3/25/2024 - Ron Slye wrote:

Just a lovely aged Washington cab. Caution. My score is based on my living well aged wines. Lovely forest floor, some nice subdued red fruit, and hints of eucalyptus. What a joy to follow over an evening. After a few hours it was starting to fade. But what a joy to drink. Thank you Full Pull for making this and others available.

3/19/2024 - Ron Slye wrote:

This was really singing. That amazing nose of roasted meat, herbs, earth, and who knows what else. The palate followed -- really nice integration of the savory notes with some complementary fruit. Reminds me why I like these wines so much. Unfortunately the 2009 En Cerise that was meant to also be consumed was corked! The risk of the hobby! [Note to self -- not sure which bottle this was; so subtract one from what is left.]

3/19/2024 - Ron Slye wrote:

Corked! Ugh. Luckily the 2008 En Chamberlin was singing.

1/15/2024 - Ron Slye wrote:

At first pretty closed. But after about 2 hours opening nicely into some taut and tangy citrus (lemon and orange) and reminiscent of kumquats. Still a bit tight and coiled. High acidity and curious to see if the fruit holds or deteriorates. Should wait at least two more years until my next one.

12/25/2023 - Ron Slye wrote:

Excellent. Takes on a bit more weight with air. Plush but not overly so.

10/29/2023 - Ron Slye wrote:

Really good. Starts off a bit oaky but that quickly resolves. Still drinking well. Probably not going to improve much over the next few years but also not falling apart.

9/4/2023 - Ron Slye wrote:

Very solid over two days. Not sure it will get better. Nice fruit and acidity. Lovely perfumed nose.

8/21/2023 - Ron Slye wrote:

Lovely complex nowe but the palate is a bit disjointed with a short and somewhat bitter finish. Smoothed out a bit with air so perhaps this is in am awkward phase

8/21/2023 - Ron Slye wrote:

Still drinking well but starting the downhill phase. Still a lovely well made aged wine.

8/15/2023 - Ron Slye wrote:

Drinking well right now. Smooth fruit, notes of black pepper. The floral notes from the viognier round out the palate, which also some good acidity. Very smooth and subtle tannins. This may not get much better but it will last for a while. Second day this was as good as day one.

7/22/2023 - Ron Slye wrote:

Still an absolute delight. Laser like nose of almonds, jasmine Lovely notes of reduction with white fruits. Lively nutty honey flavors that I really like in a Chardonnay. Really nice acidity. Almost sweet at first but with time it all balances out.

7/11/2023 - Ron Slye wrote:

Corked! 2 out of 4 have been corked. Ugh.

6/18/2023 - Ron Slye wrote:

Reminds me why BF is the crown of the cayuse jewels. Very elegant with lots of savory flavors. Everything seems well integrated now. Rich dark fruit. Reminds me of the La Las a bit (I can’t remember what distinguishes them enough to say which this is more like). But a lovely wine that went really well with grilled steak.

6/18/2023 - Ron Slye wrote:

At first this had all of the great notes of an aged Bordeaux Old wood, cigar box, pencil lead, and some nice if subtle red fruit. Everything I love about an old paulliac. But then slight hints of cork taint. Which just sat there all night. Not enough to hide what was underneath, but still there. I almost poured the bottle out. But kept about 3/4 bottle till the next day, and the taint was gone. So perhaps not corked? Something else that finally blew away? Either way it will make me more hesitant to immediately dump a corked wine!!

6/15/2023 - Ron Slye wrote:

No surprise this was a lovely bottle, drinking well. The complexity and depth, as well as some nice acidic balance that I find lacking in some earlier vintages. Now a day later I have opened the 2009 BF. Slightly more fruit but wow what balance and elegance. Where the armada is power, with sone elegance, the frog is more subtle, more dark bright fruit, and very elegant

6/12/2023 - Ron Slye wrote:

Still drinking well but not as powerful or structured as I remember the last one.

