Picture it now: you and boo, feet up by the fire at some swanky lodge, in matching plush robes and slippers, cheeks blushing and reminiscing stories of your 10 years of marriage while sharing this perfectly purple cab, possibly even apres ski. One of Robert Parker's favorite 2012 private reserves to buy and save for years to come, this bottle really shows off why Beringer has had such a long and successful American winemaking legacy — and why they should earn a place in your cellar.
When you're drinking cab from Caymus, you're drinking a time capsule of the Napa Valley origins story: heirloom-quality, award-winning, nearly legendary wine from one of the three original winemaking families in the region. This is Cab-addicts wine, for people who love to learn the history of wine and its humble farmer-craftsmen, like the infamous Chuck Wagner. Wagner (re)started the winery with his parents when he was just 19, and is a Rutherford native who's been said to truly have "that Rutherford Dust in his veins." Caymus Special Selection is the Wagner family's flagship wine, made only in the best years from the very best barrels of the vintage.
Good things come to those who wait, as any couple who've endured the journey of a long-distance relationship knows all too well. Celebrate your Sisyphean triumph by cellaring this critic's darling to open on your 10-year anniversary. The Allomi vineyard lies in the gently rolling hills of northeastern Napa Valley, where the combination of a typically long, warm growing season and well-drained soils create optimal ripening conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon earning them a 94 point gold medal at the 2016 Sommelier Challenge.
For Robert Mondavi, the unequivocal Godfather of American Wine, none of his vineyards were as magical, as special as To Kalon in West Oakville — "the beautiful" in Greek — and this is only one of two single-vineyard vintages ever produced from those treasured grapes. A Cabernet that Wine Spectator rated at 95 and described as "an iron fist in a velvet glove," the 2013 was bottled as a tribute to Mondavi's 50th year of winemaking, this is the perfect California classic to open (and decant!) on your 10th anniversary.