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| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 94.3 pts. and median of 95 pts. in 68 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Clark W Griswold on 4/15/2024 & rated 95 points: Pnp for my wifes Birthday. This is the usual cayuse combination of ripe fruit and delicious umami notes. Could list them all off but you know what you're getting into. The cork was perfect. Seemed very young and vibrant still. Ever so slight bitter note on the finish. I'm thinking another 10 years to go or more. These are such timeless wines. Bought two bottles each of 13 and 14 off of an acquaintance for the allocation list price a few years back. Sadly this was my last bottle of the 13s. (482 views) | | | Tasted by Nico Botto on 2/10/2024 & rated 95 points: I’ve had many issues with the 2013 vintage from Cayuse but after 10 years this one really lifted off ! Finally! Deep rich full bodied and balanced. Only decanted for an hour, chocolate cherry, big bomb juice. (913 views) | | | Tasted by Amerique on 8/17/2023 & rated 94 points: Very smooth blackberry fruit with meaty flavors, excellent structure, tannins integrated and soft, ample finish, less funk (1720 views) | | | Tasted by WildeMeeuw on 5/21/2023 & rated 81 points: Kleur: Diep donkerrood. Aroma / bouquet: Vanaf de eerste vleug: boers, sap van rode biet en bijna 'sap van gefermenteerde rode biet', rozenolie. Smaak / Afdronk: In de mond: een zachte zuurgraad, opvallend 'lactisch', een retronasale indruk van karnemelk. Boterzachte tannines. Algemeen / potentieel: Mijn derde notitie van de derde fles die ik kocht. En de hoge scores van andere CT-gebruikers kan ik werkelijk niet verklaren. Heb ik flessen met fouten of is deze wijn gewoon niet mijn ding? Liefhebber van Syrah en Shiraz in verschillende verschijningsvormen.... 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 8 + Smaak / Afdronk: 11 + Algemeen / potentieel: 7 = 81/100
Kleur: Diep donkerrood. Aroma / bouquet: Vanaf de eerste vleug: boers, sap van rode biet en bijna 'sap van gefermenteerde rode biet', rozenolie. Smaak / Afdronk: In de mond: een zachte zuurgraad, opvallend 'lactisch', een retronasale indruk van karnemelk. Boterzachte tannines. Algemeen / potentieel: Mijn derde notitie van de derde fles die ik kocht. En de hoge scores van andere CT-gebruikers kan ik werkelijk niet verklaren. Heb ik flessen met fouten of is deze wijn gewoon niet mijn ding? Liefhebber van Syrah en Shiraz in verschillende verschijningsvormen.... 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 8 + Smaak / Afdronk: 11 + Algemeen / potentieel: 7 = 81/100 (2157 views) | | | Tasted by alexlb06 on 5/18/2023 & rated 98 points: As close to perfection as I could imagine for a Syrah. Funk, olives, charred sardines and burnt tire, charred earth. Love it (1985 views) | | | Tasted by dsimmons on 5/13/2023 & rated 96 points: My first bottle of this wine. It takes awhile to settle down but when it doe it was worth waiting for. Concentrated and complex with a long life ahead. Hold or drink with long decant. (1969 views) | | | Tasted by Ex-Ray on 1/6/2023 & rated 98 points: Compared with a bottle opened three weeks earlier, a glass removed, the rest frozen, in a blind tasting. The frozen bottle was preferred 9 to 5 votes. Dark garnet, opaque. Very pronounced aroma of roasted meats, smoke, black olives. Deep, dark fruit, concentrated flavors, mouth-coating, fabulous flavors building over 30-45 seconds. Very slightly hot on the late palate and aftertaste, but just about perfect, and fully mature.
