Cayuse, Bionic Frog Syrah, Walla Walla Valley

Had on Christmas with Family, notes from Day 2. N blueberry, seared meat, black olives, funk, spices P blueberry, black cherry, seared meats, sanguine, spices, funk, earth F forever long, great mouthfeel, acidity and tannin Overall this is a beast of a wine and needs extended cellar time to be ready. 4.5

2022 vintage

SF Small Group Meetup (Saison Wine Cellar) : Not going to lie, I bought this wine on auction in large part due to James Suckling's review... not the score, mind you, but his description of the wine that included "garam masala, curry powder, fenugreek." As an Indian wine enthusiast, it's hard not to be captivated by that description. Did this live up to that description? Well, yes and no. The journey of this wine was something. Knowing it's still way …

2022 vintage

Second small group wine night with the boys + P (Saison) : R’s second bring, my second Cayuse (‘12 Camaspelo, 92), first BF. Another 3 hour decant, recorked for the trip over, then decanted over the ensuing 4 hours, left alone for the first 90 minutes of that while we concentrated on the Bryant and Astralis. Like the Biondi, this was, for me, undrinkable and unratable for me on arrival, with an intense earthy funkiness just ruling over everything else, …

2022 vintage

Broke by bear

2017 vintage

Wine will be out of this universe in several years. Should be decanted. Just got, POP. At first very tight but complexity was apparent. No funk. After 20 minutes several fruits on the palate. Finish strong mainly with hints of what’s to come. Like a little tiger, clawing to get out of a room. It will be phenomenal in 3-5 years

2022 vintage

Dark and opaque in the glass. On the nose: black oil cured olives, salted licorice, iron, smoke pit bbq, cinnamon, blackberries, and a bit of barnyard. This is a savage funky beautiful nose! Not quite as super full bodied as you might expect form the nose- I'd say medium plus. Ripe black fruits hit first, but that is followed by strong savory olive, meaty, black pepper flavors, all wrapped up fine tannins. Exceptionally savory and umami on the finish. Black …

2017 vintage

Deep purple in color with a short purple rim. Nose of blueberries, black plums, black currants, coffee, licorice, spices, dark coffee, pencil lead, earth and herbs. Full-bodied with medium acidity and long legs. Dry on the palate with black currants, black plums, cherries, blood notes, light cedar, earth, herbs, chocolates, barnyard, light vegetables, light tar and black pepper. Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries. This is a delicious Syrah from the Rocks District in Walla Walla Valley. …

2019 vintage

Sold to El Gaucho - Bellevue

2019 vintage

Outstanding and unique so difficult to classify wish I had taken more time with it, but was with friends and family and was my last bottle. Flawless.

2017 vintage

First time trying Bionic Frog and would have never guessed how expensive the wine is from this tasting. Was shocked to find out. I guess I can see how some people might like this, but really didn't appeal to me and I wasn't coming back to the bottle for more. Not a fan. If scoring would be in the 87-88 pts range.

2022 vintage

Winery tasting event, no detailed notes. Deep, layered and complex with an extraordinary finish.

2022 vintage

Not what I was expecting. Green vegetal notes (green peppers, grape stems, etc.) around a tannic core. Hoping to try another vintage given the producer to get a better sense of this wine. Did not align with my palate.

2019 vintage

Holy whole cluster

2017 vintage

Slow ox’d 3 hours and drank with a 2007 Bionic Frog. While the 2017 was great (thus my 93 score) it was definitely too young - iodine, funky stew, meats, green pepper etc. very powerful. While I happen to enjoy these Cayuse characteristics, the 2007 was so much more integrated. All those powerful elements were “under the surface” but somehow more complex and interesting, less overwhelming. I am biased to drink WA wines on the younger side compared to my …

2017 vintage

4th of July wine with charcuterie. Splash decanted 6 hours. The moral of the story: too young. So, so muchly too young. As with the character who taught me the word “muchly,” this wine right now is in a Delirium stage of existence. It needs a good, what, five years? to get to Delight. I think the stuffing is here: smoky notes, fruit, musty funk (not off-putting.) If you have, let it sleep. Rating withheld.

2019 vintage

Happy Covfefe day!!!

2019 vintage

Perhaps an off bottle, as nothing really every came through on this for us. Dulled / muddled fruit that never really shone. Unfortunate.

2019 vintage

Not worth the price I paid, but no doubt it is a good wine. Needs years before showing its true quality!

2017 vintage

Way too young, no amount of decant can solve this. Never rounded out at all, kept the stringent mid palate, and abrupt finish. Had the gravel, tar, bacon fat known for this wine. This needs a decade or more. Not sure it will hit the heights of other past vintages.

2017 vintage

Opened for 3 hours. Color is deep garnet/purple. On the nose: Sour cherry funk, pepper, cassis and iron. On the palate: Intense sour cherry , blackberry with loads of barnyard funk, cassis, plum, dark chocolate, olive and pepper. This is long and rich. It is big but not jammy. It’s somewhere between The Northern Rhone and Australia is taste to me. It’s been many years since I’ve had a Bionic Frog. This is extremely tasty. Some may not enjoy the …

2017 vintage

Corked! Part of a mini vertical of 2000 and 2001 bionic frog. Both corked. What are the odds? Sigh I guess this is the danger of this hobby.

