The 2009 Cayuse God Only Know was the winning bottle in the September Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was opened and served shortly thereafter.
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.
God Only Know is sourced from the Armada Vineyard. At 1815 vines per acre, the 7-acre site, planted in 2001, was the highest density planting in the Walla Walla Valley until 2008. Other wines from the vineyard include the Armada Syrah and Edith Grenache Rosé.
Maroon in color. 14.3% ABV. Scrumptious nose of red fruits, bacon fat, iron and black tea. Medium body with ample acidity. Incredibly complex and powerful. Strawberries, raspberries, olive brine and herbs on the palate. The finish is exceptionally long and silky. The pinnacle of Washington Grenache. Stunning wine that will age effortlessly for the next 6-8 years.
My rating: 95 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!
Last year Christophe Baron finally made the cover of the Wine Spectator. Cayuse, Horsepower and No Girls make some of the top wines in Washington. Christophe recently launched a new project, Hors Categorie. Christophe also has a new vineyard in the works. Expect to hear more about Fiddleneck Vineyard in the next year or so. Lastly, Christophe at long last is hard at work on making a vintage Champagne. Details on this project are still a couple years out.
I blogged about Cayuse previously in The 2017 Zinfandel Chronicles Power Rankings, Winery Mailing Lists: The Fab 5 and Cayuse Vineyards – Better than Ever.
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