Ric (2253 views) | | | Tasted by RJWallis on 1/1/2023 & rated 95 points: 4 hour decant. Big, dark fruits everywhere, a finish that goes on forever. (1795 views) | | | Tasted by bobvictor on 12/9/2022 & rated 94 points: Drank with other Syrah’s — Hundred Acre, Astralis, SQN, Guigal La Turque. Was by far the gnarliest, strongest, most extreme of them all. In a league of its own. Was great to drink with the others and offered a far end of the spectrum. Not sure this would be the wine to have if only serving one! (1806 views) | | | Tasted by MAXIMUM SATISFACTION on 10/9/2022: I’m sorry this wine is not good. Nothing but bitter greens even after three plus hours decanting. I can tolerate most Cayuse but this funk is potent. (2275 views) | | | Tasted by Radboy on 10/1/2022 & rated 95 points: What a difference a few years make! Time has tamed this wild bitch and brought what was a formerly wild, bite your neck, Philly under reign. Upon opening, the nose hinted at remnants of her former past with in your face brambleberry and wildlands flavors. But 2 hours later this settled into much more sophisticated drink. As others have noted, this is fresh tasting, with currants, iodine, earth and iron and a a dark mid-palate. There is really nothing like this. (2069 views) | | | Tasted by Eric Guido on 9/20/2022: The 2013 Bionic Frog boasts an eyes rolling back in your head Rhone-inspired bouquet with masses of wild herds, white pepper, olive brine and black fruits forming its completely seductive aromatic. It washes across the palate with ease, as a perfumed and savory mix of herbal-tinged black currants and hints of tangerine are driven by vibrant acidity, leaving gobs of minerals in its wake. This is more like food than wine yet also remarkably fresh, as the 2013 finishes classically dry, only lightly structured and dramatically long. The concentration here is off the charts, but even more impressive is how remarkably fresh it remains throughout. (2805 views) | | | Tasted by Michael T. Zoppo on 9/16/2022: Sometimes the hype is real. This is one of those times. Coming off like a top tier Northern Rhone Syrah with a bit of extra fruit on the mid-palate, this wine was on fire. The fruit is just a mile deep, and it is balanced by acidity. There are so many examples of Washington Syrah that go off the rails -- this is the antidote. Ready to drink but years left in store.
(WOTN in tasting of Washington State heavyweights) (1897 views) | | | Tasted by Quiet Lion on 9/5/2022 & rated 93 points: Pop and pour. This is a firehose of a wine. The nose is gorgeous with smoked meats and blood on a bed of wildflowers. On the palate, explosive fermented red berries, iron, barnyard, fierce tannins, very long finish. The intensity is, really, too much for me. I don't have any more of this and given my experience with Cayuse I don't know if it will age into something better. I just never know what I'm going to get with a bottle of Cayuse. This is clearly a special cuvee, although it has the same basic flavor profile as the normal bottlings, just more of everything. (2071 views) | | | Tasted by cadamson on 8/11/2022: A nearly fantastic, super interesting wine. Like all Cayuse, a certain funk unique to it (though a bit mellower the most), lots of minerality and earthiness (one can almost taste the place), somewhat tamed dark fruits, very nice mouthfeel (maybe a bit lighter of a mid palate than what would be ideal to me). Was a p&p, I am sure that with some decant time it would have filled out more and been even better. But, great bottle of wine. (2001 views) | | | Tasted by pakabear on 5/14/2022 & rated 95 points: PnP, nose was explosive, dark red fruits, ham, barnyard funk, incredible earthiness and minerality. Palate confirmed the nose with a bit more meat and the normal early iodine hit on the finish that was crazy bitter and off putting. The body was more velvety then I expect with Cayuse, a welcome change. After a couple hours of slow ox, the iodine mostly vanished as well as the bitterness. The fruit became a bit sweeter as well, similar to my last bottle. (2460 views) | | | Tasted by randyjc on 4/16/2022 & rated 97 points: Exceptional wine. On the nose, not as funky as one expects with Cayuse, but with spicy herbs, dense red/black fruit and blood. In the mouth the wine is wonderful - fresh acidity and soft, caressing tannin. Sweet fruit, spicy herbs and umami. Some red licorice. Mid-palate and finish is where the wine is brilliant. A dense core of bloody red meat and iron but with a deep, smoky flavor - digging into it, it’s turtles all the way down. Feels like the finish is never ending - sweet black raspberry, iron, spice, tea leaf. A gorgeous and intriguing wine. (2489 views) | | | Tasted by 559Cheers on 3/18/2022 & rated 94 points: Just opened so needs more time to analyze. First time drinking a Bionic Frog. Was expecting a fruit forward, bold Syrah from a hot part of the interior of Washington state. I was wrong. Nice, refined, little bitter lift (from wood), nice high acidity. Pretty nose and starting to develop on the palette. Definitely a Syrah but finely structured and mid-weight (for now).