4/8/2023 - Ron Slye wrote:

Still seems very young. Dark color with no noticeable bricking. As with most aged cayuse the funk has nicely settled into the othe savory and fruit flavors. Did not have the same wow power as I remember years ago, though definitely not flawed as the last bottle was! Quite enjoyable and another marker of the lengthily of these wines. Curious to revisit with my last bottle a few years from now.

3/20/2023 - Ron Slye wrote:

This is drinking really nicely, on day one and two. Lots of complexity Better than I remember.

3/11/2023 - Ron Slye wrote:

This is very much in the zone. Strong graphite, dark fruits, and cedar on the nose. This has come together so nicely. Very smooth but also complex on the palate. Still a lot of power here. Will it get better? Maybe. Maybe a bit sweeter. Still some very fine and soft tannins. I did not notice too much of the green pepper this time, which I think I had in previous bottles. This is just a joy to drink.

3/11/2023 - Ron Slye wrote:

Wow. I was afraid this would be gone. Peak drinking now, though not sure how long it will last. Sweet rusticity, all packaged quite nicely. Better the first hour than the second. I think I caught this just as it was starting to slide on the downward slope. The first hour it was high 90s for me. One of the best wines I have had in a while. Now 94.

3/11/2023 - Ron Slye wrote:

This is very subtle and smooth. It feels like it is still holding back. A reticent nose of leather, dark red fruits. A bit tight on the palate. I was a bit worried of a bit of corkiness. But I don’t think that is present.

On Day 2 -- wow, this has really opend up nicely. Sorry I only have one bottle left!

2/16/2023 - Ron Slye wrote:

Corked!!!! Ugh.

2/3/2023 - Ron Slye wrote:

Really superb a semillon complex flavors including those lanolin notes I love. This still has a lot of life left in it.

1/3/2023 - Ron Slye wrote:

At first strong umami nose, like inhaling earth deep into one’s inner being. A bit creamy at first on the palate. But with air everything comes together nicely. So smooth. Notes of campfire wrapped around dark cherries with hints of milk chocolate.

After a few days this becomes less interesting and complex. This is consistent with my general experience with 2005 and 2006 cayuse, though this was quite good after about an hour on PnP.

12/9/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

Initially very strong green apple -- almost like cider. With time this started to mellow out, but I did not get much of the bottle after the initial taste! Part of the SWG holiday dinner.

12/9/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

For SWG holiday dinner. One of many wines opened that night. We decanted this, which may explain why the funk was not overpowering. Definitely signature Cayuse, with the savory funk and barnyard, as well as dark fruits. It was quite good, but not a step up as has been the case with some Armada and BF.

12/4/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

Just a lovely wine. Wish I had more Got better after an hour Nice and subtle, but also solid.

12/3/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

Nose of blackberry, smoke, hints of charred meat, and hints of mint. Really lovely. There is strong fruit, but there is some nice savory and acidic notes to balance it. I can tell that this is going to evolve and evolve over the evening. Still very dark I’m the glass. Hard to believe this is 15 years old!!

Ten or so minutes in this is getting a bit syrupy. Not a direction I like.

Two hours in, there are some pleasant burnt notes that take the fruit a bit.

So the start was promising But never quite got where I hoped it would.

11/30/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

This is consistently an excellent vintage for this wine Sone of the nice rocks savory notes with some good fruit and acidity. In a good place right now Not heading downhill yet but not sure if it will get better. But I will keep my last one for a few years to see!

11/11/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

This is really lovely. Just classic Cabernet with that hint of mint that I associate with a few other places (Heitz Martha, LMHB). I would recommend an hour decant. Maybe a little less. Still very vibrant and even holding back a bit Curious to try again in two years.

11/6/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

Wow. This is fantastic. Nice notes of an old wine, such as leather, spices, some subtle oak, but also really tight and put together. This is not near falling apart. Just a tight envelope of aged yumminess.

Went fantastically with grilled steak. Some nice acidity and spices really paired well with the charred and medium rare meat. This just hit all of the right notes.

10/20/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

A bit more mellow than my last taste a few years ago, but still lots of structure and tightness. Lovely fruit, but with a strong overlay of minerality and acid. Really excited to see where this goes in the next 5-10 years.

