Last night we opened what turned out to be our last of only a handful of bottles of Cayuse, a 2012 Cailloux Vyd Syrah, to go with, don't hate me, a sausage and mushroom pizza, at the end of a completely draining week. What a wine. Soaringly aromatic from the get-go, with smoky bacon fat and tar and flowers, with a texture that Andrea described as a bolt of velvet unrolled underfoot; I agreed but also imagined somebody releasing a squealing piglet onto the velvet.
To be a little more serious: this was an exquisite bottle of wine, in perfect balance, the kind of wine that makes you interrupt yourself to say "wow" and exchange meaningful glances every time you take a sip. I have no idea whether it was "at peak" and I don't care: it was just where it needed to be for us. And I am quite certain that we owe the handful of bottles of Cayuse we've consumed over the years to Jenise's tasting notes, so thank you for that.