Ratings & Tasting Notes:
95 points Vinous
Review Date: 01/2024
The 2020 Camaspelo, primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, is dark and moody in the glass, slowly evolving with a mix of flowery underbrush and wet earth, giving way to nuances of plum sauce and of sage. This steps softly, pampering the palate with soft, enveloping textures and saline-tinged acidity. Hints of olive and balsamic spice give way to a salty flourish as the Camaspelo slowly fades, leaving just a hint of dusty tannins. (EG)
95 points Wine Enthusiast
Review Date: 09/2023
This Cabernet Sauvignon-driven blend is a perfume of lavender water and hyacinth, backed by black cherry, black coffee and fresh pine needle aromas. Blackcap raspberry, rosemary, cedar and black tea flavors accompany soft acidity, velvety tannins and a sick and slippery mouthfeel. (MA)
94 points Jeb Dunnuck
Review Date: 06/2023
Leafy herbs, red and blue fruits, tobacco, cedarwood, and iron notes all emerge from the 2020 Camaspelo, another up-front, charming, soft, surprisingly supple red from this team. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has fine grained tannins, a layered, silky mouthfeel, and outstanding length. (JD)
94 points James Suckling
Review Date: 05/2023
Crushed rocks, tobacco, iodine, bay leaves and blackberries here. Mineral and savory, with very fine-grained tannins. Excellent freshness and silkiness, with gentle green-herb undertones. A blend of mostly cabernet sauvignon, with some cabernet franc and merlot. From biodynamically grown grapes.
Cult Wines International Notes:
Cayuse Vineyards, located in the Walla Walla Valley on the Oregon-Washington border, was founded in 1996 by French vigneron Christophe Baron. Inspired by the cobblestone-covered soils of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Baron transformed a seemingly “useless” rocky field into one of America’s most revered estates. The winery is distinguished by its strict adherence to biodynamic farming—the first in the Walla Walla Valley to do so—and a philosophy centered on “honest” wines that express the intense mineral character of their basalt river stone terroir. The Camaspelo is the estate’s flagship Bordeaux-style blend, primarily Cabernet Sauvignon with contributions from Merlot and occasionally Cabernet Franc. It is crafted to evoke the elegance and spice of the Left Bank, famously maintaining a savory, complex, and perfumed profile that contrasts with the bolder, fruit-forward norms of many New World Cabernets.
The 2020 growing season in the Walla Walla Valley was a complex vintage defined by a warm, successful start that was later impacted by environmental challenges. Following a relatively normal bud break and bloom, the summer remained moderate and free of extreme heat spikes, allowing for slow, even ripening of the concentrated, small berries. While the latter part of the harvest was interrupted by wildfire smoke events in the region, the stony, biodynamic parcels utilized for Camaspelo allowed for precise canopy management and early harvesting strategies that helped maintain the wine’s essential freshness. Despite the logistical hurdles of the vintage, the 2020 Camaspelo remains a testament to the site’s resilience, offering a precise, focused profile that showcases the trademark mineral tension and structural elegance for which the vineyard is known.
Bottle Size:
750 mL
Storage History:
Always stored on its side in a climate-controlled cellar.
Condition:
Outstanding condition.
Please note: The condition of the bottle you will receive is accurately reflected by the one shown in the images.
