5/14/24, 2:20 PM - I am guessing the difference between the two bottles was how much longer mine spent in a cold cellar. And I was worried about that at the start but it did fill out. I did love it.
5/15/24, 11:09 AM - Between cooking aromas and the distraction in general, the burgers were probably the bigger problem.
5/14/24, 6:05 AM - Since you gave this wine points, you should cancel your review and post it under the correct vintage.
5/9/24, 11:35 AM - That may not be a formal note (and why should it be, you're not trying to sell the wine), you said exactly what any true afficionado (and lucky owner of this wine who hasn't opened a bottle yet, like me) needs to know. Thank you!
5/5/24, 9:44 AM - This is definitely a special occasion wine. Not one that's interchangeable for any other white wine under normal circumstances, but the richness can play well with others if put in the right game. I served it with a lobster thermidor terrine on a hot summer day--beautiful.
4/17/24, 10:08 AM - Currently a good buy at Costco for $30.
4/17/24, 9:29 AM - Amazing coincidence. Your note was at the top of my feed, and I came here to post a note on the same wine. Considering the relative scarcity of this, I'm quite surprised!
4/12/24, 3:48 PM - Did you think I was being critical? If so, not at all. I just counted, and I've tasted 16 bottles of various vintages in the 10 yrs I've been on CT. This bottle was more developed than I'd have expected based on the last bottle two years ago, which was one of several times I tried it. Although sources differered and could be an issue, based on what I tasted last night this has matured just a tad more than I might have hoped. That aside, it's outstanding. For my tastes, Washington's best white.
4/12/24, 9:43 AM - Happy to report this morning that I have a bottle of this in my cellar.
4/8/24, 4:07 AM - Yes, a showstopper. So this was the monthly wine lunch in North Van, obviously theme Alsatian, blind. First wine out was a 2001 Freddie, followed by a 2002 Freddie. And I'm sitting there with my 2011 Freddie and trying to nonchalantly suggest I go next like it didn't matter but of course it DID matter and the voice in my head was screaming "ME NEXT! I MUST BE NEXT!". Do you do IG? I'm bbfoodwine there and you'll see a picture of the Freddies and a shot of the choucroute garni I made to go with it. But not just any choucroute, my creation took the dish out of the farmhouse and landed it squarely in fine dining. Smoked pork chops were baked in the kraut and I garnished each plate with duck breast bacon and slices of pan-seared foie gras/smoked duck bratwurst. I actually bought both of those a few months ago and then lobbied hard for this theme so I could use them. The dish was spectacular if I do say so myself.
4/8/24, 3:50 AM - This was really something. In spite of the headache I went to the retailer's website to buy some of this for myself on Sunday morning. My friend bought this one on Friday--and they were already sold out. I wonder if they'll get more in, maybe not because I know it's a handsell. But what a bargain for $22ish.
4/1/24, 9:29 AM - Thanks for the input. Last week we opened an '03 Du Tertre, which was totally ready in all the ways this wasn't but it also wasn't as overtly ripe as this wine. That right there might be the problem.
1/26/24, 12:16 PM - Hope your next bottle's as good as ours was. I look forward to another with some decanting for more headway, not that I thought this actually needed it but a data point nonetheless.
4/1/24, 5:47 AM - Great news. Hope you have a few more.
3/31/24, 5:28 AM - Walnuts are generally my preferred nut for blue cheese, but pecans work well too and in this case, I served pecans for my Texan husband. I pronounce it peh-CAWN, he says PEE-can. :)
3/29/24, 9:00 AM - Just a heads up: you mention "a youthful 2002!" but posted it on a 2000.
3/22/24, 4:05 PM - Coffee cake! Now there's a colorful descriptor. I like it. Haven't had any Checkmates yet and likely never will because the price is a turn-off. And of course, now sadly there are other reasons. Wineries like this will probably be among the first to close.
3/24/24, 11:33 AM - I get it. I buy a few onesies here and there just to have biblical knowledge to impart in conversation with fellow wine lovers, even when I am sure something is not in my lane. I spent $40 on a Bledsoe Family Cab last week for that purpose. But for $100 I gotta believe I'll love it. No haven't had the Costco Sancerre. But speaking of Costco I was there yesterday and absolutely moaning in pain over the cheap prices of Bordeaux these days, what bargains! I'm trying to work my cellar down not the opposite (alcohol is now a problem with my husband's illness--have I told you he has Parkinsons?), but still I bought four onesies just to taste at some point. Again, biblical knowledge.
