For more than 25 years, Cadence has established itself as one of the very best producers of Bordeaux-style blends in Washington. Throughout that time, Ben Smith and Gaye McNutt have had an unwavering commitment to the style and to fruit from Red Mountain.

It therefore came as quite a surprise to hear that Cadence had 1) made a Syrah and 2) used fruit from Walla Walla Valley. Were pigs truly flying?

The story goes that, in the winter of 2023, Smith and McNutt received word that they were going to be recognized as honorary vintners by the Auction of Washington Wines. (Full disclosure: My wife works for the Auction.) The honorary vintner is encouraged to participate in their private barrel auction, where cases of a special lot of wine are auctioned off to raise money for the Auction’s philanthropic partners. Deciding what to make got Smith’s wheels turning.

“I wanted something as polar opposite to what we normally do as I could, and really, that was Rocks Syrah,” Smith says.

Smith previously made Syrah for Grand Reve/Force Majeure as part of the winery’s Collaboration Series. However, that was Ciel du Cheval Vineyard fruit. Syrah from Walla Walla Valley’s famed cobblestone soils would be something different entirely.

To acquire fruit, Smith reached out to Christophe Baron. Baron pioneered planting in this region of Walla Walla Valley at Cayuse Vineyards.

Smith and Baron had a connection. Baron founded Cayuse in 1997; Smith started Cadence in 1998. In his earliest years, Smith made his wines at Glen Fiona in Walla Walla Valley. At the time, Baron and Smith were among several handfuls of winemakers in an area now home to 120 wineries and tasting rooms.

“It was a smaller community then,” Smith says.

There was just one problem with Smith’s idea. Baron does not sell fruit.

Given the special circumstances, Baron quickly came up with a proposal. He would give Smith fruit on one condition: Smith would donate the proceeds to charity. Baron suggested Walla Walla Food Bank as a recipient.

With an agreement in hand, in 2023, Baron supplied one ton of fruit from Coccinelle Bis Vineyard. This is a younger planting in the Bionic Wines portfolio. Next came the hard part: making the wine.

Fruit from this area of the valley often challenges winemakers who are unfamiliar with it. The Rocks District – Baron refers to the area as ‘the Stones’ – is a thing unto itself. The pHs are higher. The wine behaves, and tastes, differently.

“Even the fruit, when we were crushing it, it didn’t feel like anything else I’d ever worked with,” Smith says. “Then I’d walk by that fermenter, and it’s like, ‘Whoa. You are not like anything else in this winery.’”

Due to his lack of experience with the vineyard, Smith approached vinification conservatively. At Baron’s suggestion, he used 50% stem inclusion during fermentation. Smith did two to three punchdowns per day and fermented the wine at a moderate temperature. From there, the wine went into three, once-filled Gamba barrels for 11 months. Smith bottled the wine sooner than he typically would.

“I figured, if I could release it earlier, that means starting to write checks to the Walla Walla Food Bank earlier,” Smith says.

The result is a stunning wine. It’s a look at this area of the valley – and of Baron’s fruit – through the lens of one of the state’s most talented winemakers. Smith says he’s satisfied with the result.

“I think it’s a great representation of the vineyard, which is what I try and do first and foremost,” Smith says. “It’s very much Christophe’s fruit with a Cadence spin on it.”

Some of the 2023 Cadence Coccinelle Bis Vineyard Syrah was sold at the Auction of Washington Wines’ Private Barrel Auction. Some has been sold to local restaurants. Some is being sold directly through the winery.

While the wine is sensational, Cadence and Rocks District fans shouldn’t expect to see another. This was a one-off, a celebration of Smith’s 25+ years in the industry.

“Boy, it was fun,” Smith says.

Read a review of the Cadence 2023 Coccinelle Bis Vineyard Syrah here. Image courtesy of Cadence. 

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