Cayuse Bionic Frog Syrah 2003
-
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker -
Wine &
Spirits
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Spectator
Has amazing density, a wine of immense depth, wrapping silky tannins around plum, mineral, blackberry, prune and meat flavors, hinting at dark chocolate and walnut as the finish rolls on and on. Drink now through 2015. 208 cases made.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
More ripe, voluptuous and decadent, if not with hints of overripeness, the 2003 Syrah Bionic Frog offers tons of plum, licorice, spice-cake and chocolatey notes to go with a rocking, full-bodied, sexy and concentrated feel on the palate. This beast of a wine won’t be for everyone, but it dishes out incredible amounts of pleasure. I like it now, and don’t think it’s going to get any better, but it will easily evolve nicely for another decade.
- Wine & Spirits
Other Vintages
2021-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
-
James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Robert
Parker
-
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator -
Wine
Enthusiast
-
Jeb
Dunnuck -
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator -
Wine
Enthusiast
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator
-
Wine
Enthusiast -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
-
Wine
Enthusiast -
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
An adventure in the new world
Christophe Baron grew up among the vineyards and cellars of his family's centuries-old Champagne house, Baron Albert. His sense of adventure, however, led him to become the first Frenchman to establish a winery in Washington State.
While visiting the Walla Walla Valley in 1996, Christophe spotted a plot of land that had been plowed up to reveal acres of softball-sized stones. This stony soil, this terroir, was just like that of some of the most prestigious French appellations. The difficult ground would stress the grapevines, making them produce more mature, concentrated fruit.
He named his vineyard after the Cayuse, a Native American tribe whose name was taken from the French cailloux--which means, rocks. Hours of back-breaking work later, Cayuse Vineyards has become five vineyards encompassing 41 acres.
The majority is planted with Syrah, and the rest dedicated to Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Merlot, Mourvèdre, Roussanne, Tempranillo and Viognier. All of the vineyards are planted in rocky earth within the Walla Walla Valley appellation. Cayuse was the first winery in Washington State to use biodynamic farming methods.
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.