June 26, 2023 - Phenomenal wine. Bold and concentrated. Nose of bramble, bacon and earth. This is a beautiful blend.
November 2, 2022 - Really drinking beautifully right now. Paired with Paella.
While the Cayuse funk was present on the nose, the years have been kind to this GOK and it wasn't overly reductive or too barnyard-y. Fruit was just lovely with fully integrated tannins. Just damn fine juice and a beautiful match with Paella. I can't see a lot of upside to holding these, but I don't think it will fall off very quick, likely a gradual decline.
January 18, 2022 - Hitting its stride... Super funk on the nose but beautiful fruit on the palate...
December 25, 2021 - Christmas dinner, needed something to pair with a smoked sausage cassoulet. My first time with this vintage. Decanted about 30 minutes, drank over an hour+.
Medium ruby, opaque color. Nose of red fruits, earth and bacon fat. Palate of dark raspberry, cherry, baked strawberry, plums, baking spice and savory. Spice persists through the mid palate and finish. Smooth, velvety texture. A sweetness running through the finish. Medium/full body, long finish.
This is a really gorgeous wine. A lot going on here, the spice is what I was looking for in the pairing. Assuming Christophe Baron was going for a Cote Rotie cousin...he got it...:) Wine is in a great spot, decant helps, it continued to improve in the glass over the time we drank it, maybe give it a full hour in the decanter. Well stored bottles should drink at this level for a while - highly recommend opening one at this point if you have more than one!
May 16, 2021 - Dark raspberry, cherry and kir with funk, bacon and great balance and lingering finish
March 9, 2021 - Similar to prior note after a 2 hr. double decant, but better! I could not stop sipping it. Except for the color, I would not believe this was not syrah from Cote Rotie. Ready to drink
January 14, 2021 - Double decanted for 2 hrs, deep ruby, dark fruit with bacon, med. tannins, long finish; outstanding, tasted more like a Cote Rotie, ready to drink, no rush
February 1, 2020 - Limited notes, showed like a French wine at a Grenache tasting.
December 7, 2019 - Ruby red in color. 14.2% ABV. Textbook Cayuse nose of cherries, olive brine, game and herbs. Medium body with notable acidity. Rich and savory. Black cherry, umami, charred meats and olives on the palate. The finish is long and seamless. Cayuse has this timeless quality to their wines so I suspect this could age longer but I just can’t imagine it will get better than it is right now. Special Grenache.
April 30, 2019 - Funk nose (as expected), relatively light coloring. Opened and decanted for two hours, served with lamb. Fully opened in about three hours and didn't disappoint as a Cayuse.