This weekend, April 6-7, is Cayuse Weekend in the Walla Walla Valley. This when Christophe Baron's winery on Sunnyside Road in the "Rocks" releases its new vintage and previews barrel samples of the following vintage. This Friday morning, we drove down there to visit and celebrate the Bionic Frog's 21st Birthday. Here's what we tasted.

2016 Cayuse Viognier, Walla Walla Valley, Cailloux Vineyard - This is a gorgeous Viognier. Christophe Baron makes one that is more age worthy than most. This vintage shows a bright gold color an alluring aromas of pear, peach, papaya, honeysuckle, jasmine and white incense. The flavors are deliciously vivid and mouth filling, replete with pear skin, peach stone and minerals, followed by a long, persistently minerals finish. 19.5/20 points.

2016 Cayuse "Flying Pig" Red Wine, Walla Walla Valley - This Cabernet Franc, Merlot blend exhibits a semi opaque ruby color and intoxicating aromas of wild blackberries, huckleberries, black currants, tobacco, herbs, crushed roses and smoldering incense. The flavors are bold and direct, redolent of dark fruits that are intermixed with licorice, dark cocoa, espresso and Rocks minerals and loam. The back picks up roasted berries and nuts and then amps up with mocha, charcoal and herbs on the lingering finish. 19.5/20 points.

2016 Cayuse "Camaspolo" Red Wine, Walla Walla Valley - This Cab-Merlot blend offers a deep ruby color and a rich Cabernet dominated nose of blackberries, cherries, plums, cassis, crushed rosed, mulberry, tobacco, cedar and incense. The flavors are seemingly taut and direct, yet accessible, with notes of licorice, cocoa, French roast and minerals. The structure continues on the back with macerated berries, roasted walnuts, integrated oak and graphite, followed by a firm, yet sweetish tannin finish. 19+/20 points.

2016 Cayuse Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, Cailloux Vineyard - Crimson-purple colored, this emits lovely, floral aromas of wild raspberries, cranberries, pomegranates, red currants, rose petals, sweet tobacco, lavender, dried herbs, violets and wafts of light spiced incense. The flavors are medium bodied but lavish, with much Syrah purity, marked by cocoa, black tea and stony minerals. The lengthy back picks up pressed fruits, graphite, kidskin and fine grained, sweetish moderate tannins and flows seamlessly into a lingering finish. 19.5/20 points.

2016 Cayuse "Bionic Frog" Syrah, Walla Walla Valley - All from the Cocinelle ("ladybug") Vineyard, this shoes a purplish ruby color and an intense nose of wild fruits - blackberries, blueberries, cherries, black currants - with scents of attar of rose, pipe tobacco, lavender, incense and evident Rocks funk. On the palate, the flavors are thick and chewy, muscular yet supple, with intermixtures of licorice, French roast and minerals. The back reveals sensations of macerated berries, roasted nuts, leather, game and burnt charcoal, followed by  a lingering chewy tannin finish. 19.5/20 points.

2016 Cayuse Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, En Chamberlin Vineyard - Deep ruby colored, this possesses a rich, earthy, perfumed  nose of blackberries, mountain huckleberries, black currants, bayberry, crushed black roses, lavender and smoldering incense. The flavors mirror the aromatics with thick, chewy black and blue fruits that re infused with licorice, Sumatra roast and riverbed minerals. The saturation continues on the back with roasted berries and nuts, dried currants and burnt charcoal, followed a lingering sweet-dry tannin finish. 19.5/20 points.

2016 Cayuse "Impulsivo" Tempranillo, Walla Walla Valley, En Cerise Vineyard - Deep ruby colored, this possesses an intriguing nose of blackberries, cranberries, plums, black currants, crushed black roses, dark tobacco and burnt wood. The flavors are taut yet chewy textured, with black fruits that are underscored by notes of licorice, bittersweet chocolate, chicory coffee and mineral and loamy earth. The intensity continues on the back with sensations of roasted berries and almonds, bitter dried orange peelsl and cherries, followed by a long, long dryish Gran Reserva Rioja like finish. 19.5/20 points.

The 2016 preview was followed by a pouring of a library wine from the 2011 vintage, a challenging one, but with some compelling wines such as this one.

2011 Cayuse "Bionic Frog" Syrah, Walla Walla Valley - Deep ruby crimson colored, this edited a perfumed nose of dark fruits - blackberry, cherry, plum, black currant - with scents of attar of rose, dark flowers, maduro wrapper, garrigue and smoldering oriental incense. The flavors show the tautness of a 2011, fortress-like, but in this case, still accessible, with a highly nuanced mid palate, marked by notes of licorice, bittersweet chocolate, French press coffee and distinct Rocks minerality. The back picks up pressed berries, roasted nuts, toffee and burnt charcoal, followed by a long, complex herb and spice dusted old world like sweet-dry tannin finish. 20/20 points.

After Cayuse, we went over to Reynvaan Vineyards at the end of Cottonwood Road in the foothills of the Blue Mountains. There, we tasted a couple of whites - Grenache Blanc and Viognier - and reprises of the 2015 In the Rocks and In the Hills Syrahs,, and a preview of the 2016 "The Classic" Red Wine from the barrel.

2016 Reynvaan "The Classic" Red Wine, Walla Walla Valley - Composed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 13% Petit Verdot and 7% Cabernet Franc. It comes on like a classically-styled "BDX" blend with a deep ruby color and intoxicating aromas of blackberries, black cherries, black plums and black currants, with scents of black roses, bayberry, tobacco, cedar and incense. The flavors mirror the aromatics with authoritative, yet accessible dark fruits that are imbued with licorice, cocoa, French roast and Rocks minerals. The saturation continues on the back with sensations of macerated berries, roasted walnuts, mocha, toffee and pencil lead, followed by long, purely fruited ripe tannin finish. 19.5/20 points

No Review Blog Next Week

Tomorrow morning, we will be leaving for Kansas City for the beginning of a tour of Art Museums in the Midwest, returning April 15. The next Blog posting will be on April 16.