Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Coming close to matching the 2010, the 2004 Syrah Bionic Frog (which was also a cool vintage) came from tiny yields of 16 hectoliter per hectare. It’s an incredibly beautiful Syrah that exhibits lots of saltiness in its cassis and currant-like fruits, licorice, olive brine and crushed rock-like minerality. These all come together perfectly on the palate, where the wine is full-bodied, layered and awesomely pure, plus has a killer finish. It’s another monumental effort from this estate that will stand toe to toe with the greatest Syrah in the world.
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Wine Enthusiast
Smooth, supple and full-flavored, The Bionic Frog shows the characteristic uber-funk that it is known for. But in this new vintage it seems to be a bit less in-your-face than previously. There's plenty of wild herb, beef blood and silage to go around; but the flavors are already fully integrated, the wine viscous and plush with an intensely spicy quality. This is beautiful, thick and meaty yet still lifted through the finish, which keeps adding new scents and flavors as it sails along-vanilla, clove and baking spices.
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Wine Spectator
Glows with plum and spice aromas, then gets serious on the palate, with layers of tar, molasses and coffee to meld with the plum and cherry flavors. The subtle finish lingers and lingers. Drink now through 2014.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Responsible for some of Washington’s most highly acclaimed wines, the Walla Walla Valley has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years and is home to both historic wineries and younger, up-and-coming producers.
The Walla Walla Valley, a Native American name meaning “many waters,” is located in southeastern Washington; part of the appellation actually extends into Oregon. Soils here are well-drained, sandy loess over Missoula Flood deposits and fractured basalt.
It is a region perfectly suited to Rhône-inspired Syrahs, distinguished by savory notes of red berry, black olive, smoke and fresh earth. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot create a range of styles from smooth and supple to robust and well-structured. White varieties are rare but some producers blend Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, resulting in a rich and round style, and plantings of Viognier, while minimal, are often quite successful.
Of note within Walla Walla, is one new and very peculiar appellation, called the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. This is the only AVA in the U.S. whose boundaries are totally defined by the soil type. Soils here look a bit like those in the acclaimed Rhône region of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but are large, ancient, basalt cobblestones. These stones work in the same way as they do in Chateauneuf, absorbing and then radiating the sun's heat up to enhance the ripening of grape clusters. The Rocks District is within the part of Walla Walla that spills over into Oregon and naturally excels in the production of Rhône varieties like Syrah, as well as the Bordeaux varieties.