*2nd night very aged/bricking color, black and green pepper (India) on the palette and funk on the nose.
*3rd night nice funk and ripe fruit on the nose. Drinking well. Nicely made Syrah. Brick red last two nights now beautiful purple.
*4th night developed on the palette a pleasant Concord grape and strawberry fruitiness. Nose nice funk and earthy elements. Bottle has really developed and opened up. Has become more fruit forward.
Glad buying this bottle. Interesting elements and developments made this a great bottle. (2452 views) | | | Tasted by wineguy75 on 2/26/2022 & rated 97 points: 2 hour decant. Another amazing Baron wine. This bottle more subtle in its explosive funk than others, if you can say that about a BF. with a straight face (2612 views) | | | Tasted by kinkevi on 2/18/2022 & rated 95 points: Decanted about 8 hours, fantastic bottle. Mild Cayuse funk w/o being distracting. (2507 views) | | | Tasted by Deb293 on 1/16/2022 & rated 92 points: Where is the funk? Where is the noise? Still a little tannic on day one, but I don't get all the funk negativity. Fairly high acidic lift, and plenty of olive/tapenade/smoke/wood if that's your thing. Medium bodied and quite drinkable. Now...QPR on the open market? Well, that's quite another thing. Still, having it with roast rack of lamb and I think it will just be perfect. (2659 views) | | | Tasted by WildeMeeuw on 12/19/2021 & rated 79 points: Kleur: Beetje stoffig, opvallend donkerrood. Aroma / bouquet: Een onrijp, hard en groen aroma, vooral groene paprika, Smaak / Afdronk: Friszuur, serieus alcoholisch, Algemeen / potentieel: Onaangenaam. Groen. Hard. Niet mijn eerste tegenvallende ervaring met deze jaargang van deze wijn. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 8 + Smaak / Afdronk: 9 + Algemeen / potentieel: 7 = 79/100
Colour: Slightly dusty, striking dark red. Aroma / bouquet: An unripe, hard and green aroma, especially green pepper, Taste / Aftertaste: Fresh sour , seriously alcoholic, General / potential: Unpleasant. Green. Hard. Not my first disappointing experience with this vintage of this wine. 50 + Colour: 5 + Aroma / Bouquet: 8 + Taste / Aftertaste: 9 + General / Potential: 7 = 79/100 (2826 views) | | | Tasted by dcwino on 9/10/2021 & rated 95 points: Another lost Friday afternoon gathering - mostly French (Jailbreak Brewery, Laurel, MD): By now, I have had a half dozen also of BF and the expression is extremely consistent. It is wild, kinky and exotic, a lot of garrigue, roasted meat, smoke, caramel and etc. Strong cannabis. Excellent concentration, layers upon layers of oily black fruit, rich and oily yet fluid, medium acidity and mineral, and a long rich black fruit driven finish. This has to be one of the most unique expression of Syrah…that you may or may not like. (3811 views) | | | Tasted by Ex-Ray on 6/5/2021 & rated 90 points: An off bottle, I think. Just had an excellent one a few nights earlier. Still very nice but not what it should be.
