Didn’t take formal notes, but did a Cayuse side-by-side to evaluate their two primary Bordeaux-style wines. I was recently allocated both Flying Pig and Camaspelo and wanted to know if I should keep buying either. I was granted one of each from the “Ex Cellar” sale a year or two ago that both had some age. Why no formal notes? Because they were consumed while watching a very stressful UW Huskies vs. Oregon State Beavers football game. GO DAWGS!
I ended up really preferring the Flying Pig and will keep buying it and won’t buy the Camaspelo going forward. Even from a very cool vintage, the Pig was just better: more fruit, better balance, a little less funk. The Camaspelo was already starting to thin out and 2014 was a pretty warm vintage. I’d drink both sooner than later.
PSA. If you’re looking for older vintages of Flying Pig, look at Wine Bid now. Even better prices on Camaspelo. I normally don’t share intel on stuff I like in Wine Bid but my cellar is over full! Happy hunting!
I was reading earlier that someone didn’t think Washington Syrah improved after 10 years so I decided to open a 2013 Gramercy The Deuce Syrah tonight. I have quite a vertical of this going back to 2008, so thought I’d open one in the middle to make sure I wasn’t keeping them too long. Nice balance and not as “big” as some other Washington syrah I’ve had.
No bricking and it isn’t showing much tertiary development yet–but has plenty of fruit, tannin, and acid to keep aging. I can’t find the post, but think it is perfectly possible to have Washington Syrah age like Norther Rhone. This has put on weight as it has been open. I get Craisins®, orange zest, a bit of violet and that purple deadnettle weed dankness. A bit hollow on the mid with a medium-long metallic iron/rust finish. Paired it with dashi and grilled matsutake. 91 pts
I didn’t buy this (though I came close) but thought I would give a heads up on it. Costco has these for $53.99. Considering the Riedel glasses alone are almost certainly worth more than the asking price, and the wine trades for about $70, it seems like a fantastic buy.
The great quality of WA merlot has been discussed here before so I thought I’d point out an impressive one. I stopped by the Two Vintners tasting room yesterday in Woodinville and was poured the ‘Alice’. It’s one of those wines where you wonder how they can pack that much fruit into a bottle and it’s got enough complexity to keep it interesting. It’s just a great merlot. It’s not cheap at $85 but worth it for the experience, It’s not a wine for those who think intense fruit is a fault and I am not sure how well it will age. But I’d drink it now for experiencing a remarkable wine. Cheers.
2022 DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate Blanc - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley (12/19/2023)
Always one of my favorite whites from WA and here is another solid vintage of the CEB. Doesn’t seem to carry as much overt oak spice as past vintages (which was never a liability to be clear) but more in the texture, which had a slightly creamy mouthfeel. Very fresh, citrus and some hay notes, good back end finish. Excellent. One of these days I would like to age one of these to see what happens. (92 points)
2008 Mark Ryan Syrah Wild Eyed Red Mountain - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain (12/19/2023)
Full throttle, big black red fruits, red meat, violets, blood, iron, nimble on the palate despite its overall bigness, a bit of heat on the finish. Remarkably fresh at 15 years old, cork was tight and in pristine condition with no staining. Not my favorite style of WA Syrah, but for what it is, it was very, very good. (92 points)
They age magnificently. I’ve had multiple vintages at 12-15 years and they were terrific, without a hint of age other than seeming to be slightly richer with more depth. I don’t see any reason why they shouldn’t be worth tracking over 20-30 years like the best white Bordeaux.
Hi Steve, To quote our favorite Vulcan Science Officer…… ‘fascinating’ – Now that I think about it, Tanzer did a vertical a few years back on the CEB, and they seemed to have aged really well according to his notes.
2010 Cadence Ciel du Cheval Vineyard - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain (12/23/2023)
P&P. Good showing with the plummy fruit taking a back seat to a more earthy presentation with almost crisp acidity. Very floral. I do think this is in a great spot and I would optimize by drinking sooner rather than later (92 points)
According to CT, my wife and I have enjoyed 117+ bottles from WA so far this year including:
Figgins
Pursued by Bear
Cadence
Force Majeure
Fidelitas
Betz
Kobayashi
Avennia
Andrew Januik
Devison
Corliss
Long Shadows
Liminal
The Walls
Quilceda Creek
Gramercy Cellars
Cayuse
Doing our best to promote the Washington wine community.
