2011 Cayuse Vineyards, En Cerise Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, Washington, USA
- Red
- Dry
- Full Bodied
- Syrah
Ready - youthful
Product: 20118114206
Description
Thick, full-bodied and voluptuous, which is common for this vineyard, the 2011 Syrah En Cerise has fabulous aromas and flavors (black cherry, pepper, and olive tapenade), thrilling purity and a mouth coating, decadent profile that’s hard to resist. Despite all of the richness here, it stays remarkably fresh and vibrant. Always one of the more approachable single vineyard Syrahs, it should shine on release and drink well through 2025.
Jeb Dunnuck - Wine Advocate - June 2013
These singular efforts are made by Champagne transplant, Christophe Baron, from his winemaking studio that lies just outside of the town of Milton-Freewater, in Oregon. I doubt these wines need any introduction, yet it is worth pointing out that it is rare to find such a complex and diverse portfolio today where all of the wines are at such a high level.
Certainly, this unique terroir has something to do with it, yet Christophe falls into the realm of the Manfred Krankls and Michel Chapoutiers of the world, who stand apart from the crowd and produce a range of incredible wines that always make me scratch my head and wonder what, exactly, is going on. Having visited with Christophe and tasted these wines over the past 4-5 years now, both from barrel and bottle, I don’t believe there’s any hidden magic going on and it is a dedication to the vineyard, to low yields and to a simplistic, hands-off approach in the cellar that creates these singular wines.
Jeb Dunnuck - Wine Advocate - June 2013
These singular efforts are made by Champagne transplant, Christophe Baron, from his winemaking studio that lies just outside of the town of Milton-Freewater, in Oregon. I doubt these wines need any introduction, yet it is worth pointing out that it is rare to find such a complex and diverse portfolio today where all of the wines are at such a high level.
Certainly, this unique terroir has something to do with it, yet Christophe falls into the realm of the Manfred Krankls and Michel Chapoutiers of the world, who stand apart from the crowd and produce a range of incredible wines that always make me scratch my head and wonder what, exactly, is going on. Having visited with Christophe and tasted these wines over the past 4-5 years now, both from barrel and bottle, I don’t believe there’s any hidden magic going on and it is a dedication to the vineyard, to low yields and to a simplistic, hands-off approach in the cellar that creates these singular wines.
Colour Red
Sweetness Dry
Vintage 2011
Maturity Ready - youthful
Grape List Syrah
Body Full Bodied
Producer Cayuse Vineyards
About this wine
Syrah/Shiraz
A noble black grape variety grown particularly in the Northern Rhône where it produces the great red wines of Hermitage, Cote Rôtie and Cornas, and in Australia where it produces wines of startling depth and intensity. Reasonably low yields are a crucial factor for quality as is picking at optimum ripeness. Its heartland, Hermitage and Côte Rôtie, consists of 270 hectares of steeply terraced vineyards producing wines that brim with pepper, spices, tar and black treacle when young. After 5-10 years they become smooth and velvety with pronounced fruit characteristics of damsons, raspberries, blackcurrants and loganberries. It is now grown extensively in the Southern Rhône where it is blended with Grenache and Mourvèdre to produce the great red wines of Châteauneuf du Pape and Gigondas amongst others. Its spiritual home in Australia is the Barossa Valley, where there are plantings dating as far back as 1860. Australian Shiraz tends to be sweeter than its Northern Rhône counterpart and the best examples are redolent of new leather, dark chocolate, liquorice, and prunes and display a blackcurrant lusciousness. South African producers such as Eben Sadie are now producing world- class Shiraz wines that represent astonishing value for money.
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Cayuse Vineyards
Cayuse Vineyards is one of the leading wine producers in Washington State, owned and run by Frenchman Cristophe Baron. Cayuse's single vineyard Syrahs have become incredibly sought after and are compared with the finest wines from the Northern Rhone. Christophe Baron grew up among the vineyards and cellars of his family's centuries-old Champagne house, Baron Albert and became the first Frenchman to establish an estate domaine in Washington State. While visiting the Walla Walla Valley in 1996, Christophe spotted a plot of land that had been plowed up to reveal acres of softball-sized stones. He became ridiculously excited. This stony soil, this terroir, reminded him of vineyards he had visited in France and Spain. The difficult ground would stress the grapevines, making them produce more mature, concentrated fruit. Christophe Baron had found a new home. The majority of the vineyard is planted with Syrah, and the rest dedicated to Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Merlot, Tempranillo and Viognier. All of the vineyards are planted in rocky earth within the Walla Walla Valley appellation. Cayuse is also the first domaine in Walla Walla to farm using biodynamic methods.
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