Another longer-term prospect is the 2012 Syrah Armada Vineyard. One of the more burly, structured releases from this estate, it's always poured after the Bionic Frog and is the last Syrah we taste in a vintage. The 2012 gives... Read More
From a vineyard that has the highest clay content of all the estate vineyards, the 2013 Syrah Armada Vineyard is a classically built Syrah that has lots of northern Rhone-like meaty, gamey notes as well as ample dark fruits, beef... Read More
I thought the 2008 Syrah Bionic Frog was insanely good. Checking in at 14.4% natural alcohol (the 2009 was 14.7 and the 2010 14.8), it has soaring notes of cassis, black raspberries, violets, white flowers, mint and olives to... Read More
Like the 2009 Cailloux, the 2009 Syrah Bionic Frog was closed aromatically, yet offered incredible depth, richness and purity on the palate. Reluctantly giving up lots of dark fruits, chocolate, mineral and roasted herbs, as well... Read More
This insanely good 2010 Syrah Bionic Frog offers incredible notes of blood orange, liquid violets, cassis, seared meats, licorice and crushed rocks to go with full-bodied richness, ultra-fine tannic structure, perfectly integrated... Read More
The 2011 Syrah Bionic Frog is another rocking Syrah from Christophe that does everything right. Creme de cassis, blackberry, smoked earth, toasted spice and violets emerge from the glass, and it flows onto the palate with full-bodied... Read More
While a lot of the 2012s came in near the bottom of the barrel score, that wasn't the case with the 2012 Syrah Bionic Frog and this beauty flirts with perfection. Inky colored and purple to the rim, it offers extraordinary... Read More
The only wine to see partial aging in foudre (20% new), the 2013 Syrah Bionic Frog has an almost Burgundian flair in its forest floor, olive brine, smoked earth, dried flower and darker fruit-styled personality. One of the more... Read More
From the oldest vineyard in the Stones (Christophe calls it The Stones, not The Rocks), the transparent ruby colored 2013 Syrah Cailloux Vineyard incorporates 5% co-fermented Viognier and has a distinct saltiness, as well as classic... Read More
A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Merlot, the 2012 Camaspelo is more refined and elegant than the Lovers release, showing a seamless, elegant profile to go with lots of dark fruits, savory herbs, graphite and hints of... Read More
Structured and backward, the 2012 Grenache God Only Knows Armada Vineyard offers lots of framboise, black cherries, bouquet garni and spice to go with a full-bodied, seamless, elegant feel on the palate. It picks up more and more... Read More
Grenache seemed to handle the heat nicely in 2013 and the 2013 Grenache God Only Knows Armada Vineyard offers a gorgeous, rich, almost masculine style (especially when it's tasted next to the No Girls Grenache) in its dark... Read More
The 2008 En Cerise Vineyard Syrah offers up a remarkably complex, sexy perfume that leaps from the glass. Exotic spices, a velvety texture, and a succulent richness on the palate are sublime. It, too, can be enjoyed for a decade... Read More
Always coming from a small 2.5-acre block inside the En Cerise vineyard, the 2012 Syrah en Cerise is a fabulously complex, seamless and elegant Syrah that exhibits notes of dried cherries, currants, dried herbs, violets and cured... Read More
Just slightly more ruby colored than the Cailloux Vineyard, the 2014 Syrah en Cerise offers more elegance and finesse as well as lots of black cherry, plums, Asian spice and dried lavender aromatics. Full-bodied, elegant and very... Read More
A wine that continued to change and develop in the glass was the 2013 Syrah en Chamberlin Vineyard, which is the smallest production cuvee of the 2013 single vineyard releases (there's 340 cases). Notes of smoke, charcuterie,... Read More
All-encompassing. Dense, rich, action packed. Explosive dark cherry, huckleberry, black olive. Ash, grilled herb, wet earth. Great intensity, taut and balanced. This has it all and more! - Charles Smith
The density of an I-beam and the lift of a whisper. Sundance Vineyard in full bloom as we have never seen before. White pepper, orange skin, red plum. Black licorice, black leather, black sand. To behold is a treasure, to drink... Read More
There are only 670 cases of the 2004 Reserve, a wine composed of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, and 11% Petit Verdot (a grape which does amazingly well in the Walla Walla and Columbia Valley AVAs). It spent 22 months in a... Read More
100% Grenache that was harvested on October 23 and aged 22 months in neutral puncheons. Elegant and finesse driven, with a sweet bouquet of wild strawberries, mint, game, rose petal and dried flowers, it is medium to full-bodied,... Read More
In the same mold, with the buzzwords being finesse and elegance, the 2011 Syrah La Paciencia Vineyard offers textbook pepper, olive tapenade, smoke and crunchy berry fruits in its medium to full-bodied, seamless and beautifully... Read More
While I thought this cuvee would show better from bottle, it's still impressive and shines for its finesse and elegance. Lighter in color than I remember (which was true with all of the 2013 No Girls and Cayuse releases),... Read More
Dense, rich and dynamic, packed with mouth-filling blackberry, currant and blueberry flavors with hints of anise and sweet spices. A glorious mélange of flavors that shows both substance and subtlety. Best from 2002 through 2005.... Read More
A smidge more evolved than the 2002, the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc, mostly from the famed Champoux Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA. It offers a rock star bouquet of... Read More