Cayuse, Armada Syrah, Walla Walla Valley

This clearly had new oak as the normal meaty funk was almost sweet. Drinking great. No notes taken. Markedly different from the Cote Rotie and Ermitage in the line up.

2010 vintage

Aromas of sweet blueberry and smoke waft from the glass, full bodied, rich and deep, grips to the palate with concentrated flavors of black cherry, blackberry, peppercorn, spice and licorice, the finish sails, a wine of substance and character, the tannins are still smoothing and the acid carries the flavors well, the expectation is high for this vintage, unique and layered syrah

2021 vintage

This is in a beautiful spot. Lovely aromatics of tar, sage, underbrush with ripe blackberry, blueberry fruit dominating. The mouthfeel is full and broad with excellent ripe dark berry fruits perhaps slightly faded, but the spices and acid lift balance well creating a nearly perfect frame. Delicious and in a perfect place for my tastes. Likely holds for a few more years before the fruit fades slowly. The combination of savory, ripeness, and brightness make this a delight.

2010 vintage

Very nice overall. Let breathe for about an hour. Served at proper temp. More subtle on the nose but still has that iodine laced blueberries and funk. Not super stinky but it's definitely there. Still gorgeous fruit as well as some nice iron minerality. Palate was elegant and very well resolved. This is drinking just right now but can go on for another decade, but I don't necessarily see it evolve too much more.

2010 vintage

Winery tasting event, no detailed notes.

2021 vintage

Beautiful wine. Lots of dark raspberry, hint of tobacco. Well resolved tannins.

2010 vintage

Time to drink up, if you still have this.

2010 vintage

Awesome right now - round fruit, med body, and enough funk without too much of it. Beautifully mature for my taste

2010 vintage

Weird fucking wine. The burnt marshmallow element had a charm but the core of fruit needed to drive this bus was just too distorted.

2021 vintage

First taste of an Older Cayuse, oldest I've had before was around 6 years old. The classic Cayuse funk really calms down but it keeps it's unique sense of place. Dark garnet with signs of a 14 year old wine. Nose has bramble, blackcurrant, gooseberry, soy sauce, thyme, a sweet funk, like dry aged meat. On the palate, still a lot of dark fruit, blackcurrant and blackberries, herbs, for some reason it has a lychee note which is super interesting …

2010 vintage

PnP. Dark red/maroon color. Cigarettes, BBQ, and incense on the nose. Similar on the palate. Fairly big wine. Not my style, but I’m sure others may love this.

2010 vintage

PnP and good from the git-go. Best Syrah I have had in a while. Concentrated flavors, elegance with promise for further development Delicious wine. Drink or Hold. Bravo Cayuse!

2010 vintage

Amazing it’s still in a great spot for a 14yr old American Syrah!

2010 vintage

Fourth time tasted, final bottle. Dark garnet and almost opaque. Very aromatic, typical Northern Rhone character of roasted meat, smoke, dark fruits, complex and mature. Rich, smooth full-bodied flavors to match, without much tannin. Very long, powerful aftertaste, nicely balanced. This is probably their biggest syrah, takes the longest to come around, but this is fully mature. Time to drink. Ric

2010 vintage

Powerful and somewhat disjointed, these vary tremendously from bottle to bottle. Enjoyable but I've stopped buying them.

2010 vintage

Delicious! Big flavor, smooth with just enough earthiness to be interesting.

2010 vintage

Nose: Off aromas like soy / teriyaki sauce and carpet cleaner upon first opening, which gave way to dark fruit, hardy green herbs, roasted meat, smoke, olives. Palate: Dark berry flavors, thyme / sage, soy sauce, earth, roasted meat, olives, slight funk. Medium+ bodied, medium acidity, longgg finish, medium- soft, well-integrated tannin. Extremely well balanced and the acidity was lovely. Ready to drink now but could need a 2+ hour decant. This wine evolved from having off aromas and flavors …

2010 vintage

Magnifique Syrah américaine. Pas de touche funky typique a Cayuse. Fruits très mure, lard fumée, légère amertume amené par la rafle(?) qui se dissipe après 30 minutes. Plus il s'ouvre plus il est élégant et équilibré. L'acidité est bien présente, aucune lourdeur juste de la belle syrah savoureuse et juteuse. Aucune presse pour boire ce vin, il entre dans son début d'apogée. Je vais garder ma dernière bouteille un autre 10 ans. Je crois qu'il pourrait atteindre un autre niveau …

2010 vintage

Consistent with previous notes, this beautiful wine continues to shine. Perfumed nose, olives and berries and slate and raw earth unfolding into an impeccably polished finish. Damn.

