Washington’s Milton-Freewater AVA: In the Rocks
While technically sitting just across the state line in northern Oregon, the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater is a sub-AVA of Walla Walla that produces some of the most distinctive wines in the world. That’s not an exaggeration. The wines from the Rocks District are so incredibly distinctive that the expression of place is often more recognizable than the grape variety itself.
The vines here grow in 300 feet of pure river gravel laid down by the Walla Walla River as it descended from the Blue Mountains to the east. Many vineyards look remarkably similar to the famed vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, their surfaces covered almost entirely with rounded river pebbles, or galets. The wines have a gamey, savory, meaty character somewhat reminiscent of Northern Rhône wines from Côte-Rôtie, Cornas, and Saint-Joseph—and yet the Rocks has a complex “funk” that is entirely its own. These are thought-provoking wines and some of the best examples I can think of for showing anyone who doubts just how vividly wine can express terroir.
No wines express the character of the Rocks more radically than the singular wines of Cayuse and the inimitable vigneron Christophe Baron. For those who know the wines, they need little introduction. These are perhaps the most collectible and sought-after wines in the state. Christophe’s three decades of dedication to producing wines from the Rocks—long before it had its own AVA—have unquestionably solidified this tiny region’s place on the global stage.
A multi-generational vigneron whose family still produces Champagne, Christophe stumbled across what would become the Rocks District after a local farmer told him about a stretch of land, mostly orchards at the time, with exceptionally gravelly soils reminiscent of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. He drove Christophe out to see it in 1996. The first vines went into the ground the very next year, and the rest is history.
We’ve just received a small parcel of the new 2023 Cayuse wines, several of which have earned perfect 100-point scores.
2023 Cayuse "En Cerise Vineyard" Walla Walla Valley Syrah $129.95 100JD 99IWR 99OB
2023 Cayuse "Cailloux Vineyard" Walla Walla Valley Syrah $129.95 99IWR 98JD 98OB
2023 Cayuse "En Chamberlin Vineyard" Walla Walla Valley Syrah $129.95 98VN 98OB 98IWR 97JD
2021 Cayuse "God Only Knows" Walla Walla Valley Grenache Blend $129.95
2022 The Black Square The Rocks District Milton-Freewater Cabernet Sauvignon $Hidden
99JD 99OB 98WE
Just down the road from Cayuse, The Black Square is a tiny cult project from ex-Bryant Family winemaker Todd Alexander. While Cayuse is focused primarily on Rhône varieties, The Black Square seeks to produce a singular, pure expression of Cabernet Sauvignon grown in the Rocks.
While the 2022 is the inaugural release of this wine, it has already picked up multiple 99- and 98-point scores from top critics, announcing its arrival in the very upper echelon of collectible Cabernet. For a limited time, we also have an exceptionally sharp, too-low-to-publish price on this wine.
2022 Martin Woods The Rocks District Milton-Freewater Syrah $49.95 (Elsewhere $60) 98DC
This producer, known mostly for world-class Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, was also drawn in by the allure of the magical Rocks terroir. This incredible Syrah is fermented with 40% whole cluster and takes on a slightly more lifted, floral tone than some of the earthier, broader wines from the Rocks. I love the combination of floral lift, savory rocky minerality, and that distinctive meaty funk that makes this region so unmistakable. We have an extra-sharp price on the last few cases of this 98-point Syrah, so don’t miss it!