Walla Walla Valley, Oregon Washington
Cayuse Vineyards
God Only Knows Armada Vineyard Grenache 2014
Revelry Vintners
Block 19 Walla Walla Syrah 2014
Southern Rhône Clone Syrah. Dense and brooding. V dark fruit. Mouthwatering. — 5 days ago
Leonetti Cellar
Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Left Bank Bordeaux, likely blinded this is what is I'd tell you, yet a stunning bottle of beautifully aged WA Cabernet sits in front of me. We almost opened a Saint-Émilion (Right Bank) tonight, and so glad we opted for this particular bottle.
Nose has very tarry cherry, fresh violets, canned black olive, licorice, pencil lead (light), crushed blackberry and a touch of heat from the alcohol (14.6%).
Palate has ripe black currant, coffee, ripe blackberry, beautiful silky dark chocolate, light cedar box and fully resolved tannins. Drink now (2019) or hold for 2-3 more years.
77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Carmenere.
Paired this along side an experimental beef course. Usually with more expensive cuts we go with the tried and true preparation, but tonight we strayed. Grass fed beef ribeyes mostly cooked sous vide, then finished on the grill. We cooked to 125°F in the water bath, then hit the grill at 550°F for about 6-7 minutes. Perfection on the plate, beautifully medium-rare. The only downside is that the grill temps render the fat to moisten the beef, and do add some flavor, which wasn't fully achieved in this process. A little more grill time, next time around, won't do any harm. — 8 days ago
Saviah Cellars
Walla Walla Valley Syrah 2014
Phenomenal nose: dark red berries, smoky minerality, a bit of sweet spice and a bit of funk. Mouthfilling flavors are very clingy, but the wine is soft and seems almost weightless. Savory, iodine, smoky fire pit, charred beef. Long-ass finish. Really good stuff.
UPDATE: Night 2 this is showing even more depth and complexity. Upping from 9.2 to 9.3 — 11 days ago
Cayuse Vineyards
En Chamberlin Vineyard Syrah 2003
Bought six each of the ‘99 Walla Walla and ‘03 En Chamberlain at auction a few years ago. The WW has seriously over-performed, while the EC’s seemed overripe and perhaps even slightly cooked...until bottle five. Pulled this bottle with the expectation of tasting and perhaps dumping and moving on. Cork was pristine and first sniff stopped me in my tracks. Everything I had hoped for in previous bottles was here- mild to moderate Cayuse funk of wet fur, sumptuous dark fruit, and a nice minerality. Beautiful Syrah. Fingers crossed for bottle six. — 2 days ago
No Girls Wines
La Paciencia Vineyard Grenache 2015
Enjoying a head-to-head Grenache tasting with this an Nine Suns. Certainly cool climate, had the Rocks District funk, but blew off well through the day before dinner. Herbaceous tapenade tang with some iron and rock hiding underneath. Looking forward to what 5-10 years will bring. — 8 days ago
Leonetti Cellar
Reserve Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2012
The stage was set. Pontet Canet in the left corner, Leonetti reserve in the right corner. Leonetti came in strong, intense, rich, powerful with strong dry blue berry, dark cherry fruit and a well integrated tannins with hints of oak and tobacco. Broad on the pallet, all in. Who won? Almost too close to call. Such different style. Broad and bold verse intense and deep. Check the ratings! — 8 days ago
Dr. Owen Bargreen
I haven’t tried this 2017 WWB wine of the year for more than a year. Needless to say, I was completely blown away with this stunner. The 2014 'God Only Knows' is an utterly fascinating wine from the amazing team of Christophe Baron and Elizabeth Bourcier of Cayuse Vineyards. This stunning Grenache was sourced from the Armada Vineyard and instantly impresses as it opens to intoxicating aromatics of red fruits, meat, tangerine rind, black forest cake, black truffle oil, and Earl Grey tea. This walks a tight rope between power and elegance, showcasing blackberry cobbler, and black plums with red raspberry preserves, red cherries and pomegranate seed. Beautifully balanced and structured this continues to impress with its gorgeous texture and poise. Flavors of blood orange, umami and black olive tapenade continue to add complexity and impressive range as they build on the finish. The combination of purity and precision are a thing of beauty. Overall, this is a complete success, and one of most impressive wines ever from Walla Walla. Outstanding now and also possesses lovely aging potential. Drink 2019- 2029-100 — 7 days ago