2010 vintage

Wow!!

2010 vintage

Served with lamb shank in a pomegranate sauce Nose is distinctively Cayuse with the funk and olive tapenade notes Palate is silky smooth on entry with some mid palate spicy notes. Finishes long with a bacon fat note. Entirely enjoyable Would buy again

2010 vintage

This has evolved into an exceptional bottle of wine. Dark berries and cherries fruit dressed with subtle hints of cinnamon, licorice, stones, with remarkable finesse in the exquisite finish. Yowza!

2010 vintage

Wow, this bottle had something special going on, or maybe it was partially my state of mind or something, because this showing was exquisite. Nose sports green and black olives, bacon fat, anise, smoked meat and grilled lamb over top deep blueberries and black cherries. The palate shows integrated tannins, a delightfully chewy feel, and vibrant acidity, and this is big but balanced. Tangy black cherries, plums, currants, suave and juicy. Heavy but precise, like a tech death album but …

2010 vintage

Fab!

2010 vintage

Rich, delicious, soft blackberry fruit with meaty and smokey flavors, excellent structure, ample finish with acidity

2010 vintage

Tasted twice before since 2019, consistent notes: Dark garnet and almost opaque. Very aromatic, typical Northern Rhone character of roasted meat, smoke, dark fruits, complex and mature. Rich, smooth full-bodied flavors to match, without much tannin. Very long, powerful aftertaste, nicely balanced. This is probably their biggest syrah, takes the longest to come around, but this is fully mature. May last another few years but I'll drink our last bottle soon. Ric

2010 vintage

2022 Wine Tasting!! They were very close in ratings but here is how I think they shook out: 1) Clos Du Val 2) Arietta 3) Vino Cobos 4) Chateau Monbosquet 5) Cayuse Syrah Armada Super fun afternoon!!

2010 vintage

This bottle, while still tasty, was far more mature compared to the other two and clearly off.

2010 vintage

I think this could indeed be getting to the limits of age if for Cayuse. Some of the flavors turning more vegetal and dilute. Picked up some weight after about 90 min and had that lovely Cayuse combination of olives, savory, meaty and dark fruit flavors, and even some floral (lavender?) aromas. The nose opened up more with some air too. I think at this stage it is worth trying on pnp and then tasting regularly thereafter to track the …

2003 vintage

Very good, though not at the 97 level that I remember the last one to be. Did not take extensive notes so will not rate. But it was still a good wine. Curious if it is getting to the limit of aging for Cayuse?

2003 vintage

In a great place now but also felt this has many years left in it. Mature red fruit, smoked meat, fresh ground pepper, lavender, and cooked veggies. Nice mouthfeel, long finished, balanced palate, and a killer food wine. Paired well with gnocchi, pork shank, and beef tenderloin. Earthy, smoky, fruity, and salty.

2003 vintage

Wow, this is still showing so much bright fruit and youth although it's in a mature phase as far as how the fruits and complexities are showing. A cool smokey burnt ash note, losts of sous bois, reduced soy and seeweed, mature cherries but some blue fruits too. A classic cornicopia but everything is more mature. I can imagine this lasting at the very least another decade easily!

2003 vintage

3 hour decant. Very nice once it opened up. Much better than the last bottle that was not decanted.

2003 vintage

Inaugural vintage of the Armada. I ordered this wine back when you could pretty much get whatever you wanted from cayuse. I have since stopped buying the Armada and this wine really did not stun me. The wine is all olives, spice, stewed meat and earth. It certainly has an old world feel and is saved by a lovely finish that is almost perfume like. If you have it..... drink it!

2003 vintage

Beautiful wine. Really intense nose. The aroma wafts out of the glass -- dark fruits, candied bacon. Smoky tart cherry, plums, caramel, all packaged together with lovely acidity, and a finish that continues seemingly forever. Every sip was a delight. This is drinking beautifully now. Nice subtle tannins suggest that this will last for a long time. It kept getting better and better in the glass. We just sat and sniffed the glass after all the wine was gone. Really …

2003 vintage

Very impressive. Drinking perfect. Chocolate, anise, vanilla , earthy notes- fruit emerges on long finish.

