Winemaker Notes
Cayuse's first Walla Walla Valley vineyard, this 10-acre plot was their first vineyard planted in the stones of Milton Freewater in 1997, and produces this flagship Cailloux Syrah.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
From ungrafted vines planted in 1997, the 2022 Syrah Cailloux Vineyard is the only Syrah that Christophe Baron co-ferments with Viognier, in this case 6%, bringing a lift to the wine without becoming sweet. Potent spicy black cherry, crushed gravel, and black tea ride a focused, precise palate of medium-bodied intensity that’s dark, spicy, and feral, lengthy and dense, with a freshness to the long finish.
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James Suckling
Complex and tightly wound, this syrah, co-fermented with just a dash of viognier, offers a broad spectrum of aromas. Smoked meat, black olives, crushed violets and thyme are layered with blackberries and a hint of iodine. The palate is deep and structured, balancing juicy acidity with fine but broad and dusty tannins. The savory finish lingers, showing cracked pepper and turned earth. Very tight and compact, this needs some time in bottle. From biodynamically grown grapes. Try from 2028.
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Vinous
The incredibly expressive 2022 Syrah Cailloux Vineyard is a spice box on the nose, mixing cedar shavings and incense with black olives, tangerine peel and blood orange. It is elegant, with silken textures and masses of ripe citrus-infused red and black fruits. Tannic yet fresh, the 2022 lingers incredibly long, leaving violet pastille and a pleasantly bitter black currant resonance.
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Wine Spectator
Shows presence and detail, offering compelling flavors of raspberry and blueberry that draw in licorice, garrigue, crushed stone and black olive accents as this gathers richness and tannins on the finish.
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.