Cayuse Vineyards

En Chamberlin Vineyard Syrah

9.220 ratings
9.16 pro ratings
Walla Walla Valley, Oregon/Washington, USA
Syrah
Lamb
Top Notes For
David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

This wine seriously has more bacon fat and pork than I've experienced in a bottle. The fruit is one of the last things I will have in this description. It's why there is a pig in the picture collage! I had to do it because right now that is the dominating flavor of the wine. I am going to come back to this in a bit. Let's see what happens after some time in the decanter. This starting to calm down a bit. On the nose, bacon fat, pork, grilled meats, BBQ sauce, olive, loads of milk chocolate, brine, brown sugar, dried blood, pepper, black plum, dark cherries, blackberries, faint strawberries, dry stones, loamy clay soil, scorched earth, soy sauce and decayed dark florals. The mouthfeel is thick and brooding. Everything on the nose is on the palate. The acidity is round. The finish is thick, rich with intense flavors that stick to the palate and linger endlessly. If I had more bottles of the 06 En Chamberlin, I'd wait another 8-10 years to open them. It's still a monster. Photos of; the front of their tasting room in downtown Walla Walla that is generally always closed, the stone vineyard of Cayuse that needs to be horse plowed, Christophe Baron (owner), ready to pick grapes and a field pig...just because their is so much pork in this wine. Producer notes and history...while visiting the Walla Walla Valley in 1996, Christophe Baron spotted a plot of land that had been plowed up to reveal acres of softball-sized stones. He became ridiculously excited. This stony soil, this terroir, reminded him of vineyards he had visited in France (Rhone Valley) and Spain. The difficult ground would stress the grapevines, making them produce more mature, concentrated fruit. Christophe Baron had found a new home. He named his vineyard after the Cayuse, a Native American tribe whose name was taken from the French cailloux–which means, of course, rocks. Hours of back-breaking work later, Cayuse Vineyards has become five vineyards encompassing 50 acres: Armada, Cailloux, Coccinelle (Ladybug), En Cerise (Cherry), and En Chamberlin. The majority of the vineyards are planted with Syrah, and the rest dedicated to Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Merlot, Tempranillo and Viognier. All of the vineyards are planted in rocky earth within the Walla Walla Valley appellation. Cayuse was also the first winery in Walla Walla to farm using biodynamic methods. These highly stressed vineyards average a yield of only two tons or less per acre (30 hectolitres per hectare), resulting in wines true to each vineyard’s unique terroir. Cayuse specializes in four estate-vineyard Syrahs, along with Bionic Frog Syrah, Impulsivo Tempranillo, Widowmaker Cabernet-Sauvignon, two Bordeaux blends named Camaspelo & Flying Pig and Viognier. Look for their other partnership wines; Horsepower & No Girls if you haven't already. Nearly 100% all mailing list, restaurants and secondary markets.

This wine seriously has more bacon fat and pork than I've experienced in a bottle. The fruit is one of the last things I will have in this description. It's why there is a pig in the picture collage! I had to do it because right now that is the dominating flavor of the wine. I am going to come back to this in a bit. Let's see what happens after some time in the decanter. This starting to calm down a bit. On the nose, bacon fat, pork, grilled meats, BBQ sauce, olive, loads of milk chocolate, brine, brown sugar, dried blood, pepper, black plum, dark cherries, blackberries, faint strawberries, dry stones, loamy clay soil, scorched earth, soy sauce and decayed dark florals. The mouthfeel is thick and brooding. Everything on the nose is on the palate. The acidity is round. The finish is thick, rich with intense flavors that stick to the palate and linger endlessly. If I had more bottles of the 06 En Chamberlin, I'd wait another 8-10 years to open them. It's still a monster. Photos of; the front of their tasting room in downtown Walla Walla that is generally always closed, the stone vineyard of Cayuse that needs to be horse plowed, Christophe Baron (owner), ready to pick grapes and a field pig...just because their is so much pork in this wine. Producer notes and history...while visiting the Walla Walla Valley in 1996, Christophe Baron spotted a plot of land that had been plowed up to reveal acres of softball-sized stones. He became ridiculously excited. This stony soil, this terroir, reminded him of vineyards he had visited in France (Rhone Valley) and Spain. The difficult ground would stress the grapevines, making them produce more mature, concentrated fruit. Christophe Baron had found a new home. He named his vineyard after the Cayuse, a Native American tribe whose name was taken from the French cailloux–which means, of course, rocks. Hours of back-breaking work later, Cayuse Vineyards has become five vineyards encompassing 50 acres: Armada, Cailloux, Coccinelle (Ladybug), En Cerise (Cherry), and En Chamberlin. The majority of the vineyards are planted with Syrah, and the rest dedicated to Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Merlot, Tempranillo and Viognier. All of the vineyards are planted in rocky earth within the Walla Walla Valley appellation. Cayuse was also the first winery in Walla Walla to farm using biodynamic methods. These highly stressed vineyards average a yield of only two tons or less per acre (30 hectolitres per hectare), resulting in wines true to each vineyard’s unique terroir. Cayuse specializes in four estate-vineyard Syrahs, along with Bionic Frog Syrah, Impulsivo Tempranillo, Widowmaker Cabernet-Sauvignon, two Bordeaux blends named Camaspelo & Flying Pig and Viognier. Look for their other partnership wines; Horsepower & No Girls if you haven't already. Nearly 100% all mailing list, restaurants and secondary markets.

Aug 26th, 2017
Tim Edwards

#greggiere comment about olive tapenade is spot on! Great meat and earth. Big, bold and not for the faint of pallet.......

#greggiere comment about olive tapenade is spot on! Great meat and earth. Big, bold and not for the faint of pallet.......

May 14th, 2015
Kyle Schlachter

Writer Colorado Wine Press

9.2

Cayuse on the nose. Reductive, modeling clay, meat, fungi, iron, blue fruit.

Cayuse on the nose. Reductive, modeling clay, meat, fungi, iron, blue fruit.

Apr 3rd, 2015
Lori Mike

Deep purple color. Do not taste the 14.6 alcohol. Well balanced, raspberry, stewed tomato and smoke on the nose. A lot of flavors on the mouth. The raspberry and smoke carry over with a little rubber. A very long finish and is full bodied.

Deep purple color. Do not taste the 14.6 alcohol. Well balanced, raspberry, stewed tomato and smoke on the nose. A lot of flavors on the mouth. The raspberry and smoke carry over with a little rubber. A very long finish and is full bodied.

Dec 6th, 2014
romo

You like olives on pizza? Go drink this. Sour and flabby. A pity.

You like olives on pizza? Go drink this. Sour and flabby. A pity.

Sep 10th, 2022
Brendan Baker

Dark fruits, blood, gravel. Brooding and intense

Dark fruits, blood, gravel. Brooding and intense

Sep 22nd, 2018
Nick Farrell

Amazing. Bacon fat, eucalyptus, dark, stewed fruit. Superb.

Amazing. Bacon fat, eucalyptus, dark, stewed fruit. Superb.

Mar 18th, 2018
Jeffrey Wilson

Funky and very fruity

Funky and very fruity

Jan 2nd, 2017
Alex Shaw

Dead ringer for Northern Rhone. And still a baby at 10 years. Gift from a client- I'm sold. Cayuse is the real deal.

Dead ringer for Northern Rhone. And still a baby at 10 years. Gift from a client- I'm sold. Cayuse is the real deal.

Nov 20th, 2016
Sarah Milsow-Guenther

Wow. No words.

Wow. No words.

Dec 27th, 2015