Cayuse Vineyards
If you have not heard the almost mythical story, of how the brash, young French Vigneron - Christophe Baron - visited the then little-known town of Walla Walla, and fell in love with a few acres of seemingly useless, stone-covered farmland, this is the moment!
Cayuse is located in the Stones of the Walla Walla Valley. Over the past 20 years, Christophe has made it his mission to craft food-friendly wines of incredible depth, individuality, and character—all from fruit grown entirely using biodynamic farming methods.
Naming his vineyard after the Cayuse, after a Native American tribe who were named by French fur-trappers “Les Cailloux”–which means, of course, stones in French. The ground here is completely covered in sizeable rock. After an immense amount of back-breaking work, Cayuse Vineyards has become five vineyards encompassing 50 acres: Armada, Cailloux, Coccinelle [Ladybug], En Cerise [Cherry], and En Chamberlin.
The majority of the vineyards are planted with Syrah, and the rest are dedicated to Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Merlot, Tempranillo, and Viognier. All of the vineyards are planted in this rocky earth within the Walla Walla Valley appellation giving the fruit its unique character. The wines have a purity and density that makes them delicious and age-worthy. Cayuse was also the first winery in Walla Walla to farm using biodynamic methods. Together, their singular terroir and farming practices give way to one-of-a-kind fruit each year.