3/28/24, 4:40 PM - There's nothing anyone can say re this disease. Nothing makes it better. It just IS. All the signs have been there for years, but nobody who knew better put it all together. You know, you see a doctor for this part and another for this other part and where a third who knew the disease would see it immediately, if you're not seeing that kind of doctor you only get diagnosed on the part. You're moving overseas? Going to retire to France or Portugal or something like that?
3/28/24, 3:04 PM - Appreciate the note. Will open one tonight.
10/11/23, 5:18 PM - Would be thrilled to open one of my two remaining bottles and find something like what you report here. Based on my first bottle, though, not feeling optimistic. Cross your fingers for me--might open one tomorrow.
2/15/24, 9:55 AM - Well, just opened one of my two remaining bottles, and it was nothing like yours. Two flavors: unpleasantly herbaceous and black licorice. I drank a glass with dinner but poured the rest out.
2/15/24, 10:50 AM - This is the second of two, last one a year ago, and same results. OTT herbaceous with black licorice notes. Nothing No Rhone or even WA syrah in general about it. Decanted for an hour before serving. We dumped most of it out. Last year we let the bottle sit on the counter for three days in which no positive development took place, and on the fourth it was oxidated.
2/15/24, 11:43 AM - I bought these because I'm a Cayuse as well as a Rocks fan. You and I have bonded in the past about our shared love of Reynvaan wines; I realize the love-hate thing but that's not the issue here at all. I love the style, but THESE ARE BAD WINES. And yes, some others have obviously had similarly off bottles. But it's not TCA. Weird. Do you have an address for Trevor?
2/15/24, 11:45 AM - Here's my TN on the bottle we opened in 2021: Day one: meanest and greenest syrah I've ever tasted, but it's not TCA. Decanted four hours, no improvement, put the cork back. Day two: did not retaste. Day three: some sweet fruit is emerging though that green note hasn't succombed. No brett-like funk as others have described, though. Day four: showing some oxidation. Greatly disappointed.
2/16/24, 3:32 PM - Agreed, it's clear there were some bad barrels. I did send off a letter today and since you invited me to do so, mentioned your name. I'll let you when I hear back from them!
2/23/24, 10:57 AM - Heard back from Cayuse. They totally blew me off: "We regularly taste our wines during the aging process and after they are bottled to ensure their quality. Although some of our vintages are still young, we are proud to say that our wines have the traditional Rhone flavor profile, with a meaty and earthy taste and a distinct minerality. We are pleased to note that many wine experts have also recognized this, as evidenced by their high ratings of our wines, as shown below:2014 The Tribe Vineyard Syrah 96+ Points — Jeb Dunnuck, The Wine Advocate94 Points — James Suckling, jamessuckling.com94 Points — Sean Sullivan, Wine Enthusiast2013 Sur Echalas Vineyard Grenache98 Points — Owen Bargreen, Washington Wine Blog95+ Points — Jeb Dunnuck, The Wine Advocate94 Points — Sean Sullivan, Wine Enthusiast94 Points — Tim Fish, Wine SpectatorWe are sorry your experience with Horsepower wines did not meet your expectations. It's possible that our wine style may not be to your liking. Wine, like cheese, can have varying levels of accessibility and complexity. For instance, cheddar is generally considered to be a more approachable cheese than the more challenging Epoisse. Still, both are excellent in their own way, which is what makes food and wine so wonderful -- there's something to suit everyone's tastes and preferences. Ultimately, there is no right or wrong when it comes to wine; it all depends on personal preference. Thank you for getting in touch and sharing your feedback about the Horsepower wines. We wish you the best. Kind Regards,Cait Daniel Customer LiaisonCayuse VineyardsPO Box 1602 • Walla Walla, WA 99362509-526-0686info@cayusevineyards.comcayusevineyards.comFrom: jenise.louise@comcast.net <jenise.louise@comcast.net> Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2024 5:29 PMTo: info@cayusevineyards.comSubject: Bad bottlesI had written: Dear Christophe, Trevor, or whoever sees this email,I am a fan of everything Cayuse but have had serious bad luck with Horsepower wines which I’m writing to tell you about. My first Horsepower was a “magical” ‘11 Horsepower The Tribe. So I went on the hunt and bought three 2014’s as well as two 2013 Sur Echalas Grenaches, one of which showed well where the other was extremely green and bitter (but not TCA’d). Believe me, I understand funky Rocks syrahs and especially Northern Rhones, and can assure you that my issue with these wines isn’t my failure to understand the style. I own other Cayuses and Reynvaan is the #1 holding in my cellar.In 2021 and again last night we tried the Tribe syrahs with similar results. About last night’s wine, I filed this TN on CellarTracker: “Decanted one hour prior to serving. Not as mean as the bottle in 2021, but the mean-green thing is nonetheless painful. Underneath that: black licorice. Endured a glass with our lamb chops but dumped the rest of the bottle after dinner. There’s certainly nothing even remotely resembling the good “nearly perfect” wine praised here by EX-RAY. I feel robbed”. So much for customer service.