10/18/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

This is coming into its own now. Lovely savory barnyard with the complexity I associate with the best of Cayuse (campfire, roasted meats, dark berries, forest). I would describe the funk on this now as medium -- not overwhelming as these can be when they are young. Reminded me of why I love Rocks Syrah.

10/1/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

I agree with some of the other notes This was a very good aged wine. Opened up nicely after one or two hours, so still some evolution. But nothing overly special or complex. Some nice if a bit tired fruit, and some good secondary flavors Not over the hill, but probably not getting any better.

7/25/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

This was a good but not memorable wine. A bit one dimensional, and falling apart by day two. Would be a good glass pour in the 8 to 10 dollar range Did not finish as calories are too precious these days!

6/25/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

Wow. Some wines just hit the right notes. I always struggle whether to open a bottle alone (if it is good I feel sad I wasn’t able to share it with others who would appreciate it) or with others (if it is bad we have to scramble for something else). This was the first scenario. Just lovely mature California cab. Lovely mint and eucalyptus on the nose and palate. Though somewhat brown on the edges, this did not fall apart in the two to three hours it took to finish. I loved just smelling the nose, and then taking a sip now and again. Paired well with a grilled hangar steak. PnP Sensory conterno. Part of the ravenswood library release. So presumably perfect storage.

6/10/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

Lots of potential here, but definitely for me needs more time. Still a bit closed, but some nice earth tones with underlying fruit. Try again in three plus years.

6/10/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

This did not disappoint Perhaps not up to d’Yquem standards, but boy was this drinking nicely. Definitely glad I grabbed some of these when I did.

6/10/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

Definitely some funk and even poop. Someone said a high end port a potty on the nose Dark fruits. Deep flavors. Might benefit from more age.

6/10/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

This was better than the last one. Outshone a 2012 BdM riserva. Lovely Sangiovese fruit, with that rustic flavor I associate with Italian wines. Drinking really wel right now.

6/10/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

Lovely nose with some typical, though subdued funk. Some nice bright fruits here as well. A lovely rocks syrah.

6/10/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

Wow. This was a hit with the PILF students. Locely and smooth. That umami and tomato leaf that I associate with camaspelo in particular. This was drinoing beautifully.

6/9/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

Corked.

5/5/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

This is just such a solid lively wine. Sort of a straight pitch right down the line (I am not much of a sports guy but what I mean is this is so solid and good). Nose of tomato leaf, violets, mushroom, a little smoke. Lovely palate. Some nice firm dark fruit, brown and slight green herbs. Very fine tannins near the end suggesting this might improve for another 2 to 3 years. I agree this is solidly in its drinking window but it has lots of time ahead of it. So glad I recently stocked up on these. Well done Emily. (Again!). 93

5/1/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

1986 ravenswood cab Sonoma.

Cork in perfect shape. Nose has a musty leather with hints of violets. Still some fine tannins. The palate is a bit closed at first but opens nicely with a few swirls in the glass. Wow. This is drinking so beautifully. Dare I say this could benefit from a few more years in bottle. But boy is it nice to drink now. This took maybe an hour to hit its stride. After four hours starting to fade a little, but still drinking well.

4/28/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

Very solid wel aged red. Nice depth of flavor. And still drinking pretty wel three days later.

4/18/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

A bit closed on day one. This became a bit more complex on days two and three. A lovely nose of subdued jasmine. The palate is a bit disjointed Some nice tropical fruit but also a bit flabby and some sharp bitterness near the finish The nose is quite nice, but the palate does not quite follow. Curious if this will come together with time This is my last bottle so I will not find out!

4/10/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

This evolves over a number of days. After day one some nicer notes of passion fruit. Not sweet per week, but on the fruitier side. Lovely to drink.

4/9/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

Still young. Decanted and it seemed to hit its stride on day 2. Can’t wait to see how the is ages further. Such a great product at a great price.

4/9/2022 - Ron Slye wrote:

Another great showing for this wine. No good notes but really loving this with some age.