And the 2024 whites

Below are reviews for the 2023 vintage red wine releases from Bionic Wines as well as the estate’s 2024 whites. They include wines from Cayuse, No Girls, Horsepower, and Hors Catégorie.

As always, these wines hail from Walla Walla Valley, specifically a nested appellation known as the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. Christophe Baron, founder and vigneron of Bionic Wines, refers to the area as the Stones. The only exception is the Syrah from Hors Catégorie, which comes from a site by the North Fork of the Walla Walla River.

This area of the valley is known for its cobblestone soils, which are a remnant of an ancient riverbed. Baron established the first modern day vineyard in this area in 1997. The resulting wines are known for their distinctive savory profile, overt minerality, and potential for extremely high quality.

Overall, the 2023 Bionic wines are exceptional. They are, as always, benchmarks wines for the vintage and for the region. The 2023 reds are specifically notable in a number of respects.

First, many of the wines, particularly the wines in the Cayuse portfolio, are considerably more fruit-forward than in most vintages. This is not to say they don’t possess the savory elements for which this region of the valley has become famous. However, in many cases, those elements are secondary instead of primary. In some cases, in my tastings, the wines started off fruit-forward and then became more savory over time.

Second, the 2023 vintage wines have