2000 vintage

Deep, dark, inky, purple garnet- essentially opaque in color. Full, forward & fragrant nose of overripe & dense fruit aromas of dark cherries, blackberries & plums with overtones of earthy-dusty & spice notes, some pepper, floral notes of violets, dried herbs, spices, minerals, smoky & a subtle funky note in the background. Full bodied with a dense concentration of somewhat balanced but rough textured, intense, ripe dark fruit flavors of dark cherries, blackberries & plums with spices, bittersweet cocoa, herbs, …

2019 vintage

La Tâche Dinner (RPM Steak - Chicago IL) : Really? Extreme beyond what I could enjoy. I found this repulsive and undrinkable in the context of the great Old World wines enjoyed tonight. One dimensional at best, and that is not a particularly interesting dimension.

2017 vintage

Ripe cherry, strawberry, pomegranate, loads of iodine which is so common in every Bionic Frog I’ve had, ham, bacon, cedar, spice box, silky profile and long finish. Really nice and drinks well young. I’d give it a couple hours to breath or the Iodine is a bit off balance, with air this mellowed quite a bit.

2017 vintage

2017 was my 8th vintage with Cayuse and this is the first bottle of Bionic Frog we've ever consumed. Yeah, this is on a whole other level from the other Syrahs, even the 14 Cailloux that got 100 points from someone or another, which was a notch above the pack but not this dank, complex, powerful, beautiful wine. From a few days ago, drunk over 2 days and surprisingly open from the first pour.

2017 vintage

Drank on release. Absurdly early. Will reserve judgment when they have some more age.

2017 vintage

Notes from day 2. N strong dark black berries, seared meat, hers P blackberries, dark plums, sanguine, olive, eucalyptus, smoke F is very long, high acidity, tannin going on, needs time to really show but potential there to be even better.

2017 vintage

My wife and I had this at the 4/5/19 release party. It had a deep, rich, powerful and perfumed nose of violet, smoked meat, plum, blackberry, black raspberry, toast, licorice, herb and spice aromas. The palate was dense, rich, layered and dry with flavors that followed the nose. This was my favorite of the tasting.

2017 vintage

Epic night (Ruth's Chris Parsippany) : Such a funny wine, but I love them. It's all funky and different and coming off of two very well made Bordeaux the contrast was a bit sharper. This wine is kindof all over the place, but in a good way. It's got slate and rocks and is just very interesting if not quite what I expect. I continue to really like it and was sad to drink our last of these (although based …

2000 vintage

Tampa Spring Break (the abridged version); 3/17/2016-3/18/2016 (Various Tampa locations (Mise en Place, Ocean Prime, etc.)) : Mint, eucalyptus, low tannins, very together, just in that right drinking window and ready to be drunk up. Excellent when first tried. After a few hours in the glass the wine wasn't quite as vibrant or pulled together.

2000 vintage

A bit over the hill, or a bad bottle. Nose with hints of nail polish. Thin fruit. Nothing like other Bionic Frogs I have had. Another bottle of this same vintage was corked (all stored in professional wine storage facility, so storage is not an issue). A day later it was slightly better, but still clear it was not going much further.

2000 vintage

Popped and poured, drank over 2 hours at dinner. Dark plum colored in the glass looking like a black hole sitting on the table with no light entering or escaping. The nose was alive and kicking with soy, wet basement, brown sugar, and peppered dark fruits. The palate was equally complex with spice, black fruit, meat, and soy that seemed to change every time I returned to the glass. This wine was exceptionally bright with acidity and perfectly balanced with …

2000 vintage

This was a beautiful bottle of wine. Still going strong. Taste and smell consistent with other reviews.

2000 vintage

Still kickin' for sure. Ruby red with spice, smoke, soy sauce, cherries, and some pepper. 92pts.

2000 vintage

quick notes from the wine dinner. soy, cherries, anise, still smooth but I say drink now. This was the begining of the frog vertical and it held is own for the age.

2000 vintage

HDR- Washington State…who knew?: Smells open-knit. Minerals, black fruit. Sweet, lush open palate. Concetrated flavors. Nicely made, though less complex and serious than the Cailloux Syrahs.

2000 vintage

Seattle Tasting Group does Syrah & Shiraz (Seattle, WA, USA) : Somewhat reticent at first, this showed notes of pepper and blackberry with hints of smoke. Loads of toasty oak, spice, funkiness, and nice balance on the palate. Really nice mouthfeel in fact. Lingering finish with spicy, dancing elements. I rated this more highly than the other tasters. (I kept revising upward each time I tasted.)

2000 vintage

Are you sure?

Cayuse, Bionic Frog Syrah, Walla Walla Valley

Vintages

No vintages

Community Reviews