Ric (3324 views) | | | Tasted by Ex-Ray on 6/5/2021 & rated 95 points: Outstanding and ready, but not as thrilling a vintage as some others. (3244 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, Cayuse Vineyards⒠Syrah Bionic Frog: 2000 – 2014 (Oct 2017) (10/1/2017)
(Cayuse Vineyards Syrah Bionic Frog Washington Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, Focus on Washington: Hot Times in the Desert (Nov 2016) (11/1/2016)
(Cayuse Vineyards Syrah Bionic Frog Washington) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Cayuse Producer website
The story began near the village of Charly-sur-Marne in the Champagne region of France, where a very young Christophe Baron walked the family vineyard with his father and grandfather. He was the youngest of the centuries-old Champagne house, Baron Albert, and his ancestors had worked the land since 1677.
Like generations of fathers and sons before, it was in his blood to be a wine grower and creator—a true vigneron. “It’s a title you’re born with, not something you become or learn in school,” Christophe says. “So I followed my dad, and wherever he went, I went. That’s the way it started.”
After studying viticulture in Champagne and Burgundy, Christophe realized he wasn’t yet ready to enter the family business and gave in to the urge to travel. “In Burgundy, I had fallen in love with Pinot Noir, and had met some Americans with land in Oregon,” he says. “My English was terrible, but I wanted to go there.”
An unexpected internship at a winery brought Christophe to the Walla Walla Valley for the first time in 1993. After one year, he traveled the world gaining experience in Australia, New Zealand and Romania before continuing his training in Oregon. He intended to buy some land and start a vineyard from scratch, but all those plans came to an abrupt halt on an April morning in 1996.
Christophe had returned to Walla Walla for a strictly social visit, and was wandering the countryside with a friend. As they drove near the Oregon/Washington border, he spied a [neglected cherry orchard] littered with acres of softball-sized stones. Plans to move to the Willamette Valley were quickly discarded, and Christophe resolved to buy the property and plant a vineyard.
While others saw ten acres of the Walla Walla Valley’s worst farmland, he saw only enormous potential. The terroir reminded him of the cobblestones of the southern Rhone valley and Châteuneuf-du-Pape in his native France. “I almost fell on my derrière when I saw those stones,” he says. “And I’ve been living the dream ever since.”
Christophe purchased the property and planted his first vineyard in 1997. “People said I was crazy, that I’d break my equipment and waste my time and money,” he recalls. “But I knew that vines need to struggle in difficult ground in order to provide their best.”
He called the venture Cayuse Vineyards, after a Native American tribe
whose name was derived from the French word “cailloux”—which means “stones.” In the decade since, it has grown to seven vineyards, soon to be eight, encompassing more than 55 acres.
What was considered by many a foolish gamble on that field of stones has been rewarded year after year with some of the most acclaimed wines in the region—and in the nation. “Those stones are the reason I’m here in Walla Walla,” Christophe says. “It’s certainly not for the night life.”
Now owning three brands, Cayuse, Horsepower, and No Girls, all wines are made from each of the five specific vineyards covering 41 acres and producing mainly Syrah along with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Merlot, Roussanne, Tempranillo and Viognier, all farmed biodynamically.Cayuse Syrah Bionic FrogLink to Cayuse web page with many helpful reviews:
https://cayusevineyards.com/static/wines_BionicFrog.html
Syrah Varietal article (Wikipedia) | (Wines Northwest)
Note that some producers in the Northern Rhone distinguish between simply Syrah and "Serine", the latter described as ‘an ancient clone of Syrah, the berries of which are more oval-shaped and less deeply pigmented than Syrah’ by producer Tardieu-Laurent. USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.Washington Washington Wine Commission | Credit to Washingtonwine.org for this article
Washington Wine
Washington State is a premium wine producing region located in the northwest corner of the United States. Although a relatively young wine industry, it is now the nation's second largest wine producer and is ranked among the world's top wine regions. Washington wines are found nationally in all 50 states and internationally in more than 40 countries.
