Winemaker Notes
Produced from the 4.5-acre Coccinelle Vineyard first planted in 1998.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
from the Coccinelle vineyard, planted in 1998. It practically explodes in aroma, with smoky, peppery, savory grilled herbs followed by gorgeously ripe blackberries and dark plums on the palate, blanketed in soft, powdery tannins for a plush finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Syrah Bionic Frog is slightly more elegant and streamlined than past vintages, but it's an insanely complex, layered, elegant Syrah that has so much to offer. Ripe black raspberries, redcurrants, shiitake mushrooms, cold fireplace, and rose petal/spring flower notes all make for a compelling, singular bouquet, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a layered, seamless mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and an umami, mineral-laced, iron-like character on the finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Syrah Bionic Frog has a medium magenta core and offers a fresh, floral and spicy bouquet accompanied by elegant, savory notes. Ripe notions of plum skin and dark cherries burst from the nose, overflowing with aromatic profile. Medium to full-bodied, the palate presents an elegant and refined mouthfeel with food-friendly tannins and nuances of umami, culminating in a long, complex finish that highlights the distinctiveness and embodies the "wow factor" of the Walla Walla Valley. The Syrah rested for 18 months in approximately 20% new and neutral French oak demi-muids, foudre and barrels. Rating: 98+
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Vinous
Dark, brooding and youthfully backward, the 2021 Syrah Bionic Frog slowly evolves with a blend of crushed blackberries, rosemary and wet stones. This sweeps across the palate with masses of red and black fruit notes over a wave of silken textures, seeming to gain in weight and potency with each passing second. Incredibly spicy, the 2021 finishes dramatic and long, leaving a web of fine tannins, black licorice and sage that lingers on.
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Wine Enthusiast
Best Bionic Frog ever? Maybe. Best Bionic Frog that I’ve had? Yup. It has a mesmerizing perfume of boysenberries, jasmine, white pepper and chrysanthemum tea. Crisp acidity highlights juicy black-fruit flavors that are spiced up by orange-zest, clove and star anise notes. The wine’s mouthfeel is slick and slippery.
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Wine Spectator
Stoked with personality and rich detail, offering vibrant blackberry and huckleberry flavors accented by crushed stone, truffle, wild game and black olive tones that build dimension toward fine-grained tannins.
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.