This went from an 85 to a 92+ over three days. Read on. Side by side with 2014 Rasa primus inter pares Grenache. Both from the Rocks District. The No Girls was nearly undrinkable for at least 2+ hours (85, barely reaching 89) due to the insidious barnyard aromatics of the Cayuse wines, which is NOT a characteristic of The Rocks District terroir as some people assert. It is a characteristic of the Cayuse winemaking style and the surely less than pristine winery operations (Brett everywhere?). If the smell was just a result of a reductive winemaking philosophy the "barnyard" would be mostly aromatic and clear off in 10-20 minutes. If it was a terroir characteristic it would be more slight in both the aromatics and palate and present mostly as beautifully aromatic earth, not "stink." Yes, you can sense the underlying quality of the palate balance and complexity as long as you do not breathe at any time during the "drinking." Day 2 (pumped) the foul smell was gone, but unfortunately, so was everything else.... All the terroir, all the potential complexity that had struggled to get past the stink was simply gone from both the aromatics and the palate! All that remained was a super smooth colored liquid. Day 3 some of the palate complexity returned but the aromatics were slight at best (but no stink). This is now up in score to a 91+. I have had a lot of other Cayuse wines including other No Girls Grenache and this bottling is just too much of a struggle. I know 2014 was not the best vintage, but Rasa managed to negotiate the same AVA and grape pretty well. Day 3 plus 30 minutes in the glass: This is becoming a really nice wine... 92+ I am flummoxed. But in a good way. Finally. This is not a wine to pop and pour. Expect a struggle and need for patience to let this find its way to being drinkable. When it does it has really good complexity, depth, and smoothness. Only you can judge if it is worth it. You can't force it.
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Seems a bit disjointed. the funk is slow to dissipate and even an hour made it only a bit less unappealing Really requires a powerful cheese to make it enjoyable
An acquired taste
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Wow! Very much like the few Rayas bottles I’ve had as well as Chateau de Tours. Lots of viscosity which makes it a bit heavy but on point of chasing Rayas.
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This wine has really come into its own. Polished cherry fruit, hints of wet earth and gravel with a smooth finish. I was wondering how this would do with some age and it surprisingly excelled beyond imagination. Brilliant effort from Elizabeth.
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I read the bad reviews here, and decided to drink mine with everyday food. And…dammit, it’s Cayuse. Silky mineral smoothness, bright red berry fruit, just a touch of funk. Which I love. Maybe the bad reviews came off a bad bottle. Not my favorite from Christophe’s library, but I’d proudly share it with friends and watch their reactions.
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Elegant and pure expression of Grenache. Someone said it’s very Rayas like, must be Grenache grown in sand (this was double blind). Not for everyone with a good bit of funk and savory tones; but definitely a compelling, interesting wine. Wait 5 yrs to open next one.
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I love Grenache but this has a way of missing on several fronts after a decent hold with good cellaring. The 2014 harvest in eastern WA was strong on many fronts but this wine is flat and disjointed. Muddy hue, skunky finish and fruit that feels buried in a cistern. Love the concept of this wine but the execution is a serious whiff.
This was somewhat disappointing. The wine had a bit of a bitter taste; Mrs. Redteeth described it as sour. Our group consumed the whole bottle and had fun. But it didn't generate any Oohs and Ahs. Based on memory i would rate this the lowest of the Grenache wines produced by the Cayuse family. I'm not sure i will seek this out again.
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Double-blind 4x Christophe Grenache tasting on Halloween @ Ross's. Scored by me as follows: '10 God Only Knows 95 | '15 Horsepower Sur Echalas 95 | '16 La Rata 93 | '14 No Girls 92.
This particular wine started off mildly effervescent, but resolved within the hour. While good in a vacuum - it was inferior to the others that day.
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Johnny brought to Francesca's in Palos Heights. Loved this funky gentle beast. Classic Christophe nose of wet dog, dirty cranberries and cherries, iodine, garrigue and just straight up wet soil. Palate shows a tart and tight side still but also shows more vegetal notes that I enjoyed. Stewed tomato and the such.
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Super disappointing! EVERY bottle of No Girls Grenache that I've opened has been loaded with Bret. Assume it's a tank specific hygiene problem and the Tempranillo I've had from them has not been tainted.
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Typical grenache aromas and flavors, a touch of bitterness on the late palate and aftertaste. Not in the same category as Horsepower or God Only Knows grenache, but simmer and still very enjoyable. At its peak, should hold another 2-3 years. Ric
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Double decanted. Incredible texture. Super soft. Leans moody. Barnyard funk. Nice acidity on finish. Pretty approachable from start but can clearly sit for a long while.
