Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Flowers, white pepper, iodine, seashell, lemon oil, this is amazingly concentrated. It shoots off an amazing panoply of flavors—all the density, complexity and detail is maintained at rather high alcohol (15.5%). The fruits run from berries through stone fruits to tropical, woven together into a delicious tangle. This is so compact and distinctive that words fail; it sails through layers and layers of exotic flavors, with the characteristic earthy, funky edge that vigneron Christophe Baron imparts.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Syrah is the principal raison d’etre at Cayuse Vineyards. In a typical vintage five are produced beginning with the 2004 Syrah “Cailloux Vineyard,” a cuvee co-fermented with 4% Viognier. It delivers a splendid nose of lavender, leather, meat, and blueberry jam. This is followed by a wine with great flavor already exhibiting complexity. It could use a bit more depth but that is a minor matter. This beauty can be enjoyed through 2025.
-
Wine Spectator
Supple, open-textured and immensely appealing for the balance of distinctly mineral-accented plum and cherry flavors against subtle touches of coffee, wet earth and oak. Drink now through 2014. 536 cases made.
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.