No Girls Tempranillo 2013
Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
No Girls Wines was originally founded as a collaboration between Cayuse Vineyards' owner and vigneron Christophe Baron and general manager Trevor Dorland. As the project has evolved, we are very pleased to include other Cayuse employees including Cayuse assistant vigneronnes Elizabeth Bourcier and Laura Pursley, and controller Nancy Nestler.
These team members prove that No Girls represents an appreciative nod to one of Walla Walla's richest and most colorful eras—it doesn't literally mean no girls. It means that by creating wines true to our valley, we're celebrating our history.
The grapes come from the Cayuse La Paciencia vineyard, which means patience—appropriate since the project was ten years in the making. The vines are tightly spaced and planted on an angle, giving No Girls a personality all its own.
These are serious wines, not Cayuse seconds. They're focused and pure—food friendly creations that eloquently express the rocky terroir from which they spring.
Real Wine. No Tricks.
Responsible for some of Washington’s most highly acclaimed wines, the Walla Walla Valley has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years and is home to both historic wineries and younger, up-and-coming producers.
The Walla Walla Valley, a Native American name meaning “many waters,” is located in southeastern Washington; part of the appellation actually extends into Oregon. Soils here are well-drained, sandy loess over Missoula Flood deposits and fractured basalt.
It is a region perfectly suited to Rhône-inspired Syrahs, distinguished by savory notes of red berry, black olive, smoke and fresh earth. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot create a range of styles from smooth and supple to robust and well-structured. White varieties are rare but some producers blend Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, resulting in a rich and round style, and plantings of Viognier, while minimal, are often quite successful.
Of note within Walla Walla, is one new and very peculiar appellation, called the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. This is the only AVA in the U.S. whose boundaries are totally defined by the soil type. Soils here look a bit like those in the acclaimed Rhône region of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but are large, ancient, basalt cobblestones. These stones work in the same way as they do in Chateauneuf, absorbing and then radiating the sun's heat up to enhance the ripening of grape clusters. The Rocks District is within the part of Walla Walla that spills over into Oregon and naturally excels in the production of Rhône varieties like Syrah, as well as the Bordeaux varieties.
Notoriously food-friendly, long-lasting and Spain’s most widely planted grape, Tempranillo is the star variety of red wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero. The Rioja terms Joven, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva indicate both barrel and bottle time before release. Traditionally blended in Rioja with Garnacha, plus a bit of Mazuelo (Carignan) and Graciano, the Tempranillo in Ribera del Duero typically stands alone. Somm Secret—Tempranillo claims many different names depending on location. In Penedès, it is called Ull de Llebre and in Valdepeñas, goes by Cencibel. Known as Tinta Roriz in Portugal, Tempranillo plays an important role in Port wine.