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Needed a couple hours to open up. Burly nose belies a soft richness in the mouth. Cherry, strawberry, and a slight mocha. Limited tannins make this worth trying now. But the long finish and structure make it available for the long haul. Enjoy.
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This went from lively to sublime in two days, upon opening it was all sweet tangy fruit with cherry cotton candy and strawberry spritzer all over the nose and red cherries on the mid palate, but after another day it bottle it really showed its long term potential. Hugely intoxicating mix of beef blood, rich iodine and wet rock, some undertones of olive tapenade, but so so deep for a young Grenache. I would love to revisit every 5 years to watch the evolution first hand.
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Wow. What a plush, velvety, crazily soft texture. The wine exudes blood orange, red cherries, black liquorice candy, raw beef, olive tapenade, salami, fennel, raspberry jam, beef jerky, red flowers, marjoram, lilac. There’s a profound red fruitiness underneath the meat, an orange citrus prickle, savoury fruits (green and black olives), even candied fruit gums, all in a matrix of terroir-mediated smoky funk. Accessible for wines from this region, yet firmly in the Milton-Freewater fold.
The thing I like about this wine is that it is fruity and not overly tannic. So even though the drinking window suggests waiting, it can be enjoyed on the youngish side as well. Surely hold it if you can, but it makes an approachable alternative while you wait for your bruisers to age. It's also extremely food friendly. A lovely wine.
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4/14/2024 - learningandenjoying wrote:
This went from an 85 to a 92+ over three days. Read on.
Side by side with 2014 Rasa primus inter pares Grenache. Both from the Rocks District. The No Girls was nearly undrinkable for at least 2+ hours (85, barely reaching 89) due to the insidious barnyard aromatics of the Cayuse wines, which is NOT a characteristic of The Rocks District terroir as some people assert. It is a characteristic of the Cayuse winemaking style and the surely less than pristine winery operations (Brett everywhere?). If the smell was just a result of a reductive winemaking philosophy the "barnyard" would be mostly aromatic and clear off in 10-20 minutes. If it was a terroir characteristic it would be more slight in both the aromatics and palate and present mostly as beautifully aromatic earth, not "stink." Yes, you can sense the underlying quality of the palate balance and complexity as long as you do not breathe at any time during the "drinking."
Day 2 (pumped) the foul smell was gone, but unfortunately, so was everything else.... All the terroir, all the potential complexity that had struggled to get past the stink was simply gone from both the aromatics and the palate! All that remained was a super smooth colored liquid.
Day 3 some of the palate complexity returned but the aromatics were slight at best (but no stink). This is now up in score to a 91+. I have had a lot of other Cayuse wines including other No Girls Grenache and this bottling is just too much of a struggle. I know 2014 was not the best vintage, but Rasa managed to negotiate the same AVA and grape pretty well.
Day 3 plus 30 minutes in the glass: This is becoming a really nice wine... 92+ I am flummoxed. But in a good way. Finally.
This is not a wine to pop and pour. Expect a struggle and need for patience to let this find its way to being drinkable. When it does it has really good complexity, depth, and smoothness. Only you can judge if it is worth it. You can't force it.
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2/10/2024 - jmcmchi wrote:
Seems a bit disjointed. the funk is slow to dissipate and even an hour made it only a bit less unappealing Really requires a powerful cheese to make it enjoyable
An acquired taste
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11/21/2023 - Vinoclovis Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow! Very much like the few Rayas bottles I’ve had as well as Chateau de Tours. Lots of viscosity which makes it a bit heavy but on point of chasing Rayas.
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8/17/2023 - Radboy wrote: 95 Points
This wine has really come into its own. Polished cherry fruit, hints of wet earth and gravel with a smooth finish. I was wondering how this would do with some age and it surprisingly excelled beyond imagination. Brilliant effort from Elizabeth.
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9/12/2022 - magic2coop wrote: 93 Points
Bacon and charcoal nose. Subtle, complex forest floor texture with long finish. Enjoy.
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6/15/2022 - CLs Cellar Likes this wine: 90 Points
I read the bad reviews here, and decided to drink mine with everyday food. And…dammit, it’s Cayuse. Silky mineral smoothness, bright red berry fruit, just a touch of funk. Which I love. Maybe the bad reviews came off a bad bottle. Not my favorite from Christophe’s library, but I’d proudly share it with friends and watch their reactions.
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12/23/2021 - JCMenendez wrote: 93 Points
Elegant and pure expression of Grenache. Someone said it’s very Rayas like, must be Grenache grown in sand (this was double blind). Not for everyone with a good bit of funk and savory tones; but definitely a compelling, interesting wine. Wait 5 yrs to open next one.
