After years on the Cayuse list, I was finally offered some Bionic Frog. I had never seen a bottle, let alone tasted it, but the TNs looked good and I bought my allocation. Nice label but that doesn’t affect taste. The last time I opened a Syrah like that early, it was a 2006 Royal City that I opened in 2009 and it was the only wine I ever thought was too intense. Anyone have any comments on the wine? AFWEs need not apply. 
It is garbage. Send it to me and I will pay you what you have in it plus 10% to make up for your troubles.
I get 6 every year, and it seldom fails to deliver. That said, the En Cerise is far and away my favorite.
People seem to like it. I don’t get it.
Worth it just to try, and watch develop over the course of a night. Each one I have had was a great experience, and the glass I had at the start was nothing like the glass at the end. Some bottles have been just OK (but still fun), while others have been magical. My preference is at least five years of age, if that matters at all.
In breaking with my usual guidelines of not commenting on other winemakers’ stuff, I am going to say I am of an opinion that rests somewhere between the opinions of the 2 Erics who posted just above.
This is based on perhaps 5 or 6 different bottles spanning at least 3 different vintages.
Two things I am terrible at: recording what I drank, and estimating the crop size of a Cabernet vineyard. Others who shared these bottles with me probably know more particulars, but have no stronger sentiment. I would love love love to own this label - it generates such excitement.
The last one I had was with Charlie Luhta and his gorgeous wife, Alice, in the woods of Ohio, perhaps a month ago. But he only posts over on eBob. It was the 2011. Tom Futey was also there. Tom?
Chris Choy has opened some of these other bottles with me, and I know he is reading along. Chris?
No Frog for me this year, but I did receive a nice note today indicating they were charging my card $170 for tax and shipping of wine I decided I don’t like. Of course, you have to buy these a year in advance, so… I would like to try the Frog some day, but I suspect I have a good idea of what it’s about. I’ve had the Royal City and tried my first 4 bottlings of Reynvaan last week. I’m begining to think Washington just isn’t my thing (although ironically, the first year I got into wine, a plebian Snoqualmie Yakima Syrah was a glass that made me want to dig deeper into wine!)
It was the the 2009? I haven’t had an extensive range of Syrahs yet, but the Frog is the best that I have had hands down. Deep, dark yet extremely refined and balanced. The bottle was shared over a fun lunch, but quite frankly I would have preferred to enjoy the wine on its own, perhaps in front of a fireplace. A benchmark for New World Syrah.
That one was the 2009. The best I have had. I have had the 2011 a couple of times, and a couple of others. I thought you had one of those on a root day, here, flailing about my kitchen and dining room for something decent to drink.
Reynvaan (Stonessence, In the Rocks, Unnamed) are night and day different from Royal City. Sheridan is also. Reynvaan also needs a couple of years in the bottle. An '09 In the Rocks was absolutely delicious a couple of weeks ago but still needed a couple of hours. '09 Royal City is too young. '07 Old Bones and '07 Hustler are both drinking beautifully right now-especially the Old Bones.
Sheridan’s '09 Singularity is also excellent but unique from both of these.
FWIW in another thread I mentioned Santa Barbara’s Sanguis for their '09 Six White Horses syrah as one of the best I’ve had. At $75 it seemed like a relative bargain next to several of these. Frankly, the excellent Beckmen '10 Block One IS an absolute bargain @ $44.95 (Wades Wines where I bought three yesterday.). Six White Horses rated 97 from the WE and Block One was 96 from, I believe, Parker.
I’ve been on Cayuse’s waiting list for almost five years and I am told that I am “close.”
I must add that several of these wineries are really pushing it with what now amounts to 14 months of lead time from when the order can first be placed until shipping. Reynvaan topped out at $100 for their '13 Stonessence while Charles Smith held steady at the same $100 futures price he has had for a few years.
I’ve had it once and was quite underwhelmed. It didn’t taste overripe or hot, it was just surprisingly unremarkable. YMM (and probably will) V.
My tastes lean toward AFWE but I love Frog. It is one of the very few WA wines I can stomach.
I’ve only had a few bottles but I don’t think it’s out of stylistic line or necessarily better than some of the other Syrahs in the lineup. It just seems to get all the hype (possibly started by the name and label?)
This, I don’t touch mine for at least 5 years. I realize this isn’t an option for everybody, but your patience will be rewarded.
I am with Mike, 6-7 years of bottle age is best. In 2009 the 02 Frog was our WOTY.
Love the Frog only had it a few times with very generous friends. As others have said, best with a little bit of age.
Joe, I should have clarified. I speculate the Frog is similar to the RC in size and structure only, but comparable to any Reynvaan (or Cayuse for that matter) in flavor, bouquet, etc. I have not been allocated any Cayuse Syrah, but just about every other varietal they make, and those wines most definitely show a signature profile. I find that exact profile in all of Reynvaan’s wines. I don’t know if it’s Barron’s influence or Walla Walla - regardless, having never had the Frog, I can make an educated guess as to what it would be like. I purchased the Syrah side of Horsepower, so it will be interesting to see how those compare to Reynvaan/Cayuse as well.
I’ve had a few of them, but i like the ‘cheap stuff’ from Cayuse better…
Chamberlin and En Cerise … yumm…
I would say they are just as good as the Frog… so i like all 3 equally but the Frog is so much harder to find, and cost more…
If i get offered it, i’ll buy it, but so far i haven’t gotten that WL filled yet.
I am really bummed I didn’t add En Cerise to my WL this year.
Thanks all for the info. I guess I will have to wait for a while to maximize the 2011s, which were the first ones I got.
I just got my current Cayuse delivery - three Frogs, three Camaspelo and three Idon’tremembers. I just had the Viognier last Friday and loved it. I have enjoyed the Syrah and Cab. I opened one Tempranillo too early with Juan Palomar and I decided to let the rest of them sleep. The Grenache is the only one that I did not like - too much poopy funk.