Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon

Food pairings: Grilled ribeye or New York strip, braised short ribs, roast lamb, and aged hard cheeses.

Winemaking: Chuck Wagner calls 2023 a classic Caymus vintage. The growing season was warm and dry, and a long, rain-free autumn followed. Picking began in September on the stony soils of the valley floor and then moved to the cooler hillside sites that form the backbone of Caymus. Harvest ended in early December, one of the latest finishes in the winery's history. The wine is a dark scarlet color, with sweet, ripe Cabernet aromas. On the palate it moves from brooding to expansive, with cassis, ripe berries and cocoa held by finely grained, cacao-like tannins.

Vineyards and terroir: The wine blends fruit from Napa Valley's warm valley floor, where stony soils ripen early, with cooler hillside vineyards that add structure. Caymus is based on Conn Creek Road in Rutherford.

Family and history: The Wagner family's farming roots in Napa Valley go back generations. Lafayette Stice worked at Brun & Chaix around 1900, and the Glos family homesteaded on Howell Mountain in the 1880s. Charlie Wagner Sr. and Lorna, who both grew up in Rutherford, married in 1934. In 1972 they founded Caymus with their son Chuck, who was 19 at the time. The first vintage was 1972, and Charlie appears on his tractor on the back label. Chuck runs Caymus today with his children Charlie and Jenny.

In the pictures: The Caymus Vineyards estate in Rutherford; the Caymus barrel room; Charlie and Jenny Wagner.