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11/8/2021 - cincybt Does not like this wine: 84 Points
I love Grenache but this has a way of missing on several fronts after a decent hold with good cellaring. The 2014 harvest in eastern WA was strong on many fronts but this wine is flat and disjointed. Muddy hue, skunky finish and fruit that feels buried in a cistern. Love the concept of this wine but the execution is a serious whiff.
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9/28/2021 - Redteeth wrote:
This was somewhat disappointing. The wine had a bit of a bitter taste; Mrs. Redteeth described it as sour. Our group consumed the whole bottle and had fun. But it didn't generate any Oohs and Ahs. Based on memory i would rate this the lowest of the Grenache wines produced by the Cayuse family. I'm not sure i will seek this out again.
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2/2/2021 - civilmatt wrote: 50 Points
Undrinkable, super sour, smelled like spoiled vegetables. Not sure what was going on with it. The 2014 syrah was off as well.
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10/31/2020 - fitchbuck Likes this wine: 92 Points
Double-blind 4x Christophe Grenache tasting on Halloween @ Ross's. Scored by me as follows: '10 God Only Knows 95 | '15 Horsepower Sur Echalas 95 | '16 La Rata 93 | '14 No Girls 92.
This particular wine started off mildly effervescent, but resolved within the hour. While good in a vacuum - it was inferior to the others that day.
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9/22/2020 - beezer6 wrote: 93 Points
Johnny brought to Francesca's in Palos Heights.
Loved this funky gentle beast.
Classic Christophe nose of wet dog, dirty cranberries and cherries, iodine, garrigue and just straight up wet soil.
Palate shows a tart and tight side still but also shows more vegetal notes that I enjoyed. Stewed tomato and the such.
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8/16/2020 - mikemboutiquewines wrote: 75 Points
Super disappointing! EVERY bottle of No Girls Grenache that I've opened has been loaded with Bret. Assume it's a tank specific hygiene problem and the Tempranillo I've had from them has not been tainted.
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7/29/2020 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 92 Points
Typical grenache aromas and flavors, a touch of bitterness on the late palate and aftertaste. Not in the same category as Horsepower or God Only Knows grenache, but simmer and still very enjoyable. At its peak, should hold another 2-3 years.
Ric
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1/10/2020 - tjross Likes this wine: 95 Points
Double decanted. Incredible texture. Super soft. Leans moody. Barnyard funk. Nice acidity on finish. Pretty approachable from start but can clearly sit for a long while.
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12/17/2019 - magic2coop Likes this wine: 94 Points
Needed a couple hours to open up. Burly nose belies a soft richness in the mouth. Cherry, strawberry, and a slight mocha. Limited tannins make this worth trying now. But the long finish and structure make it available for the long haul. Enjoy.
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6/6/2019 - Elkcims Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank over two days. Best on second day after leaving bottle uncorked overnight. Raspberries, lavender, underlying earth, velvet texture. Very nice.
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2/3/2019 - Mr.Overhill Likes this wine: 95 Points
This went from lively to sublime in two days, upon opening it was all sweet tangy fruit with cherry cotton candy and strawberry spritzer all over the nose and red cherries on the mid palate, but after another day it bottle it really showed its long term potential. Hugely intoxicating mix of beef blood, rich iodine and wet rock, some undertones of olive tapenade, but so so deep for a young Grenache. I would love to revisit every 5 years to watch the evolution first hand.
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1/20/2019 - dkhale4 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Distinctive and flavorful. Wonderful expression of this varietal.
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1/3/2019 - Cabernetdialectic Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wow. What a plush, velvety, crazily soft texture. The wine exudes blood orange, red cherries, black liquorice candy, raw beef, olive tapenade, salami, fennel, raspberry jam, beef jerky, red flowers, marjoram, lilac. There’s a profound red fruitiness underneath the meat, an orange citrus prickle, savoury fruits (green and black olives), even candied fruit gums, all in a matrix of terroir-mediated smoky funk. Accessible for wines from this region, yet firmly in the Milton-Freewater fold.
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10/8/2018 - Deb293 wrote: 92 Points
The thing I like about this wine is that it is fruity and not overly tannic. So even though the drinking window suggests waiting, it can be enjoyed on the youngish side as well. Surely hold it if you can, but it makes an approachable alternative while you wait for your bruisers to age. It's also extremely food friendly. A lovely wine.
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6/25/2018 - Ilikadajuice Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank over 2 days. Needs 15 minutes to blow off the funk smell/taste. After that, it’s a pretty good wine. Much better on day 2. Hold or decant.
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