2/28/24, 3:11 AM - Thanks for saying I made it clear--their reaction had me scratching my head about that. Btw, Cait copied both Trevor and Christophe on her response to me so in fact I do now have their email addresses. There has been another development, kind of. My response to her response was that I certainly DO understand and appreciate their style and would dare them to sit across from me and my third bottle, which has little chance of being other than just like the first two, and tell me yes THAT is what they want Horsepower to taste like. In response she took me up on that and asked me to send the bottle to them, offering to pay the shipping which she would arrange for after my next response. (Which admits that they DID in fact understand my initial explanations, they just chose to blow it off.) To that I said absolutely, I will send it. And I have heard nothing back from that. My real life name is Jenise Stone. Louise is a middle name and Neecies is my kiddee nickname Neecie with 'S' for Stone.
3/22/24, 4:11 PM - So I boxed up my third and last bottle of this wine and sent it off to Christophe and crew to try. And yesterday, a box of three 2021's showed up as well as a '21 Grenache. Very classy; it all worked out thanks to your encouragement. Appreciate it very much!
3/13/24, 8:51 AM - I do! I've had Inama many times, and experienced a lot of variation. That vintage we had in Seattle was the very best. Lekosho?
3/13/24, 10:43 AM - The only other Inama I've ever had was something I saw on a local shelf--a Cab Franc of all things. It was terrific. What other things do they do?
3/13/24, 2:54 PM - So they do single vineyard Soaves as well, that's why 4?Inama Soave was something I discovered when I moved here. I'm wondering now if what I remembered as a CF (15 years ago-ish) was in fact a Carmenere. Either would be equally unusual for Italy.
2/28/24, 3:13 AM - I a sixpack of '04 Krugs. They were good--I'm definitely a Krug fan but maybe more so the NVs than the V's--but this beat the best of those by a mile.
2/26/24, 11:10 AM - I own this wine but have been a little nervous about opening a bottle. In January of 2020 a bunch of friends gathered 12 vintages dating back to 1990 for a vertical tasting (2017 was the youngest). There was a distinct difference--one that we didn't care for--between the pre-Cambie wines and the ones that followed. '14 was a vintage we didn't taste--you give me hope, especially using words like 'agile and complex' and 'not...ponderous', descriptions more suited to the older wines than the newer ones we had that night. Guess it's time to try one! Thanks for the detailed note.
9/28/23, 7:39 AM - Thank you! It's really apt. I poured this for Europhile friends in Vancouver with deep Northern Rhone cellars, they were VERY impressed.
2/18/24, 10:18 AM - I'm so sorry I didn't buy more!
2/13/24, 10:04 AM - Glad the wine seems unaffected by the cork issue. So far I've been lucky too, but not everyone has.
2/12/24, 2:00 PM - I love this. Thanks for the laugh. (Btw, I adore these wines too.)
2/11/24, 5:54 AM - Shocked by your review. We drank this last night and it bears no resemblance to what you describe. Time for you to try another.
2/10/24, 10:51 AM - Agreed!!!! But is it still an operating winery? Their website is woefully out of date and I didn't find much in the marketplace from past vintages.
2/10/24, 9:31 AM - Thanks. I own this, so really appreciate the tip re aeration.
