2013 Wallah Wallah Special #5
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Tasting notes
(bottled in magnum): Healthy, moderately saturated dark red. Musky aromas of dark berries, mocha and brown spices, plus a hint of creamy vanilla. Savory and youthfully tight; offering less early sex appeal than the 2012 version but this wine possesses an impressive thickness and finishes with big, broad tannins that suggest a slow evolution in bottle. Distinctly saline and backward--and perhaps less distinctive today than the single-vineyard Syrah bottlings from Cayuse. This wine represents Baron's tribute to Jamet's Côte-Rôtie, which is a blend of multiple sites.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
One of the most complete, layered and elegant 2013s from Cayuse is the 2013 Syrah Walla Walla Special #5, which is made from two separate parcels that remind Christophe of the northern Rhone’s Jamet brother’s Cote Rotie. He also keeps the price low as a thank you to his customers. Giving up classic cool climate notes of green olives, black cherries, scorched earth, ash and ripe herbs, this beauty hits the palate with full-bodied richness, no hard edges, incredibly fine tannin and a finish that just keeps going. I thoroughly enjoyed drinking it today, but it will be better with 4-5 years of cellaring and have two decades or more of overall longevity.