Cayuse - Syrah Wallah Wallah Special #11 2017 (1.5L)

Christophe Baron grew up among the vineyards and cellars of his family's centuries-old Champagne house, Baron Albert. His sense of adventure, however, led him to become the first Frenchman to establish a winery in Washington State.

While visiting the Walla Walla Valley in 1996, Christophe spotted a plot of land that had been plowed up to reveal acres of softball-sized stones. This stony soil, this terroir, was just like that of some of the most prestigious French appellations. The difficult ground would stress the grapevines, making them produce more mature, concentrated fruit.

He named his vineyard after the Cayuse, a Native American tribe whose name was taken from the French cailloux--which means, rocks. Hours of back-breaking work later, Cayuse Vineyards has become five vineyards encompassing 41 acres.

The majority is planted with Syrah, and the rest dedicated to Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Merlot, Mourvèdre, Roussanne, Tempranillo and Viognier. All of the vineyards are planted in rocky earth within the Walla Walla Valley appellation. Cayuse was the first winery in Washington State to use biodynamic farming methods.

Christophe often releases a magnum only Syrah (and he never tells which vineyards contribute) made with the idea of a Jamet Cote Rotie in mind. He succeeds admirably, and the 2017 has meat and bacon fat galore as well as a beautiful core of blackberry fruits, leafy herbs, woodsmoke, and ground pepper. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and impressively textured on the palate, it has the fruit and purity to shine today as well as the balance and structure to evolve for 15+ years or more. The 2017s from Christophe Baron show the more elegant, balanced style of the vintage nicely while still showing plenty of depth and concentration. These are singular, gorgeous wines that could come from nowhere else.