2005 God Only Knows Grenache
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Tasting notes
Good medium-deep red. Expressive aromas of red fruits, gunflint and woodsmoke, plus a whiff of camphor. Lush and suave in the mouth, but not a hugely fleshy style. A stony element leavens the wine's compelling sweetness. Finishes complex and peppery. With time in bottle, this will take on strawberry and red licorice flavors, notes winemaker Christophe Baron, adding that the yield here was just 13 hectoliters per hectare, or less than a ton an acre.
Critic scores
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Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The red wines start with the 2005 Grenache God Only Knows – Armada Vineyard, the first release of this wine. It was produced from yields of 1 ton per acre with 75% of the crop dropped on the ground. Cherry preserves, kirsch, and raspberry are the primary notes both aromatically and on the palate. It is super-expressive and mouth-filling with a very long finish. “High density vineyards and low yields are the secret to Grenache,” says Baron. Christophe Baron strikes again. His estate, just on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla AVA, consists of five small but distinct vineyards (41 acres in total – with more on the way). Syrah and the Bordeaux varietals are the principal focus but the finest parcels of Tempranillo, Viognier, and Grenache grown in the USA are on this estate. The vineyards are farmed biodynamically and much of the estate is planted on rootstock to prepare for the day when phylloxera works its way through Walla Walla. The wines are all fermented with indigenous yeasts and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Tel. (509) 526-0686; www.cayusevineyards.com
(from a crop level of less than a ton an acre) Good deep ruby-red. Liqueur-like black cherry and roasted strawberry on the nose, lifted by pepper, exotic flowers and cinnamon. Offers a lush texture and compelling sweetness of roasted red berry flavor, with a lightly tarry quality and a suggestion of minerality from the inclusion of a bit of syrah. Baron told me that the grenache was pinot-like before he added the syrah, and that now it's richer and creamier. Finishes with slightly tough tannins that softened up with aeration. This sappy, liqueur-like, peppery wine makes a fascinating new addition to the Cayuse portfolio and shows terrific varietal character.