Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Syrah Cailloux Vineyard comes from the original 10-acre block of vines planted in 1997. Co-fermented with 5% Viognier and matured for 18 months in around 20% new oak, it’s just entering its peak drinking window. It has kaleidoscopic scents of blueberry, blackcurrant, chocolate, truffle and violet, revealing additional nuances with each return to the glass. The full-bodied palate is concentrated and complex with savory, spicy flavors. It’s framed by velvety tannins and fireworks of fresh acidity and has a very long, layered finish.
-
Wine Spectator
Firm, focused, supple and expansive, but not heavy, splaying out the currant, plum and chalky flavors on a silky frame, lingering easily on the long, expressive finish. Drink now through 2025.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Light in color, this über aromatic wine conveys flowers, black and green olive, mineral, peat and smoke. The palate is all about elegance of expression and texture, with smoked meat and coffee flavors that linger.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
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.