Winemaker Notes
The En Chamberlin Vineyard saw the planting of 10 more stony acres in 2000. Grafted on phyloxera resistant rootstock, it's another first for the region.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Ripe black raspberries, iodine, spring flowers, gamey meats, and pepper all emerge from the 2020 Syrah En Chamberlin Vineyard, a deeper, broader, medium to full-bodied Syrah with ripe, rounded tannins, a great mid-palate, and outstanding length. This meaty, gamey, complex, classic Cayuse Syrah is already approachable today but will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and keep for 15+.
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James Suckling
Roasted thyme, gravy, salted plums, porcini mushrooms, mocha, black pudding and charred bark on the nose. Intense, ashy and meaty, with a medium- to full-bodied palate containing powerful smoky elements, all underpinned by firm and tight tannins. From biodynamically grown grapes. Try in 2024.
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Wine Enthusiast
This full-bodied Syrah punches with bold blackberry and pancetta aromas, then soothes with notes of lemongrass tea and violets. Firm tannins support ripe black-fruit flavors that are laced with saline and the lemony acidity of a cup of Kenyan black coffee
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Wine Spectator
Supple and rich, yet well-built, with pretty raspberry and cherry flavors highlighted by rose petal and crushed stone accents. Builds tension toward polished tannins. Drink now through 2031. 408 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.