and long-lasting contributions to the wine industry. Yet despite his business success, Chuck remains a farmer at heart. He still believes that at the end of the day, wine is meant to be shared with family and friends. And he marvels at his good fortune to be living in Napa and working in the wine business.