2014 | Cayuse Vineyards | God Only Knows Armada Vineyard Grenache

Mostly Grenache, the aromas are vibrant, with notes of orange peel, stem, funk, smoked meat, white pepper, herb and crushed flower. It's light on its feet with abundant raspberry and earth flavors that draw out on the finish.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: There are 533 cases of the 2014 Grenache God Only Knows Armada Vineyard, and as always, it's an unknown blend that's dominated by Grenache (reportedly from vine cuttings from Rayas). It's fermented with just about 100% whole clusters in concrete and aged mostly in neutral puncheons and foudre, with one concrete egg. A bigger, richer wine than the No Girls cuvée, this beauty packs a punch in its black cherry, reduced strawberry, herbes de Provence and crushed violet aromas and flavors.
  

• Vinous: Bright medium red, with the beginning of amber at the edge. Fascinating aromas of raspberry, truffle, rose petal, smoked meat, pepper and olive tapenade: I would never have guessed New World. Dry and firm in the middle palate, offering flavors of raspberry, peony, jasmine, orange peel, olive tapenade, smoked meat and spices, plus a whiff of ponzu sauce. This wine should be wonderfully food-friendly and flexible at the dinner table (Baron recommends pairing it with king salmon with tarragon mayonnaise). Finishes with excellent length. Baron notes that at yields above 1.5 tons per acre, Grenache in Washington tends to have a hole in the middle. Not this one, though! Finishes juicy and long, with very suave tannins.

Producer Information

Cayuse Vineyards is a wine producer based in the Walla Walla Valley on the border of Oregon and Washington. Its focus is on the Rhône grape varieties, and in particular Syrah, wines from which have earned several 100-point ratings from The Wine Advocate.
The company was founded in 1997 by Christophe Baron, a Frenchman from a Champagne-making family near Charly-sur-Marne. All of the vineyards owned by Cayuse are within the newly formed Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA, which is wholly in Oregon. However, Cayuse continues to label its wines with the broader Walla Walla AVA, which is usually associated with the Washington wine industry, though it straddles both states.
Cayuse only uses estate-grown fruit from its five vineyards totaling 24 hectares (60 acres). The first plantings were self-rooted vines but, in 2000, Cayuse introduced grafted vines as a precaution against phylloxera. Cayuse has always farmed its vineyards organically and, in 2002, became the first entirely biodynamic producer in the Walla Walla Valley.
The soil of the estate is "Freewater very cobbly loam" and consists of rolled stones similar to the galets roulés of southern France, particularly Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Cayuse's first vineyard is named Cailloux in honor of its stony soil, and it is from here that the flagship Syrah is produced. The estate's name is a derivation of the same word and is the name given by white settlers to the local native American tribe.
Other top wines in the portfolio include the En Chamberlin Vineyard and Bionic Frog Syrahs, and the Impulsivo Tempranillo. The majority of Cayuse wines are sold to members of the mailing list, places which are keenly sought.

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