“I have something really special for you to try” said Vigneron Christophe Baron as I answered the phone. Baron has been really excited about a special release of wines from the 2015 vintage that he has been planning. 2015 was not an easy vintage to say the least. Harvest was the earliest in history and he faced temperatures well over 130 degrees in some of his vineyards. However, Baron knew what to do on the vineyard management side. “No, it was not easy” he explained “But when you have world-class farming then you will have great wines” he explained. He mentioned that he enjoyed the challenge of the growing season. This was a year where clearly Baron made some of the finest wines of the vintage.
I have enjoyed many of his 2015 wines from my personal collection. The No Girls wines in particular were seriously good and drinking marvelously upon release. Having enjoyed many older wines from Baron’s cellar, it is remarkable how well these wines can age despite the heat of the vintage. I am enamored by the 2015 Cayuse ‘God Only Knows’ Red Wine (OB, 97) which is a dense and hedonistic version of this wine, showing excellent tension despite the warmth of the vintage. I think you will be really impressed with how these 2015 wines are showing right now. They will be available for Cayuse customers later in 2025. Here are my reviews of the 2015 Cayuse wines.
2015 Cayuse ‘Armada Vineyard’ Syrah- It has now been several years since I have tasted the beautiful 2015 ‘Armada Vineyard’ Syrah by vigneron Christophe Baron. This wine comes from this site littered with basalt cobblestones as it was stored in 15% new French oak for 21 months prior to bottling. Wet stone and blood orange zest mark the nose alongside umami and seaweed notes. The palate is plush and seamless with a smooth texture and good sense of finesse despite the heat of the vintage. Fully mature, broad-shouldered and delicious, watch this evolve over the next six years. Drink 2025-2030- 96
2015 Cayuse ‘God Only Knows’ Red Wine- The 2015 ‘God Only Knows’ was originally one of the highest scoring wines from the Northwest from this difficult, very hot vintage. Mainly made from Grenache vines, this was stored for 21 months in all neutral oak before bottling. This is fresh and fragrant wine that os loaded with dense red fruits alongside seaweed, orange peel, lavender and shades of white pepper on the palate. Beautifully textured and velvety on the mouth, enjoy this now and over the next several years. Drink 2025-2030- 97
2015 Cayuse ‘The Lovers’ Red Wine- The outstanding 2015 ‘The Lovers’ is a gorgeous combination of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon with the remainder Syrah. Stored in 30% new French oak for 21 months, this offers cedar and red bell pepper tones that combine with stony minerals and generous dark fruits on the palate. Subtle notes of garrigue and milk chocolate follow, as this is drinking marvelously now. Drink 2025-2031- 96