Coccinelle Bis Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley, 100% Syrah
Starts with smoky bacon, raspberry and minerals on the nose.
The palate is sumptuous and deep, lively and long. There are hints of damp
earth, blue and red fruit and a gentle gaminess so typical of great Syrah.A short story from Ben:
This wine, certainly one of the most unique
and intriguing wines we’ve ever made, came about as the result of the 2023
Auction of Washington Wine when we were named Honorary Winemakers. The Auction asked
us to create a unique bottling for their Private Barrel Auction – always a tall
task due to the high standard set by collaborations that occur between wineries
and vineyards not normally associated with each other. I called Christophe
Baron of Cayuse winery and vineyards. I’ve never done a Walla Walla Syrah, much
less a Syrah from the incredible rocks of Christophe’s vineyards. He has not
sold fruit for years. The only way to experience his fruit is by tasting his
wines.
So when I asked if I could purchase a ton of Syrah he said
no.
‘But,’
said Christophe, ‘I’ll give you a ton of Syrah with this
stipulation: all the profits must go to
charity, mostly to the Walla Walla Food Bank.’ What a brilliant, thoughtful
idea. The Coccinelle Bis Vineyard fruit arrived at the winery in pristine
condition after a 260-mile journey, fermented beautifully and went into three neutral
barrels for 11 months. We bottled 70 cases in August of this year. Upon tasting
it is completely evident there is nowhere else on the planet this could come
from other than Christophe’s rocks vineyards. We have stayed true to terroir
and given the wine a deft, elegant Cadence touch as well. This is a
showstopper, and for a great cause. We
could not be happier with this collaboration – thank you Christophe!
