2018 Cayuse, Bionic Frog Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, Bottle (750ml)

JD100 "The 2018 Syrah Bionic Frog comes from the Coccinelle Vineyard in the Rocks district of Milton-Freewater. It’s always one of the richest, most concentrated Syrahs in the lineup, yet it doesn't give an inch with regard to elegance and purity. The 2018 was aged mostly in demi-muids (there's often a portion aged in foudre) and hit 14.4% natural alcohol. This deeper ruby/purple-hued beauty offers a gorgeous bouquet of black raspberries, redcurrants, tapenade, bacon fat, and wood smoke, with a touch of reductive scorched earth and graphite nuances. This carries to a full-bodied Syrah with ultra-fine yet building tannins, a layered, deep, textured mouthfeel, and flawless overall balance. It's another magical, incredibly pure Syrah from the genius of Baron that will benefit from just 2-3 years of bottle age and keep for over two decades.This is a hard mailing list to crack, yet winemaker Christophe Baron continues to deliver the goods, releases singular, exotic, incredible wines from his bevy of single vineyards in the Rocks region of the Walla Walla Valley. The 2018s show the rich yet focused, straight, elegant style of the vintage beautifully and are going to be incredibly age-worthy. While the Syrahs get all the love, don’t miss his Grenache, Tempranillo, and Bordeaux blends. His 2018 Grenache God Only Knows might be the finest Grenache I’ve ever tasted outside of France and few California releases. (Drink between 2023-2045)" Jeb Dunnuck, May 2021