cayuse 2012 Cailloux

My first Cayuse was an 04 Bionic Frog and I have loved them ever since. I have learned to let them rest a few years, but I thought 7 years was long enough so I popped and decanted a 2012 Callioux. This is my second bottle and the experience is no different. Overwhelming funk on the nose and palate - eclipses most other flavors. Stewed vegetables and some bacon fat on the palate. Not enjoyable. No improvement after 3 hrs in the decanter. Will leaves for a day and see if it gets any better. I’ve had similar experience with '13 Reynvaans. Not waiting long enough? Or maybe my taste has shifted away from Wash, syrahs?

Doesn’t match my experience with that bottle, although I did drink it several years back. The Callioux have always had funk, but has blown off over a few hours. Curious to see what tomorrow brings for you. @Glenn Levine will also have thoughts.

Please don’t dismiss all WA state syrah on the basis of your experience with Cayuse ( technically an OR winery) as the variation, even from the Rocks, is considerable. I tend to agree that the distinctive ‘funk’ is overbearing and diminishes the otherwise excellent winemaking. Regardless of the vineyard or varietal I find them, often, more Cayuse than correct. This , obviously, is a matter of taste as the wines continue to get accolades and sell out at prices higher than any others of the region. For me, a little goes a long way. Try Betz, SJR, Rotie, Avennia and a long list of others before abandoning the whole region.

The aromatics from the rocks area of Walla Walla is pretty unique in the Syrah world. Cayuse and Reynvaan are the best examples. But rocks funk is not for everyone. Some wine friends with great palates just don’t like them. I love them. Perhaps you are discovering they are not to you taste. There are lots of other Syrah styles from WA so I wouldn’t write off WA for Syrah. My second favorite WA Syrah region is the higher and cooler vineyards in Yakima valley like Boushey, Lewis and Red Willow. Bolder fruit and completely different aromatics. Regards.

I am also a big fan of the Cayuse style, at least with the Syrahs. When the funk is nicely integrated with the rest of the fruit and other flavors, they really sing for me. My growing experience is that they generally benefit with age. I have had some Cayuse syrahs from the early 2000s this year that were really fantastic. The funk is much more subdued and integrated. I think the most recent vintage I have had is 2008 or 2007 – which to me seem a bit young. I should say that I tend to like older aged wines, so take that into account. (Though I have had some younger Cayuse in the past and have really enjoyed the deep dark immense depths that they can sometimes exhibit at a young age). Finally, on other ones to try, I also recommend Rotie – though they are also now the Rocks. The other cooler non-Rocks that I would also recommend is anything from Les Collines. I recently had a 2011 Les Collines Syrah from Kerloo that was really fantastic.

I have experienced that with the 2012 Cailloux but have with various vintages of Reynvaan. I have decided that Rasa is probably my go to WA Syrah producer.

Didn’t mean to dis other Washington syrahs. Cayuse was my first, then Reynvaan. I’ve toured Walla Walla and enjoyed Sleight of Hand, Rulo, K Vintners and many others, but none was as compelling as Cayuse.

On day 2, the funk has blown off and the wine has improved, but it doesn’t seem to have a lot of weight or complexity. I had a similar experience with 2013 Reynvaans though they were much better on day 2. I wanted to try the 14 Cailloux to see if I agreed with JD’s 100-point score, but I think I’ll let them all sleep for a few years. It seems strange because I typically have drunk them at 5-7 years old with a decant and they were really good - rich, full and integrated. I remember 07 En Chamberlain being outstanding.

I’m going to be opening this wine in the next four months or so. I will have to remember to report back on this thread. In general, I like the Rocks funk but I also like some fruit to balance it out. I’ve had a few Cayuse Syrahs and have not really been wowed yet (I agree with your comment about very little complexity). I buy Reynvaan, K Vintners, Two Vintners and Gramercy every year. This last weekend I opened an 2011 Horsepower Syrah that was a bit disappointing also - really no fruit to balance out the briny side. Haven’t had any 2013’s yet. Cheers!

Why is it “rocks funk”? I don’t believe funk is a characteristic of The Rocks.

Love to hear more.

Thanks.

I always kinda thought it was probably winemaking. Can anyone point to a wine made from that terroir that doesn’t show any funk?

I think the terroir is real but varies in intensity so wine making must have a big influence. The term “funk” is something the producers started using. Sleight of Hand even makes a “funkadelic” (terrific!). To me it means a unique blood/dust/iron/sage/soy/nori nose. Distinctly different from cold-climate northern rhone roast. In Dusted Valley’s Tall Tales, Trust WW, and the SOH levitation the funk tends to be more in the background and I think it’s tamed in Rotie. I don’t see WT Vintners mentioned much but I recommend (syrah and gsm) as understated but very savory if you like the style. K Vintners, Reynvaan and Cayuse it’s all out in front. Cheers.

Kris, there is a distinctive “funk” in wines coming from The Rocks, more so in Syrah than Grenache or Cab, and very little in white wines made from fruit of that area. Winemaking and blending can lessen the amount of funk, but I’m pretty good at being able to pick it out of a blind lineup. Obvious examples of the funk are Cayuse, Reynvaan (though all of these wines have a bit of the funk even when sourced from The Hills vineyard and not The Rocks), Sleight of Hand’s Funkadelic and Psychadelic, Saviah’s Funk Vineyard Syrah. Recent Maison Bleue Syrahs do a good job of hiding the funk, but it is there.

I’m not sure the cause, but it could be coming from or related to the high pH and low potassium levels I’ve heard that fruit from the area has.

I definitely agree with you and I like your description of “funk”. The funk in the Two Vintners Syrah (all from Stoney Vine Vineyard) is really dialed back as compared to the Reynvaan or Horsepower wines. Cheers!

You don’t think it’s a low level of Brett, and I don’t say it as a bad thing since Pegau is one of best wines in the world for me, as is Beaucastel and in small quantities with no chance of a bloom it add nuance and complexity.

Save $50, give this a shot.
B3FEAC08-3B75-4E0A-A644-241597952649.jpeg

I’m sure this is a great QPR but I just can’t bring myself to the point of purchasing and consuming a wine with a name like MOTOR CITY KITTY. For me this fits right in with other wines in the “critter” categories. I don’t have an issue with “The Deal” or lower cost wines in general. Cheers! (and MEOW!)

Isn’t MCK Boushey fruit? I have not tried it so don’t know how it compares with wines from the Rocks, but I would assume there might be some differences between the two sets.

Historically River Rock in WW, since 2015 I believe it’s now Boushey.

Except the guy behind that MCK bottling (Charles Smith) is the same guy who infamously quipped (at a Rhone Rangers public event?) that his female assistant who was having problems with the projector being used for the presentation “would even fu@! up a blow job.”

I have zero interest in giving that a$$hole one penny of mine.

I would never believe a guy who looks like that and sells wine called “motor city kitty” would be capable of being an a$$hole and making those kind of comments…