2012 Syrah Bionic Frog

Christophe Baron’s adventures in Walla Walla Valley quickly bore fruit, and since the turn of the new century his wines — especially his Syrahs — have consistently stood out from the crowd in Washington State. His Bionic Frog bottling is the best of them, as a comprehensive recent vertical tasting made clear.

First things first: Christophe Baron is the Bionic Frog. That’s the nickname the Australians gave this indefatigable Frenchman when he worked a harvest there in the mid-1990s and the name he chose for what would become one of Washington’s top cult wines in the decade that followed. Baron showed me a complete vertical tasting back to year one (2000) in Seattle at the end of July, and the wines stunned with their richness, complexity and Old World wildness. This is truly one of America’s handful of great Syrahs — and it’s not Baron’s only wine on my short list.

The irrepressible Christophe Baron staged a splendid tasting this year that included his Cayuse line-up along with the wines he and "assistant vigneronne" Elizabeth Bourcier make under the No Girls, Horsepower and La Rata labels. It was a blazing hot summer day in Walla Walla but I can't recall the last time I found such exciting aromatics in a set of new Washington wines. Interestingly, Baron compares 2012 to the very warm 2009 vintage. "Both were classic growing seasons," he explained, "but physiological ripeness came at lower sugar levels in 2012 than in 2009." Indeed, I suspect that most readers will be surprised to hear that the majority of the Cayuse 2012s weigh in at under 14% alcohol. "The first fruit came in at the equinox, with the Tempranillo following on September 24," said Baron, who reminded me that the Cayuse wines have been 100% from estate fruit since 2000.