Cayuse

A Bit of History

Christophe Baron grew up in Charly-sur-Marne, in the Champagne region of France, where his family had been making wine since 1677 under the name Baron Albert. He studied viticulture in both Champagne and Burgundy, then did what any ambitious young vigneron would do: he hit the road. Between 1994 and 1996, he picked up experience in Australia, New Zealand, Romania, and Oregon.

His original plan was to settle in the Willamette Valley in Oregon and make Pinot Noir. That plan evaporated on an April morning in 1996. Baron was driving near the Washington-Oregon border outside the small town of Walla Walla when a friend pointed him toward an open field. The land had just been plowed up, revealing acres and acres of softball-sized stones that no one wanted. Local farmers figured it was only good for orchards.

Baron had a very different reaction. He saw the stones and thought immediately of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, in France's southern Rhône Valley, where the famous galets roulés, rounded river stones, produce some of the world's most celebrated wines. He bought the land and planted his first vines in 1997, becoming the first Frenchman to establish a wine estate in Washington State.

The Vineyards

It all started with that very 10-acre plot, and since then Cayuse has grown to five vineyards covering a total of about 50–60 acres. Each one has a name that reflects its individuality.

The Cailloux vineyard was the first to be planted in 1997. The name means ‘stones’ in French. And yes, it is the same root that gave the winery its name. The famous Syrah wine and a small amount of Viognier are produced here.

The Coccinelle vineyard (named after the French word for ‘ladybug’) was planted in 1998 on 4.5 acres and is the source of the iconic Bionic Frog Syrah wine. The En Cerise vineyard, also planted in 1998 on 10 acres, is located on land that was once a cherry orchard; cerise means ‘cherry’ in French.

The En Chamberlin vineyard was established in 2000, with vines grafted onto phylloxera-resistant rootstock. Finally, the Armada vineyard, planted in 2001, is the basis for some Grenache-based wines.

All five vineyards are within the Walla Walla Valley AVA, and several technically cross the border into Oregon: more specifically, into the Rocks of Milton-Freewater subregion.

The Terroir

To understand Cayuse is to understand what lies beneath your feet: rocks, rocks, and more rocks. The soil here consists of a deep layer of ancient river boulders deposited thousands of years ago by the Walla Walla River and glacial floods during the last ice age. There is virtually no topsoil here.

This is what Baron understood in 1996, and this is what makes this place so unusual. The stones force the vines to work hard, deepening their roots in search of water and nutrients. This means low yields, i.e. not many fruits on each vine, but those fruits that do grow are concentrated and rich in minerals. The rocks also absorb heat during the day and slowly release it at night, helping the grapes to ripen evenly.

Milton-Friwater Rocks, which now has its own separate AVA, is largely thanks to Baron. He was one of the first to take serious notice of this area and bring it to prominence.

The Grapes

Syrah is king at Cayuse. It dominates all five vineyards, and the estate's reputation has been built on Syrahs from a single vineyard, which critics compare to the great wines of the northern Rhône like Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie. These are not light, pretty Syrahs. They are dark, spicy, with mineral notes and hints of black fruit, meat, pepper, iron and stone.

In addition to Syrah, Cayuse also grows Grenache, Tempranillo, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and a small amount of Viognier. Grenache is used in wines such as God Only Knows and the rosé Edith, while Tempranillo is used to produce a wine called Impulsivo. The range is broader than one might expect from such a Rhône-focused estate, but all the grape varieties benefit from the same stony, mineral terroir.

How the Wines Are Made

The philosophy of Baron is rooted in the French terroir concept of wine: it should express the flavour characteristics of its origin, rather than the imprint of the winery's processing. Since 2002, the estate has held biodynamic certification, making Cayuse the first winery in the Walla Walla region to adopt this approach. 

The winemaking philosophy in the cellar is also based on non-interventionist principles. Fermentation employs indigenous (wild) yeasts rather than commercial strains, imparting each wine with a more distinctive character. The winemakers utilise concrete fermentation tanks, gentle pumping to control extraction, and treat the grapes with care using traditional basket presses. Oak barrel usage is extremely limited and carefully considered, with each wine receiving a distinct configuration. The objective is to minimise intervention, allowing the stone (the vine) to express its essence naturally.

Production is minimal, with wines sold almost exclusively via a mailing list that has remained fully subscribed for years. A waiting list exists, but the wait is considerable.

The Wines

Cayuse makes at least a dozen different wines per year. The lineup includes several single-vineyard Syrahs like Cailloux, Coccinelle (the Bionic Frog), En Cerise, and others.

It also includes blended reds, the Wallah Walla Special magnum-format Syrah blend, the Grenache-based God Only Knows, the rosé Edith, and the Viognier from Cailloux.

Scores from major critics regularly land in the mid-to-high 90s (even 100), and bottles frequently appear on the secondary market at significant premiums.

Three Fun Facts

1. The name is a pun, in two languages. Cayuse is the name of a Native American tribe from the Walla Walla region. French fur trappers gave them the nickname Les Cailloux which means "the stones", because of the rocky land they lived in. So the winery's name references both the local Native Americans and the French word for stones that define its land. 

2. Horses still work the vines. Because tractors are too heavy for the fragile, stone-covered soil and because the biodynamic philosophy calls for minimal mechanical disturbance, Cayuse uses horses to plow between the rows. Baron later took this idea further with a separate project called Horsepower Vineyards, where four small parcels are worked entirely with horses and each vine is individually staked in the traditional French sur échalas method.

3. The winery doesn't really do tastings. Despite its fame, Cayuse keeps an extremely low profile. There's no fancy tasting room, no tourist experience to book. Wines go to mailing list members as futures — you pay before the wine is even bottled. If you want a bottle and you're not on the list, your best option is the secondary market, where prices reflect just how hard these wines are to get.