If you want to get technical, this region of the Walla Walla Valley is on the Oregon side. Still, vintage after vintage, Baron evinces something from this soil that other growers and winemakers can only aspire to. Sure it helps that the Rocks District of the Walla Walla Valley, which Baron affectionately refers to as “the Stones,” is one of the most exciting wine regions in the country. So four of the top five wines are made by the same guy?įrench-born vigneron Christophe Baron has few peers in the Northwest wine industry. Nearly 20 years later, Cayuse’s original wine is still one of the finest coming from the Walla Walla Valley. 5. Cayuse Vineyards Syrah Cailloux Vineyard Walla Walla Valley 2013 $80Ĭhristophe Baron’s legacy began in the Cailloux vineyard, which the French-born vigneron planted in 1997 because the former riverbed filled with cobblestones reminded him of the famed terrain of Châteauneuf-de-Pape. Growing vines vertically on stakes ( sur échalas) means grapes see different levels of sun exposure and yield different levels of intensity. Nowhere else but the Rocks will you find unusual wine aromas like steak tartare, earth, pepper, and dried flowers, all in a single glass. 4. Horsepower Vineyards Syrah Sur Echalas Vineyard Walla Walla Valley 2013 $120 Scoring a bottle requires easily a decade of patience, between securing a berth on Cayuse’s list and having seniority to access more limited releases. Grace balances power with intense, tightly wound notes of soot, olive, and crushed flowers, and a finish that refuses to quit.
3. Cayuse Vineyards Bionic Frog Syrah Walla Walla Valley 2013 $105Ĭhristophe Baron’s perhaps most sought-after wine is further proof of Cayuse’s mastery of the Rocks region of the Walla Walla Valley, with its pungent, savory aromatic profile and mineral-laden flavors.
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