2/5/24, 11:27 AM - I paid $40 for it in the recent sell-off. I thought it very worthy of the price. You may have bought yours from Full Pull (several people I know did) and the price seemed similar to what I bought direct from Matt (though half what they originally asked).
2/7/24, 3:58 AM - Or maybe you had one of those inexplicably shy bottles, or maybe they're in a down phase right now. I think I know your tastes and am confident you'd love the '14's I drank a year ago.
2/7/24, 3:32 AM - I owned three and thought we drank them all, but found one in the cellar yesterday so just "un-drinked" it back into inventory. Relieved to see positive notes from you and others.
2/6/24, 4:20 PM - And I rememger finding it to grapey. You said wait. I've waited. Time for Coq au Vin?
2/6/24, 5:04 PM - Okay! Just went to the cellar to check on my overall holdings with Idlewild. I am sorry to see that I have two more Grignolino. I liked it at the winery but didn't like the screechy bottles I brought home. Also my inventory shows close to a dozen whites, but in my cellar I see zero. Odd. Yeah I sometimes grab n' go with the whites and miss one here and there but I am very meticulous in accounting for every empty bottle the next day. Can't imagine how there are SO many I can't account for. Wonder if there's a box in the garage that Bob stuffed somewhere...oh dear.
1/30/24, 10:12 AM - Agree with your observations. Took one to a South America tasting a few weeks ago to which someone brought a 2020 (purchased at Costco). The '20 is less ripe and oaky, much more to my taste and probably yours, too.
1/26/24, 3:53 PM - Thanks for the nudge. I sent most of mine off to Auction a few years ago but I saved...(looking). Ah, four. Too many!
1/22/24, 2:38 PM - Interesting. Almost opened one of these last night--would have hoped for more than you report! Will get around to it soon and report back.
1/25/24, 4:58 AM - Opened one. Not sure if our bottles were similar or not. This wine is much more savory than sweet with blackberry fruit and lots of oil-cured black olive notes. Loved it, and didn't find any stewed notes, but it's definitely a food wine--and not everyone is familiar with or even loves those oil-cured olives. We didn't decant or prep it--just popped and poured.
1/17/24, 5:39 PM - I wasn't worried considering how tannic earlier bottles were. But it's great; took it to an all-Tuscany tasting and it was a hit.
1/11/24, 4:54 PM - Love "crackles with energy". Going to have to steal that!
1/10/24, 12:10 PM - Last couple years I've been so impressed with Champliau wines; exceptional quality for the price.
1/8/24, 9:20 AM - Oh wow, really? I thought you knew all along!
12/31/23, 6:11 PM - Killer, true story. Once upon a time this wine was so valued it was as highly allocated and hard to get as Cloudy Bay. My local liquor store would get like one case and if lucky I'd get two bottles. During that time I ended up in the hospital, an emergency situation, and a friend came to visit. To make sure I had a reason to live, as he hilariously put it at the time, he brought a case of this to my hospital bed. And there it stayed until I got released! Though the wines are no longer rare or sought after in the same way they once were, they aren't something I see around here because hey, so much wine!, so when I spied these at wine.com and was getting free shipping anyway, I threw in two. Now I wish I'd bought a whole case. Went back to do that this morning, and they only had one left. Boo hoo.
12/4/23, 5:24 PM - I pulled a bottle of this on Sunday then put it back in favor of a younger CVNE, wary of killing an infant. Your note confirms that was a pretty good decision.
11/26/23, 9:00 AM - Another way to put it, here's a reisling for chardonnay lovers. Take that as you will!
11/23/23, 2:38 PM - Actually, I have found the '18s too ripe, 16's been the recent vintage I've liked the best. I only bought two, this and some Roilettes. These might have been sentimental. Back in 2017, Bob and I ended up with a forced delay in our arrival in Burgundy so we meandered down to Bojo to play. I decided that we should play spy and try to hunt down the elusive Yvon Metras. I asked at various shops and was told things like "I have lived here all my life and loved wine, but never met him." No one held out much hope but one fellow did share that Jean-Louis Dutraive was his best friend--so the mission shifted somewhat, and as such we fell in love with Dutraive's Beaujolais. Oh, and no, because you'll ask, we never found Metras, but next best thing found two bottles of his wines at a shop in Fleurie. Both of which were total dogs--serves us right. But the hunt was fun which was the point.
