Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
This winery is named for a ship that once carried our family’s goods to market. Today, that part of our history, that ship’s name, is carried on with a new generation of our family company: Handcrafted wines from our home state. Cadaretta is a Walla Walla winery owned and operated by the Middleton family. The Middleton commitment to Washington State dates back to 1898, when we started the Anderson & Middleton forestry products company in Hoquiam, Washington.
We diversified into grapes in California 20 years ago. We’re now bringing that grape and wine experience back to Washington, and to our family roots. We’re planting wines in the Walla Walla Valley viticultural area, and we’ve named our wine “Cadaretta,” after one of our family’s early lumber schooners, used to ship timber from Washington to California in the 1920s and 1930s.
Our boutique Walla Walla winery combines our family’s agricultural history with an international style and flair. It joins our essential commitment to the land with our abiding passion for making the best from that land. Cadaretta is a blend of science and soul, tempered with tradition and balance.
Two of our wines are generally available. These are our Cadaretta SBS (Sauvignon Blanc / Semillon) and Cadaretta Cabernet Sauvignon. They can be found in fine wine shops and restaurants, and can usually be ordered directly from the winery, through our on-line shop or by telephone.
Other wines are made in very small quantities and are available exclusively to our offering list, to winery visitors, and to a handful of retailers and restaurateurs. These wines include Cadaretta Syrah, Cadaretta Chardonnay, Cadaretta Merlot, Cadaretta Springboard (our Bordeaux varietal blend), Cadaretta Windthrow (our Rhone varietal blend), and Cadaretta Highclimber (our Italian varietal selection).
Responsible for some of Washington’s most highly acclaimed wines, the Walla Walla Valley has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years and is home to both historic wineries and younger, up-and-coming producers.
The Walla Walla Valley, a Native American name meaning “many waters,” is located in southeastern Washington; part of the appellation actually extends into Oregon. Soils here are well-drained, sandy loess over Missoula Flood deposits and fractured basalt.
It is a region perfectly suited to Rhône-inspired Syrahs, distinguished by savory notes of red berry, black olive, smoke and fresh earth. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot create a range of styles from smooth and supple to robust and well-structured. White varieties are rare but some producers blend Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, resulting in a rich and round style, and plantings of Viognier, while minimal, are often quite successful.
Of note within Walla Walla, is one new and very peculiar appellation, called the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. This is the only AVA in the U.S. whose boundaries are totally defined by the soil type. Soils here look a bit like those in the acclaimed Rhône region of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but are large, ancient, basalt cobblestones. These stones work in the same way as they do in Chateauneuf, absorbing and then radiating the sun's heat up to enhance the ripening of grape clusters. The Rocks District is within the part of Walla Walla that spills over into Oregon and naturally excels in the production of Rhône varieties like Syrah, as well as the Bordeaux varieties.
Sometimes light and crisp, other times rich and creamy, Bordeaux White Blends typically consist of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Often, a small amount of Muscadelle or Sauvignon Gris is included for added intrigue. Popularized in Bordeaux, the blend is often mimicked throughout the New World. Somm Secret—Sauternes and Barsac are usually reserved for dessert, but they can be served before, during or after a meal. Try these sweet wines as an aperitif with jamón ibérico, oysters with a spicy mignonette or during dinner alongside hearty Alsatian sausage.