Cayuse was founded in 1997 by Christophe Baron, a native of France who grew up in family of winemakers in Champagne. Baron studied viticulture in Burgundy and Champagne, and had ambitions to make Pinot Noir in Oregon. However, on a visit to Walla Walla he found property that he believed would be perfect for growing grapes and decided to purchase the land.
En Chamberlin is a 10 acre vineyard that was planted in 2000. This vineyard produces The Widowmaker Cabernet Sauvignon, Impulsivo Tempranillo and En Chamberlin Syrah.
The wine is a gorgeous ruby red in color. Intense aromas of cherries, soy sauce, iron and grilled meats. The palate has so much going on: cabbage, bacon, blood, meat, herbs and a ton of black fruits. There is a fabulous sweetness to this wine that underlies all the funky complexity you expect in a Cayuse Syrah. Drinking this wine is like curling up with a great book – the finish literally lingers for well over 60 seconds. Brilliant wine.
My rating: 96 points.
The waiting list for the Cayuse mailing list is huge and you need to be well-connected to get a bottle via retail. Either way, current vintages are worth the hunt!
If you enjoyed this post please consider subscribing to Zinfandel Chronicles updates by email.
Cool bottle note, Tom! I like how you open with the background of the winemaker and winery, follow with a discussion of the vineyard, and then conclude with the tasting notes. After reading your notes, I can hardly wait to try my 2005 Cayuse Syrah En Chamberlin and then compare and contrast with your notes on the 2003.
Thanks for the feedback Peter. I’m cellaring a few bottles of the 05 En Chamberlin as well.
the 03 En Cham was the 1st bottle of cayuse I ever purchased. Hunted it down years ago online from a place in CA. Didn’t have it until after my 1st visit to the release party back in 2007.
I bought a bunch of this for a song on WineBid years ago. This was my last bottle though.
Nice post! Glad to hear it’s aging well! The first EC I had was ’06 and it really caught my attention. Happy to have an allocation…! :)
I still don’t get an allocation of the En Chamberlin but usually manage to track down a bottle or two.