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
With 4% Viognier, the 2023 Syrah Cailloux Vineyard is a medium-bodied, Northern Rhône-inspired red that's floral and lovely in rose petal, with well-integrated, moderate funk. Aged in all French oak over 18 months, it's gamey and brooding in black cherry, with a gravelly texture and ample complexity. This is an amazingly delicious
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James Suckling
Very floral with an intriguing range of aromas from white to purple flowers. Medium-bodied, showing crushed red raspberries, black cherries, blackberries and pink and green peppercorns. Gets more umami after the finish. From a single vineyard planted in 1997.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Syrah Cailloux Vineyard comes from biodynamically farmed vines planted in 1997 in silty loam and basalt cobblestones. It contains 4% Viognier and was matured for 18 months in around 20% new French oak. It has slowly opening aromas of red and black cherry and plum, sage, rose petals and earth. The medium-bodied palate is bursting with dark, perfumed fruit. It’s framed by soft, chalky tannins and juicy acidity and has a long, layered finish.
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Wine Spectator
Refined and handsomely built, with elegant layers of raspberry and huckleberry that are accented by fruitcake spices, black olive and crushed stone. Finishes with fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2035.
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.