11/4/23, 7:24 PM - I'd not had it before. The local Grocery Outlet had a case, and this week is 20% off and tomorrow is another 10% off. I'm really sticking to my guns about not buying, though; I'm surprising myself with my self-control! Of course, I'm sitting here answering this because I'm waiting on a wine auction that closes in 20 minutes. A mixed case full of gems: Pegau, Ceritas, Mousse, VFW, Arnot Roberts Clary VY syrah, old Faustini Rioja, etc. If I'm the last bidder, then maybe $420 for the lot.
11/8/23, 11:02 AM - Oops, I meant VGW, the double ought. Apparently now going for over $200 a bottle. Anyway, I won the auction. :)
11/9/23, 8:33 AM - Overpay? No, only $450--that would cover just a few of the bottles I mentioned but not all 12. I have in the past bought a lot from Winebid, but that's about it for auctions. This was different because I knew the donor and knew the provenance was impeccable.
11/23/23, 2:29 PM - John, even a few days? So something you could cellar and drink over a few years, then. Pretty good buy for those of us who appreciate European style wines.
11/21/23, 11:02 AM - Girl. I'm a girl!
11/21/23, 12:44 PM - That's okay. Us girl geeks are a minority, and it's understandable. Btw, are you Chuck Miller, the same one who I believe lives or used to in Seattle? If so, I remember you from WLDG.
11/20/23, 12:58 PM - Enjoyed your note. I've not had much luck finding a "nice window" for this wine. I've had five bottles so far to which I gave two likes and three neutrals. I'm a tough grader, sure, but I expect a lot from Chris Upchurch and really none of these bottles so far have truly delivered.
11/21/23, 12:43 PM - Can vouch for all the other producers you mentioned (which I'm also a fan of) and Chris' legacy at DeLille certainly puts his wines in the same category, or at least should. Probably why I've been disappointed. I've wondered about more recent vintages but have yet to try any.
11/3/23, 5:01 PM - 92-94, taking into account age. But that may have been influenced by the fact that the wine it was paired with, an actual Grand Cru, was less impressive.
11/1/23, 11:51 AM - Would not compare a 375 with other '88 Bordeauxs if the latter were in 750's or better. Just sayin'.
10/8/23, 11:33 AM - Good for you! Chenin is pretty serious stuff. Have you had any from the Okanagan? I recall one from Da Silva, but no others, and good as that was it wasn't in the serious zone that this one is/was.
10/8/23, 11:24 AM - Have you ever had their syrah? My conversion to fandom was well-timed; they were just releasing their latest higher-end syrah to which Galloni gave 100 pts. Haven't tasted one yet, but I expect to be amazed.
9/30/23, 9:41 PM - A case??? Wow, go for it--and report back!
9/18/23, 2:36 PM - I am guessing that your 'mildly foxy' was the same, but more extreme, thing we didn't like about our last bottle of this. Sounds like time has been kind--thanks for the note!
9/19/23, 12:19 PM - I bought mine on release. May have purchased direct from the winery though could have been at a local wine store. I am on the winery's (Reynvaan) mailing list so winery-direct is possible. Have you had any of their premium label syrahs?
9/20/23, 9:06 AM - The wines are exceptional. Reynvaan does Rocks funk better than anyone. I moved to Washington from California 20 years ago with no love for domestic syrah (Northern Rhone were another story), and it was a taste of Reynvaan's 2008 In The Rocks that made me do a complete one eighty. Reynvaan is now the wine I own more of than any other! I see you're in New York. You don't get many Washington wines back there, from what I understand.
9/18/23, 12:24 PM - Mark, this is quite interesting (as I own some, but haven't opened a bottle. It's not swimming in Cambie oak?
9/18/23, 3:02 PM - Mark, no they haven't. Erase everything I said: I saw Pegau but thought Vieux Donjon. (I do also regrettably own the '14 Donjon).
9/19/23, 12:22 PM - I know; I hate it. And Pegau is my favorite CdP, don't know how I read one name but in my brain saw the other. It's not like I don't know the difference. Speaking of Cambie, ex-Siduri owner/founder Adam Lee recently friended me and is obviously hoping I'll be a customer of his new venture(s). But he keeps talking adoringly of his late collaborator Cambie--which dissuades me from even politely trying the wines.
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