Cayuse Vineyards

Cayuse Vineyards is possibly the best-known wine estate in the United States’ Pacific Northwest, set in the Walla Walla Valley on the border of Oregon and Washington. The estate’s reputation as a “Rhone Ranger” was not planned by proprietor Christophe Baron, though Cayuse Syrah, Grenache, and Viognier have skyrocketed on the open market. With 13 different wines in its portfolio, Cayuse Wine offers a variety of prized possessions for critics and collectors.

Cayuse Winery: History and Origins

Cayuse was founded in 1996 by Christophe Baron, a winemaker hailing from Champagne, France. Baron was born into a winemaking family, with history dating back to the late 1600s; rather than working at his family’s Champagne house, he opted to move to the United States in search of his own project. After travelling to Oregon, Christophe Baron was intent on acquiring a Pinot Noir vineyard, but stumbled upon a neglected cherry orchard, finding large stones that reminded him of Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s famed galets. Upon further investigation, Baron found the basal cobblestone soil perfect for Syrah, Grenache, and Viognier vines, and nicknamed the 10-acre site, “Oregon’s Chateauneuf-du-Pape.”

“Christophe falls into the realm of the Manfred Krankls and Michel Chapoutiers of the world, who stand apart from the crowd and produce a range of incredible wines that always make me scratch my head and wonder what, exactly, is going on.” — Jeb Dunnuck for TWA

Baron named Cayuse Winery after the Native American tribe that once inhabited the land and quickly set himself apart from other American wine estates with a unique terroir and innovative cuvees. Today, Christophe Baron still leads the way at Cayuse and is always aiming to add more wines to the estate’s offerings.

Cayuse Vineyards Walla Walla: Pacific Northwest Terroir

Cayuse Winery is home to 24 hectares of land across 5 vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley. Each site contains cobbly loam soils set on over 10,000 feet of pure basalt, which traces back to 15-million-year-old bedrock from one of the largest areas of basalt lava outside of the ocean basins. This historic soil produces very low yields at only two tons per acre and requires meticulous, biodynamic farming. While the first vines were self-rooted, grafted vines were introduced in 2000 to prevent phylloxera. Currently, Cayuse houses Syrah, Grenache, Viognier, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Roussanne, and Tempranillo vines on its parcels, as the soil contains higher iron, magnesium, and calcium levels compared to neighboring sites. Cayuse Winery’s vineyards are as follows:

• Cailloux Vineyard is Cayuse Winery’s first site, a 10-acre vineyard planted in 1997 that produces the flagship Cailloux Vineyard Syrah.
• Coccinelle Vineyard is named after the French term for ladybug and is a 4.5-acre vineyard planted in 1998 that produces the Bionic Frog Syrah.
• En Cerise Vineyard translates to cherry in French and is a 10-acre site planted in 1998. The vineyard was formerly a cherry orchard but now produces fruit for Cayuse Flying Pig and Camaspelo Bordeaux.
• En Chamberlin Vineyard is a 10-acre site planted in 2000 and produced the highest amount of Cayuse wines, including Widowmaker Cabernet Sauvignon, Impulsivo Tempranillo, and En Chamberlin Vineyard Syrah.
• Armada Vineyard is a 7-acre site planted in 2001 and is the highest-density vineyard for Cayuse Winery. At 1,815 vines per acre, the site produces Armada Vineyard Syrah, God Only Knows Grenache, and Edith Grenache Rose. 

Cayuse Wine: Washington’s Greatest “Rhone Ranger”

Cayuse Vineyard’s unique terroir produces wines of immense minerality, earthiness, and savoriness. Nearly every label is a single-varietal wine, with the Rhone varieties dominating production. With notes of clay, dust, umami, and cured meats, Cayuse wines are consistently celebrated by critics and highly coveted by collectors, with a nearly decade-long mailing list. Four wines have received 100-point scores from Robert Parker’s ‘The Wine Advocate’— 2010 and 2014 Cayuse Bionic Frog Syrah, 2006 Cayuse Impulsivo, and 2014 Cayuse Cailloux Vineyard Syrah. Each wine was noted for its deep, rich, and complex layers, and pepper, tobacco leaf, and black cherry bouquet. 

Secure Your Allocation of Cayuse Wine

Over the last 30 years, Cayuse Vineyards has cemented itself as one of California's greatest wine estates, crafting beautiful Rhone-style blends from the Walla Walla terroir. With numerous blends in its portfolio, there is a Cayuse wine available for every palate. Browse our selection of in-stock Cayuse wines and secure a bottle for your cellar today.