2008 Cayuse Syrah Cailloux Vineyard
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A vintage that saw rain in late September, the 2008 Syrah Cailloux Vineyard is a co-fermented blend of 90+% Syrah and the balance Viognier, that wasn’t harvested until October 10. Hitting 14.1% natural alcohol, it’s drinking beautifully today and offers a meaty, iodine, peppery and plum-pit bouquet to go with a full-bodied, refined and elegant feel on the palate. It shows more and more floral and rose petal qualities with time in the glass, has plenty of mid-palate depth and will have no issues evolving for another decade.
Critic scores
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Another thrilling ’08 that continues to shows brilliantly, the 2008 Cayuse Syrah Cailloux Vineyard is elegant and perfumed, with classic Cayuse aromas of kirsch liqueur, rolled stones, meat juice, and smoked herb qualities flowing to a full-bodied, rich, perfectly balanced wine. This vineyard always shows the most silky, elegant profile of any of Christophe’s wines, and this vintage is no exception. It should be enjoyed over the coming 12-15 years.
Dark, bright red-ruby. Musky, smoky aromas of blackberry, black cherry, brown spices and licorice. High-pitched and taut on the palate, with lovely verve and focus to the dark berry and violet flavors. This gripping young syrah is most impressive today on the very long finish, which features noble tannins and outstanding cling.
Containing a whooping 10+% of co-fermented Viognier, the 2008 Cayuse Syrah Cailloux Vineyard is the most feminine and perfumed of the ’08 Syrahs and possesses gorgeous aromatics of smoky cedar, ground pepper, river rock, and background florality that’s interwoven with sweet raspberry and black cherry styled fruits. Medium to full bodied on the palate, the wine excels with a pure silk like texture, perfect balance, and an exceptional finish that carries loads of fine grained tannin. While delicious now, this is still tight and youthful and should benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age. 10-15 years of prime drinking after that isn’t out of the question.