2010 Cayuse Syrah Cailloux Vineyard

(blended with 6% viognier): Good deep red. Raspberry, bacon fat and black olive on the nose. Silky, fleshy and sweet, with a peppery topnote to the sweet raspberry and beef jerky flavors. Finishes classically dry and extremely long, with noble, fine-grained tannins. This very concentrated and utterly captivating syrah called to mind a Cote-Rotie from the legendary Marius Gentaz.

Author: Stephen Tanzer

Issue: November/December 2013

Coming from a cold, late vintage where the Syrah didn't ripen until the first part of October, the 2010 Syrah Cailloux Vineyard showed spectacularly in the retrospective. Inky purple in color, it gives up classic floral qualities intermixed with ample olive tapenade, black raspberry, lavender, orange blossom and pepper on the nose. This gives way to a full-bodied, sexy, seamless and yet always elegant Syrah that has juicy acidity and ripe tannin kicking in on the finish. This was the first vintage where they moved part of the elevage to foudre, and this spent 16 months in roughly 15% new French oak.

Author: Jeb Dunnuck

Dark and smoky, with bright blackberry and plum lighting up the core, balanced by black olive and stony overtones. Matches intensity with sleek balance.

Author: Harvey Steiman