Caymus Red Schooner Transit No. 12 Red Blend from Argentina

This Transit No. 12 edition from the Red Schooner “Red Wines of the World” series by the Caymus-Wagner family offers a polished, globally-sourced red blend with bold fruit, bright energy and accessible structure. It delivers strong impact while remaining balanced and appealing—a premium pick for both everyday enjoyment and elevated dinners.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Sourced from select regions and made under Caymus/Wagner’s “Red Wines of the World” initiative, Transit No. 12 brings together vineyard parcels crafted to cross-regional red-blend style. While the exact blend makeup for the "Transits" is not always fully public, the Red Schooner series historically emphasises high-quality fruit, spirited extraction, and modest oak influence. The wine is bottled at a standard red-wine strength (~14–15% ABV) and marketed as a value-premium blend—positioned between everyday labels and ultra-collectible flagship bottlings. The name “Transit” reflects the journey of grapes or grapes-to-bottle concept embraced in this series.

Caymus Red Schooner Transit No. 12 is a Malbec wine made from grapes grown in the Andes Mountains of Argentina. The grapes are chilled after harvest and shipped by ocean voyage to Napa Valley, California, where the wine is then vinified by the Wagner family using their winemaking techniques. 

Critics Reviews

• Renowned wine commentator Ken On the Radio (Ken’s Wine Guide) assigned the related Cabernet-led Red Schooner Voyage line a 92-point score, calling a prior version “pitch-black in colour, dense and supple with boysenberry, cinnamon, black cherry and tobacco”; while not exactly Transit No. 12, this gives context to the series’ quality level.

• A leading wine merchant review for the Transit series described it as “strikingly smooth, with scents and flavours of dark fruit and fine textural tannins” and noted that the wine “did not disappoint” for fans of Caymus style.

• Specialty retailer commentary notes that the Red Schooner Transit bottlings “balance bold ripe fruit with freshness and structure—an internationally-sourced red blend that plays to global flavour rather than one region alone.”

Tasting Profile

• Nose: Rich ruby colour with purplish edge. Aromas of ripe blackberry, plum compote and dark cherry are layered with cocoa dust, subtle cedar and a hint of dried herb.

• Palate: Medium-to-full body. Plush dark-berry core (blackberry, boysenberry), followed by black cherry and dark chocolate. Soft oak spice, gentle vanilla and fine-grained tannins provide structure.

• Finish: Lengthy and polished—fruit remains confident, with lingering cocoa powder, mild tobacco leaf and a whisper of mocha-espresso bitterness giving depth on the fade.

Quick Overview