A bit heavy on the oak at first PnP, though even then nicely integrated with red fruits. With time this all starts to integrate nicely -- umami and capsicum, sweet dark fruits, a slight amount of heat. But after 2 hours plus in the glass this is starting to hit its stride. Only one left -- will try to wait at least a few more years, if not more, to try the last one. And interestingly, this seemed to do a bit better with food than without -- at least in the first 90 minutes.
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This could be WOTY for me. Not decanted, and it didn't need it. Copious fruit and very little to none of the savory, meaty notes most often associated with Cayuse Rhone wines. This was silky, perfectly balanced and out-right delicious. This was a pristine bottle from the Cayuse Ex-Cellar sale. Wow...what a wine.
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Finally got a chance to revisit this after more than two year. A testament that the Coravin works! Much better this time around. Both nose and palate is dominated by green peppers, maybe even poblano peppers as there was some spiciness on the finish. Much better balance as this had the acidity to match the fruit and tannin.
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Pnp'ed which I questioned a bit, but actually this was ready for business almost immediately. Very accessible, good balance to the wine. Didn't take very detailed notes, but I did like heavier dark red fruit.
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Coravin: No score. This is on the borderline of being flawed though just not obvious. This could well be in a dumb phase. The nose was excellent and the fruit is there, but there was no acidity and the mouthfeel was extremely flat. As we got to our last sip it was starting to come alive, though not sure if would have ever gotten there. Had I had more time I would have popped the cork and let it breathe for a while, but will have to try that another night.
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Nose of dark chocolate, mocha, dark blood. Nice medium weight in the mouth. A bit fruit forward, with bright fruits (like tart cherry) , surrounded with dark chocolate, mocha, with some root beer on the side.
Not sure what to make of this. A bit too young and fruit forward for me at the moment. But perhaps later in the evening…….
A bit more acidity and iodine on the nose. Still dark chocolate and mocha, raw meat. But starting to give way to more acidic nose. The palate is more sweet, coffee and chocolate, cola, blackberries.
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Very delicious. A bit more fruit forward than I would like, but not to a distracting level. Definitely the favorite of the night (with Junsen and Bryan). Unfortunately shared with friends, so no detailed tasting notes!
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Went very well with sea bass with wild mushrooms. Still dark and opaque; very pronounced aroma of sweet oak and herbal, vegetal notes, in the most positive sense. The same herbal, green pepper notes are in the flavor. Medium-body, with some elegance; extremely well balanced, with no significant tannin. Very long aftertaste, with some mint. Reminds me of an old Groth Reserve, maybe some Martha's Vineyards. An excellent wine, ready to drink now. As good as it is now, why cellar it any longer?
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This wine is still going strong. Sweet leather aromas transfer to smooth oak & herbal notes on the palate. Although red fruit remains persisitent, flavors of plum are also breaking through. Enjoyable wine.
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So I managed to keep my hands off this for about 3.5 years. Still juicy and delicious, but with not much added complexity to add to the 92 point score from 2006. Still very dark with only a little brick on the rim. Nose is fruit forward and interesting with some notes of tobacco and dried herbs. Really sweet and full on the palate with lots of mid-palate sweetness and a lovely cherry and currant aftertaste. Really nice wine.
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Woodland Park Zoo Aviary tasting. Strong nose of tobacco and vanilla. Cab Franc showed nice red fruits, but Cabernet Sauvignon added obvious backbone and tannic structure. Excellent flavors of cocoa and raspberries, with a compelling smoothness that coats the tongue and lasted for 45 seconds. Showing well now, but definitely still has again potential. My favorite of this tasting (although I didn’t try everything).
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The color of this wine was gorgeous. Deep blue with a touch of red at the edges. Upon first whiff, all I could smell was some wonderful tobacco, floral aromas, spice, and fruit. The mouthfeel was very seductive--smooth, velvety, and just a touch of tannin on the tongue with a hint of acid. Lots of fruit present--dark plums, currants, cassis (most likely from the cabernet sauvignon as this wine is 70% cab franc, 15% cab sauv, and 15% merlot). All in all, this was an incredibly enjoyable wine--even fantastic. 95 pts.
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Drank with a grilled steak. This was fabulous, young but very well balanced and very drinkable. Distinctive cab franc on the nose with plummy, currant fruit and tobacco. Palate was sweet and ripe, but vibrant with a nice juicy cherry type acidity. Long finish. I'm sure this wine would age but it is drinking so well right now. It does need additional complexity to warrant a higher score.
Revisited three days later - still fabulous, kept its sweetness and structure fine - this is really good.
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6/7/2020 - Ron Slye wrote: 92 Points
A bit heavy on the oak at first PnP, though even then nicely integrated with red fruits. With time this all starts to integrate nicely -- umami and capsicum, sweet dark fruits, a slight amount of heat. But after 2 hours plus in the glass this is starting to hit its stride. Only one left -- will try to wait at least a few more years, if not more, to try the last one. And interestingly, this seemed to do a bit better with food than without -- at least in the first 90 minutes.
