N.V. Wagner Family of Wines Red Schooner Voyage 10

Wagner Family of Wine is the umbrella company for a portfolio of family-produced wines, the most famous of which is Caymus. Wagner Family of Wine is also the parent company of Red Schooner, a Malbec made of grapes grown in the Andes then shipped chilled to Napa. Since the wine falls outside of the standard labeling rules, Red Schooner is known by the “voyage” that brought the grapes to Napa. Voyage 3 is the 2012 Vintage, for example. Chuck Wagner, current patriarch of the Wagner family, descends from Alsatian immigrants who settled in Rutherford in 1906 and produced bulk wines until Prohibition. Several generations later in 1972 the family established Caymus Vineyards, widely recognized as one of Napa’s finest producers. Today Chuck Wagner’s adult children are also involved in the family’s wine enterprise, which includes the labels Conundrum, Mer Soleil and Emmolo.

Argentina is the fifth largest producer of wine in the world, producing somewhat more in an average year that Australia. That fact is surprising, given that Argentina winemaking was largely unknown outside of Argentina and its neighboring nations until the 1990s, when long-time producers and innovative newcomers started making higher quality wines with an eye to exporting. With its extremely high vineyards – usually between 2,300 and 4,600 feet above sea level – Argentina’s grapes are richly flavored due to widely fluctuating day and night temperatures, and virtually free of disease. Malbec is the most widely grown grape, followed by Bonarda. Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Sangiovese and Merlot are just a few of the other red wine grapes grown. Torrontés is the most distinctive white grape, though Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc are some of the other commonly grown white grapes. Many wine writers say that Argentina is South America’s leader in high quality wines, and prestigious wine producers from Europe and the U.S. have flocked to Argentina to open wineries or to partner with other vignerons. Among the big international names involved in winemaking in Argentina are the Rothschilds of Lafite, Moet et Chandon, Pierre Lurton of Cheval Blanc, Paul Hobbs and Michel Rolland.