Ty Caton Vineyards Mixed Reds

Tasting notes & discussion 17

91 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
90 Points, James Suckling
Typically $38-$45/bottle from Ty Caton Vineyards
Vintage 2022 from the Moon Mountain District, Sonoma Valley
Available for AL; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; FL; GA; ID; IL; IN; IA; KS; KY; LA; ME; MD; MA; MI; MN; MO; MT; NE; NV; NH; NJ; NM; NY; NC; ND; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VT; VA; WA; WV; WI; WY
Sold by participating winery or licensee, fulfilled by Wine Country Connect

About Ty Caton Vineyards: “At Ty Caton Vineyards, our commitment to excellence begins in the Caton Vineyard where winemaker Ty Caton sustainably farms the hillside fruit used in his Moon Mountain District wine.”

Stuffed Animals, Unstuffed Retirement Plans

TASTING NOTES:
Ty Caton Estate Upper Bench Merlot - “This elegant Merlot greets the nose with rich aromas of ripe cherry and violets, followed by a lush mouth feel with layers of blackberry, currant, and a touch of chocolate. These flavors combine with soft and supple tannins to create a long, silky smooth finish.” (AbV 14.9%)

Ty Caton Estate Ty’s Red - “With savory aromas and a deep luscious color, this much-loved wine strokes your palate with flavors of dark cherry, blackberry and cassis. The thick velvety texture gives way to toasty oak and finishes with just a hint of chocolate. Enjoy with your favorite grilled meats.” (AbV 14.9%)

Ty Caton Estate Petite Sirah - “This deep inky wine tempts you with delicious aromas of blackberry bramble that embrace subtle hints of mint. The deep indigo tones unveil dark fruit flavors and a big structured mouth feel, then leave you with a light toasty finish lingering on your palate.” (AbV 15.2%)

VARIETALS: 2022 Ty Caton Estate Upper Bench Merlot: 100% Merlot; 2022 Ty Caton Estate Ty’s Red: Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot; 2022 Ty Caton Estate Petite Sirah: 100% Petite Sirah

BARRELS: 18 months, 60% new French Oak

PAIRS WITH: Your favorite grilled meats.

THAT REMINDS ME OF: The name Ty Caton.

There is a version of this where I spend three paragraphs on Ty Cobb, the baseball player, because “Caton” sounds like “Cobb” if you say it fast and you’ve had a glass of the Petite Sirah. But Ty Cobb was a genuinely terrible person and this wine is very good, so we’re going somewhere else.

“Ty” is one of those names that exists in a permanently unresolved state. Is it short for Tyler? Tyrone? Tyrannosaurus? Nobody ever asks, because “Ty” projects a particular confidence that makes follow-up questions feel rude. It’s the name of a person who shows up to the meeting already knowing what he’s going to say. It’s also, famously, the name on every single one of those small heart-shaped tags attached to Beanie Babies — the “Ty” of Ty Inc., Ty Warner, who at the peak of the Beanie Baby craze in the late 1990s was generating roughly $700 million a year selling small stuffed animals to people who genuinely believed Princess the Bear was a retirement strategy. At one point he was one of the wealthiest people in America. The whole thing collapsed, as bubbles do, leaving attics full of carefully preserved pellet-filled frogs in zipper bags.

Ty Caton founded his vineyard in 1997. Right in the thick of it. While one Ty was carefully hanging holographic tags on limited-edition tie-dye bears, another Ty was up on a volcanic hillside in Moon Mountain planting Merlot. History will record which of them made the better call.

Who's buying this?

How are you buying your bottles?

In 1997, what were YOU investing in for the future?

Beanie Babies (they're basically a 401k, right?)

Beanie Babies (they're basically a 401k, right?)
My own questionable decisions, lovingly preserved in ziplock bags

My own questionable decisions, lovingly preserved in ziplock bags
Planting something that would actually pay off (respect, Ty)

Planting something that would actually pay off (respect, Ty)
Whatever it was, it's in a box in my parents' attic

Whatever it was, it's in a box in my parents' attic
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