There’s a lot to be said for knowing what you do well and only doing that. Cain Vineyard and Winery makes Bordeaux blends, three of them to be precise. No single varietals. No white wine. Just red blends. Even if you’re not a big fan of big California wines, a visit to Cain can be very rewarding. (And why would you visit Napa Valley if you don’t like big California wines, made from the signature grapes of the region?)
You don’t go to Cain just because you happened to be passing by. For one thing, visits are by appointment only and they mean it. More important, Cain is near the pinnacle of Spring Mountain, way up in the Mayacamas range. There are a few other wineries higher on the hill, but in general there’s no way that you’d ever be just passing by. If you do go wine tasting at Cain, you mean to go there.
Be prepared for a winding drive of 45 minutes to an hour if you’re coming from down in the valley. But what you get when you arrive is worth the trip. First and maybe foremost, is the view. The Cain web site (https://cainfive.com/) makes much of that view and rightly so. The terraced vineyards nestled in the high hills make a stunning sight. Much though we don’t like getting up early, not even to go wine tasting, we recommend that you make an appointment for the 10:00 tasting. On many days, you will be greeted by the view of the vines above the clouds. It is truly a unique Napa Valley vista.
Cain’s vines above the clouds. Photo courtesy of Edible Arts.
The winery itself is a stylish stone building, more interesting for its restraint than for any particular architectural flourishes, of which there are more than enough in Napa Valley. Once the group of reserved visitors has arrived, they are taken on a tour of the working winery. It is essentially the same as any such tour, but we have found the guides to be quite knowledgeable about the way that Cain makes its wines, so you do get an interesting perspective on the wines you are soon to taste.
The Cain tasting room. Photo courtesy of Cain Vineyards and Winery.
The seated tasting is your chance to taste their wines in a rather grand salon. As noted, they make three wines. The best known is Cain Five, which is always made of the five Bordeaux grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Cain was among the first to honor the wines of Bordeaux in this fashion, although ironically the Bordelais themselves rarely use all five. Importantly, all the grapes in Cain Five are estate grown up on Spring Mountain.
Cain Concept is made from grapes grown down the hill, in “the Benchland” as they say. And Cain Cuvée is made from sourced grapes from both mountain and valley vineyards. While there is no question that Cain Five is their premier wine, a tasting at Cain gives an unusual opportunity to compare wines made from the same grapes in the same manner by the same winemaker, varying mountain and valley fruit.
For those interested in such things, Cain Five regularly receives high numbers from the ratings magazines. For those just interested in a unique wine tasting experience, take the drive up the mountain to Cain.