Wineries
With 30,000+ acres planted, the state has ideal geography and conditions for growing premium vinifera wine grapes. Primarily grown on their own root stocks, the vines produce grapes of consistent quality, resulting in strong vintages year after year. While its focus is on Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, the region also produces a wide range of other spectacular whites and reds.
Growers
Winemakers from all over the world have chosen to establish themselves in Washington, where they can create wines reflecting this region's unique characteristics. Their hand-crafted wines are receiving wide acclaim from critics regionally, nationally and internationally for their consistently high quality. Many of them have received scores of 90 and above from the major wine media. Overall this is a higher percentage than other leading wine regions.
Regions
As the state's fourth largest fruit crop, the Washington wine industry is an important contributor to the long-term preservation of Washington agriculture. The industry is committed to sustainable agricultural practices and conservation of water resources.
Washington State is a premium wine producing region located in the northwest corner of the United States. Although a relatively young wine industry, it is now the nation's second largest wine producer and is ranked among the world's top wine regions. Washington wines are found nationally in all 50 states and internationally in more than 40 countries.
Varieties
Washington produces more than 20 wine grape varieties - a ratio of 56 percent white to 44 percent red. As the industry matures and experiments, it finds many grape varieties that thrive throughout Washington's microclimates. There are more than 16,000 vineyard acres of red wine varieties statewide.
History & Vintages
Washington's wine future is limitless. As consumers discover the quality of Washington wines, demand continues to grow nationally and internationally. New acreage and wine varietals are being planted and new wineries are opening at a remarkable pace. Washington State is recognized as a premium viticultural region around the world.
State Facts
Washington's wine industry generates more than $3 billion to the state economy. It employs more than 14,000 people, directly and indirectly, with projections to add nearly 2,000 more jobs by 2006. In terms of tax revenues accrued to the state and federal government, wine grapes are among the highest tax generators of any agricultural crops. Furthermore, Washington wine tourism attracts nearly two million visitors annually contributing to the positive growth of local and regional economies.
Washington State - the perfect climate for wine = ideal growing conditions, quality wines, business innovation, lifestyle, and social responsibility. All are key elements of this world-class wine industry.
Vintages
"2008 and even more so 2010 and 2011 were cool, even cold vintages (think: 2002 in the Barossa) without the extreme ripeness, extract and higher alcohol that had become the norm in the state’s post 1995 world. 2008 was manageable but the duo of 2010/2011 nearly caused a “great depression” in Washington State." - Jon RimmermanColumbia Valley Columbia Cascade Winery Association
The Columbia Valley AVA lies mostly in Washington state, with a small section in Oregon. The Cascade Range forms its western boundary with the Palouse regions bordering the area to the east. To the north, the Okanogan National Forest forms a border with the AVA and Canada. It encompasses the valleys formed by the Columbia River and its tributaries, including the Walla Walla River, the Snake River, and the Yakima River. The Columbia valley stretches between the 46th parallel and 47th parallel which puts it in line with the well known French wine growing regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy. The northern latitude gives the areas two more hours of additional daylight during the summer growing season than wine regions of California receive. The volcanic and sandy loam soil of the valley offers good drainage and is poor in nutrients, ideal in forcing the vine to concentrate its resources into the grape clusters.Walla Walla ValleyThe name translates as easily as it rolls off the tongue: Walla Walla. Many Waters. To the earliest Native tribes, the many waters came from the nearby Blue Mountains and gathered to form the Walla Walla River on its way to join the Columbia to the west. The waters flowed first; however, into a fair-sized Valley carved in the mountain's foothills, and bordered in part by the terrain of what is known as the Columbia Plateau. Tribal members knew the Valley's generally milder climate could maintain their people in winter villages. There were lush wild grasses which could sustain horses and attract game from the winter snows of the nearby Blues, or from the giant high plateau that becomes desolate and dangerous during the cold season. The rolling terrain and numerous watersheds offered protection from nature