2002 Bionic Frog Syrah

A classic wine, the 2002 Syrah Bionic Frog, which wasn’t harvested until October 10 and was raised in 50% new oak, offers beautiful, chalky minerality, marine-like saltiness, olive brine, currants and cassis-driven aromas and flavors. Possessing beautiful purity, with an underlying elegance that shows with more time in the glass, drink it anytime over the coming decade.

Showing a touch of maturity, the 2002 Cayuse Syrah Bionic Frog is packed with deep, dark fruits, truffle, raw meat and spice aromatics. Still showing a trace of oak, this opens up beautifully in the glass and has serious fruit and solid complexity. The wine is full bodied on the palate with superb balance, a full, mouth filling texture and a long finish. While this still has room to grow and is drinking beautifully, it shouldn’t have a problem going another 8 to 10 years.

Saturated ruby. Superripe aromas of blackberry and smoked meat; initially a bit less urgent than the Cailloux and En Cerise. Thick, superripe and highly concentrated, with impressive volume and weight in the mouth. Began a bit monolithic and sullen, without quite the verve of the Cailloux or En Cerise, but grew fresher with extended aeration as its powerful underlying structure became apparent. Wonderfully layered wine, finishing chewy and very long, with plenty of oak but also noble tannins. This really calls for at least three or four years of patience and may well eventually be the best of these 2002s. From a portion of the Coccinelle Vineyard that yielded just 1.5 tons of fruit per acre in 2002. Christophe Baron told me he vinifies this "like a Verset Cornas: with a long cuvaison featuring lots of stems and whole clusters." The wine is aged in all "magic casks" from Dominique Laurent, 20% new. Like the regular release from Coccinelle, this will likely rate a higher score with bottle aging.