28
u/Stunning-Statement-5 Wine Pro 1d ago
Some fun facts: both the winery itself and vineyard Christophe uses for Frog are in Oregon. And release price of this wine for mailing list members was $110.
12
u/KeepsGoingUp 1d ago
That’s the quirky catch with the Rocks AVA. It’s an Oregon AVA so in order to use it on the label you have to make it in Oregon. So some producers whose winery is in WA will have it custom crushed in OR to use it or they’ll just not include it on the label.
https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/wine/pacific-northwest-ava-wine/
To your point, Christophe could actually use it but doesn’t put it on the label. Probably because they’re stones not rocks or some self confidence that his wine transcends the AVA.
5
u/Stunning-Statement-5 Wine Pro 1d ago
Yep. Having met him a few times, he absolutely hates people referring to it as “the rocks.” Stones is his preferred term.
5
u/CascadeWineColl 1d ago
the wines were well regarded way before steve robertson advocated for the ava designation
2
u/Youareyes_cfc 1d ago
Are the release prices still that cheap?
3
u/Stunning-Statement-5 Wine Pro 23h ago edited 21h ago
They go up a few bucks every year. Think i paid $125 ea for current release. (Edit; that was for 2022 vintage)
22
u/odedi1 Wine Pro 1d ago
Cayuse Vineyards Bionic Frog 2019, Walla Walla Valley, Washington State
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. In your face kind of wine. Rich, extracted and complex. Nicely balanced and elegant. Interesting stuff.
Good right out of the bottle, and better after a couple of hours of airtime.
This 6 year old Syrah is drinking beautifully now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years. Would be nice to revisit it in 5 years and see how it evolves.
A great sipping wine that also paired nicely with a big piece of steak.
13.5% alcohol by volume.
93 points.
$350.
8
u/grapemike 1d ago
One of my sons has been picking these up in the secondary market for great values. Bionic Frog is my favorite, but he gave us a 2016 En Cerise yesterday as we left for vacation. Seems like he has been closer to $150 for Bionic Frog. It will be interesting watching how Cayuse now adapts to the new winemaking team.
•
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
Thank you for your submission to r/wine! Please note the community rules: If you are submitting a picture of a bottle of wine, please include ORIGINAL tasting notes and/or other pertinent information in the comments. Submitters that fail to do so may have their posts removed. If you are posting to ask what your bottle is worth, whether it is drinkable, whether to drink, hold or sell or how/if to decant, please use the Wine Valuation And Other Questions Megathread stickied at the top of the sub.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.