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8/26/2019 - BRR Likes this wine: 95 Points
This could be WOTY for me. Not decanted, and it didn't need it. Copious fruit and very little to none of the savory, meaty notes most often associated with Cayuse Rhone wines. This was silky, perfectly balanced and out-right delicious. This was a pristine bottle from the Cayuse Ex-Cellar sale. Wow...what a wine.
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11/26/2018 - bablues wrote: 92 Points
Finally got a chance to revisit this after more than two year. A testament that the Coravin works! Much better this time around. Both nose and palate is dominated by green peppers, maybe even poblano peppers as there was some spiciness on the finish. Much better balance as this had the acidity to match the fruit and tannin.
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7/8/2016 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Pnp'ed which I questioned a bit, but actually this was ready for business almost immediately. Very accessible, good balance to the wine. Didn't take very detailed notes, but I did like heavier dark red fruit.
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5/9/2016 - bablues wrote:
Coravin: No score. This is on the borderline of being flawed though just not obvious. This could well be in a dumb phase. The nose was excellent and the fruit is there, but there was no acidity and the mouthfeel was extremely flat. As we got to our last sip it was starting to come alive, though not sure if would have ever gotten there. Had I had more time I would have popped the cork and let it breathe for a while, but will have to try that another night.
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11/9/2014 - Ron Slye wrote: 92 Points
Nose of dark chocolate, mocha, dark blood. Nice medium weight in the mouth. A bit fruit forward, with bright fruits (like tart cherry) , surrounded with dark chocolate, mocha, with some root beer on the side.
Not sure what to make of this. A bit too young and fruit forward for me at the moment. But perhaps later in the evening…….
A bit more acidity and iodine on the nose. Still dark chocolate and mocha, raw meat. But starting to give way to more acidic nose. The palate is more sweet, coffee and chocolate, cola, blackberries.
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5/14/2014 - Ron Slye wrote: 92 Points
Very delicious. A bit more fruit forward than I would like, but not to a distracting level. Definitely the favorite of the night (with Junsen and Bryan). Unfortunately shared with friends, so no detailed tasting notes!
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4/12/2014 - Ron Slye wrote: flawed
Corked! :-{
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1/9/2013 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 96 Points
Went very well with sea bass with wild mushrooms. Still dark and opaque; very pronounced aroma of sweet oak and herbal, vegetal notes, in the most positive sense. The same herbal, green pepper notes are in the flavor. Medium-body, with some elegance; extremely well balanced, with no significant tannin. Very long aftertaste, with some mint. Reminds me of an old Groth Reserve, maybe some Martha's Vineyards. An excellent wine, ready to drink now. As good as it is now, why cellar it any longer?
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11/20/2011 - eszencia wrote:
This wine is still going strong. Sweet leather aromas transfer to smooth oak & herbal notes on the palate. Although red fruit remains persisitent, flavors of plum are also breaking through. Enjoyable wine.
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9/23/2011 - fandj wrote: 90 Points
Drank with Margot and Mark sitting outside in the waning days of summer. A full wine with quite a bit of fruit.
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2/11/2011 - memphishusky wrote:
Very nice wine. Aromas of herbs, red currants and some nice "funk" as well.
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1/17/2010 - thebonnydooner wrote: 92 Points
So I managed to keep my hands off this for about 3.5 years. Still juicy and delicious, but with not much added complexity to add to the 92 point score from 2006. Still very dark with only a little brick on the rim. Nose is fruit forward and interesting with some notes of tobacco and dried herbs. Really sweet and full on the palate with lots of mid-palate sweetness and a lovely cherry and currant aftertaste. Really nice wine.
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7/24/2009 - GA_Seattle wrote: 92 Points
Woodland Park Zoo Aviary tasting. Strong nose of tobacco and vanilla. Cab Franc showed nice red fruits, but Cabernet Sauvignon added obvious backbone and tannic structure. Excellent flavors of cocoa and raspberries, with a compelling smoothness that coats the tongue and lasted for 45 seconds. Showing well now, but definitely still has again potential. My favorite of this tasting (although I didn’t try everything).
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10/20/2007 - Jared wrote: 95 Points
The color of this wine was gorgeous. Deep blue with a touch of red at the edges. Upon first whiff, all I could smell was some wonderful tobacco, floral aromas, spice, and fruit. The mouthfeel was very seductive--smooth, velvety, and just a touch of tannin on the tongue with a hint of acid. Lots of fruit present--dark plums, currants, cassis (most likely from the cabernet sauvignon as this wine is 70% cab franc, 15% cab sauv, and 15% merlot). All in all, this was an incredibly enjoyable wine--even fantastic. 95 pts.
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5/28/2006 - thebonnydooner wrote: 92 Points
Drank with a grilled steak. This was fabulous, young but very well balanced and very drinkable. Distinctive cab franc on the nose with plummy, currant fruit and tobacco. Palate was sweet and ripe, but vibrant with a nice juicy cherry type acidity. Long finish. I'm sure this wine would age but it is drinking so well right now. It does need additional complexity to warrant a higher score.
Revisited three days later - still fabulous, kept its sweetness and structure fine - this is really good.
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