and other hazards of the day. Here the water was plentiful and full of fish and seldom froze, even in the coldest years. The meadows were wonderful places to gather with other people to trade, compete and celebrate treaties. Compared to the region around them, the Walla Walla Valley was a safe refuge from the treacherous conditions which can often be found during the winter for hundreds of miles around. In this unique growing region, most of the earliest records of grapes and winemaking reference the Italians who had immigrated here in the mid to late 1800's and who brought with them their tradition of growing, making and drinking wine. Vines with these origins still exist in the Valley today. The first post-prohibition winery was Blue Mountain Vineyards. It was bonded in 1950 by the Pesciallo family where they produced Black Prince and other Italian varietal wines for a period of several years before succumbing to economics and climate. To the wine world of today, Walla Walla has become know for the quality and style of its red wines, especially Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with Syrah gaining notoriety in recent years. In the1970's, the pioneers of today's wine community began to think similar thoughts: that the Walla Walla Valley, with its long history of fruit growing, moderate climate, wine-making heritage, and interesting terrain might just be a place to grow vines and make wine on a commercial scale. These pioneers of the region applied for and received approval of the Walla Walla Valley as a unique American Viticultural Area (AVA) in 1984. It was the third in Washington State and also includes a portion of land in Oregon. In the time leading to the recognition of the appellation, four wineries had been bonded starting with Leonetti Cellar, and shortly thereafter, Woodward Canyon. L'Ecole Nº 41 and Waterbrook soon followed. In addition to the smaller vineyards that were being planted, the Valley's first large-scale, commercial vineyard Seven Hills was established. By the time the BATF recognized the Walla Walla Valley AVA, the Valley was beginning to gain attention from within the wine industry, as well as attracting publicity from journalists and media outside the region. The foundation for today’s industry had been laid and the benchmark for quality had been set. In addition, fruit from the area was now being harvested and a baseline for understanding the local growing conditions was being constructed. Every few years another winery would join the fold and take up the challenge of producing the highest quality wine and the growing of outstanding fruit. Seven Hills Winery and Patrick M. Paul each got their start during this time. More vines were added, although acreage increases were small each year. The industry was small and everyone knew everyone else involved, while the welcome mat remained out for any newcomers. Growers and winemakers alike regularly shared time in the cellar or at the table and together learned more about wines and vines. By 1990 there were just six wineries and the Valley's grape acreage stood at perhaps 100 acres. The total collective production of wine was microscopic by any measure, but it was the quality that was being noticed by many inside and outside the trade. As the tiny trickle of wine produced in the Walla Walla AVA began to flow to the outside world, a "wine renaissance" was beginning to happen globally. The Pacific Northwest had staked a claim in this new wine world and as people learned about the region, they also began to hear about Walla Walla. This interest spread rapidly to those with Walla Walla connections. The early 1990s saw the planting of more vines and the establishment of another large-scale vineyard, Pepper Bridge. At the same time, a group of local investors, working closely with the Napa based Chalone Wine group, laid the foundation for Canoe Ridge Vineyard, the Valley's first winery supported in part by a major outside investor. As the industry has grown, many new wineries have gotten their start in the arms of an established winery. Waterbrook Winery's modern production facility started the trend, sharing space, equipment, and any help needed. Other wineries also adopted “extra guests,” a practice that has helped form close, personal relationships throughout the local industry. By the turn of the new century, the Walla Walla Valley wine industry had 22 wineries and 800 acres of grapes. In the year 2000 the AVA had been expanded back to the original boundaries proposed in the1984 application. The year 2000 also saw the formation of the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance with 100% of the Valley's wineries and 98% of the Valley's planted acreage represented. Today, more than 60 Walla Walla Valley wineries and more than 1,200 acres of Walla Walla Valley grapes contribute to the ever growing, international acclaim garnered by the wines of this newly-emerging region of Washington State. |
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