2017 Cayuse Syrah En Cerise Vineyard
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Tasting notes
Bright red-ruby color. Slightly darker and more brooding on the nose than the Cailloux Vineyard Syrah but with very pure, youthful scents of black raspberry, smoked meat, black olive tapenade, black pepper, minerals and violet; more Brune than Blonde. Dense, juicy, savory and light on its feet, with subtle sweetness leavened by surprising acidity and dark flavors of boysenberry and violet. Notes of minerals, spices and pepper add to the wine's mid-palate energy. The very long, palate-staining finish leaves the taste buds quivering. Today I prefer this to the Cailloux for its balance and light touch. Although slightly imploded, it's already easy to taste. A great vintage for this Syrah bottling.
Critic scores
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The 2017 Syrah en Cerise begins a little more broad-shouldered than the rest of the range, offering up aromas of black cherries, crushed rock, cured meats, smoked peppercorn and dusty lavender in the glass. Full-bodied, the wine is firm with youthful tannins, which make this bottling food-friendly. Open-knit and expressive, the long, winding finish evolves over a few moments before reverting to savory tones and an expression of dust-covered cherry skin. Only 393 cases were produced. I would suggest giving this one more year in the cellar, then consume over the next 13-18 years.
The 2017 Syrah En Cerise Vineyard is cut from the same cloth as the Cailloux Vineyard release, yet is a slightly darker, meatier wine, offering a Jamet-like bouquet of blackberries, ground pepper, black olive, bloody meat, crushed rocks, and violets. Showing less overt funkiness and just a stunningly pure, elegant, medium to full-bodied Syrah, it has silky tannins, a great spine of acidity, and a great, great finish. Drink it any time over the coming two decades or more. It’s hard to say if this will surpass the 2016, 2008, and 2007, but it’s certainly in the same ballpark. The 2017s from Christophe Baron show the more elegant, balanced style of the vintage nicely while still showing plenty of depth and concentration. These are singular, gorgeous wines that could come from nowhere else.