Cadence’s 2006 releases, of which the Coda is the first, mark significant changes for the winery. Until this point, Cadence has featured vineyard-designated blends from Klipsun, Taptiel, and Ciel du Cheval vineyards. They have complimented these with the Bel Canto blend at the high end at Coda, their red table wine, at the low end.

For the 2006 releases, Cadence has introduced into their lineup fruit from their own Cara Mia vineyard on Red Mountain. Due to the abundance of fruit, they have, sadly, been forced to drop Klipsun from the mix. Another significant change is that, with the exception of the Coda, Cadence’s wines will be free-run wines. In this technique, the wine is made from juice that flows from the grapes without any pressing. This stands in contrast to “press wines” where the juice is removed by applying external pressure via a press. Press wines are more tannic due to increased contact with the grape skins. This change seems to be a deliberate attempt to soften the wines which is interesting as I have never found Cadence’s wines to be overly tannic.

The first result of these changes is the 2006 Coda. The Coda is a press wine from Cara Mia, Taptiel, and Ciel du Cheval vineyards. This wine evolved and improved dramatically over the course of an hour (indeed the winery recommends decanting). When first opened, it was underwhelming with a fair amount of alcohol on the nose and a fairly flat taste. Over the course of time, it opened up and showed beautifully. Typically I like my table wines to be drink-me-now wines that do not require decanting. However, in this case, it was worth the effort.

See a writeup of Cadence’s 2005 releases here.