2003 vintage

Great, great wine. Took a while to open up. Was better after an hour when it came together and had some caramel notes on the back of the fruit. First sip was a little disappointing. Glad I didn't judge it on that.

2003 vintage

Still fresh cherries hints, evolving to darker fruits and with a beautiful texture. Not sure if this beautiful wine will evolve into more complex-spices flavors that this varietal can also bring

2003 vintage

Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)) : Ken and Kevin guessed this was Cayuse out of the gate. Profound wine - Christophe continues his unprecedented streak of quality Washington Syrah. Meaty, bloody, fleshy, masculine wine. So much smoked bacon fat, beef. Another savory wine - truffles, dirt, game and dusty dark cherry and raspberry. The palate is in perfect harmony - soothing alcohol, robust but still subtly sweet tannins and enticing acidity. I love this wine. Awesome.

2003 vintage

Dark, meaty fruit - black cherry liqueur with a leathery, smokey, Grenache-like component. Bold palate that hasn't been affected much by age. Deep with good length. Grainy tannins. Nice wine.

2003 vintage

Spectacular wine, complemented with a spectacular dinner, shared with spectacular people. Cayuse always impresses, but this one really stood out. Complex spice\earthy\cherry\violet aromas, some coffee on the taste and just a breathtaking finish. Ready to drink now, it cannot get better-

2003 vintage

Fathers day... Really tasty. Best thing to share is that this baby has more life left. Always good to know how cayuse is aging...for those with discipline to wait 7+yrs! I would say atleast another 3 years before it starts to feel mid life. Nose: Coffee, roasted meat, vanilla. Clarity: No sign of age. Nice and dark. Mouthfeel: Enveloping. Dense. Concentrated. Little tight and dry on the finish. Taste: Nice layered complexity. Roasted fruit up front, garrigue etc and all …

2003 vintage

Decanted for 3 hours. Color: very deep red, almost opaque. Aroma: A fabulous and powerful nose of violets, blueberries, dark fruits, smoked meats and it kept developing in the glass. This wine was captivating on the nose! I couldn’t get enough of it! Tasting notes: Black pepper, meat, baking spice, violets and minerals. This Syrah is divine with the flavors and layers that go on and on! A full bodied wine that is very nicely balanced and so rich and …

2003 vintage

Harvey is off his rocker on this one. A great example of Old World syrah in Washington. Lots of notes of leather, olive and spice on this medium to full bodied wine. Beautiful, and only wish I had more.

2003 vintage

what can you say bout cayuse that hasn't already been said! this really reminded me of the 03 En Chamberlin. Lots of funk in the way of minerals, saline, a lil dry wood follow by the red veggies, tons of cherries, anise and a cool beef stew thing. Still pretty young though!

2003 vintage

This bottle was probably better than a 94, but that damn 07 barrel sample was sooooo good that I know this can get better. Still extremely young. Nice tannins on the mid and finish. Smoked and slow cooked meat on the nose along with dark fruit, pepper, cooked beets, red cabbage, and on and on. The meat and dark fruit carried over to the palate as well as violets, tar, anise, sweet herbs, and minerals up the wazzu. Popped and …

2003 vintage

Its deep & rich fruit presented a stark contrast to a fruit-forward Australian (also very nice) tasted simultaneously. Seems a little closed down other than the acidic zing in the after taste. This wine should age marvelously.

2003 vintage

Wow! the first time I tried this wine in 2007, I thought it was a bit backwards and confounding. In 2008, and with an hour in a decanter, I have found nirvana. A deeply rich and bold effort, with blue and black fruits exploding in your nose and on your palate. One of the two best Syrahs I've had to date from Cayuse (along with the 2004 Bionic Frog).

2003 vintage

Delicious, rich syrah fruit. None of the dill pickle I often associate with wines from this producer. Lots of wood, but it was starting to integrate already, which is a good sign. Give it 5 more years before approaching again, but this is promising stuff from this new vineyard.

2003 vintage

HDR- Washington State…who knew?: Barrel Sample - this is the auction lot for Hospice du Rhone. Toasty, roasted coffee nose. A sense of heavily toasted oak barrels. Rich, masculine wine with non-distinct black fruit. Sneaky minerality in the finish. The roasted coffee qualities need to fade for this to appeal to me.

2003 vintage

Are you sure?

Cayuse, Armada Syrah, Walla Walla Valley

Vintages

No vintages

Community Reviews