Cadence on Washington’s Red Mountain: Producer profile and vertical tasting

When you ask other Washington winemakers who their favourite winemaker is, nearly all of them will say ‘Ben Smith.’ His consistent smile and non-existent ego in an industry that is flooded with attitude makes him a breath of fresh air.

Ben Smith is humble, polite and unassuming. In his adopted hometown of Seattle, the avid outdoorsman, talented amateur photographer and family man is not a winemaker who necessarily stands out in the crowd.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores from a Cadence vertical tasting

Yet the impetus for Ben Smith’s winemaking career is markedly out of the ordinary. Smith is one of Washington state’s most consistent, talented and accomplished winemakers of the last 25 years, and it’s all because he won a contest.

Unlikely beginnings

‘The genesis of this whole thing is the 1997 Boeing Winefest, ’ Smith explains. The Boeing Employees Wine and Beer Makers Club launched in the early 1970s, at much the same time as Washington’s nascent wine industry. Smith is not the first Boeing alumnus to turn professional winemaker, but he is undoubtedly the most accomplished. The annual competition is a serious effort; these are engineers, after all. The club was large enough at one point that it was sourcing up to 45 tonnes of fruit each year for its 200 members.

After winning top honours with his wines in both 1995 and 1996, Smith entered four wines in the 1997 edition, judged blind. Over 400 wines were entered. Four wines are awarded ‘Best of Show’ each year.

‘When they unveiled the fourth place wine in the ‘Best of Show’ category, and it was mine, I was a little deflated after winning the previous two years, ’ Smith recalls. ‘Then they unveiled the third place wine, which was also mine and second, mine again. And finally, I took first place too.’ Smith’s wines were a Bordeaux-style blend, a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Merlot and a late-harvest Riesling.

A week or so later, he and Gaye – still only dating at the time – were out on Red Mountain. The two spotted a rusty ‘for sale’ sign on a four-hectare parcel along Sunset Road, and they bought it. (Smith calls it the best financial investment he’s ever made.) The couple married and launched the winery in 1998. Smith left Boeing for a good 18 months later.

A little different, always

Cadence pioneered vineyard-designate Bordeaux-style blends in the state of Washington. ‘It was a marketing challenge for us when we first released the wines,’ McNutt explains. ‘There was, of course, Bordeaux, but for American and Washington wines, shops and restaurants were confused about where they belonged on the list. Was it Cabernet or Merlot?’

The ‘red blend’ has become de rigueur in Washington these days, given the diversity of varieties that grow well in the warm desert climes of the eastern part of the state.

Cabernet Sauvignon is the undisputed number one grape in Washington state year after year in terms of vineyard acres and tonnes harvested. In 2022, about 61,000 tonnes of Cabernet Sauvignon were harvested, to just 2,700 tonnes of Cabernet Franc.

Cabernet Franc is, however, the single most important variety in Cadence’s catalogue. ‘Cabernet Franc has all the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon, and it offers so many additional complexities on top of that. It’s why we love it,’ Smith proclaims. McNutt adds, ‘On Red Mountain, it’s always reliably ripe; you don’t get any of the green, pyrazine character. It’s always such a star for us, particularly aromatically.’

‘In 1998, I tasted some Cabernet Franc that Chris Camarda (of Washington’s Andrew Will) had from Sheridan Vineyard. It was pencil lead; it was violets. I was mesmerised to see what wine from this state could be. That’s when we fell in love with the variety here in Washington.’

‘We are always the earliest pick of red fruit on Red Mountain, every single year,’ Smith notes. ‘I joke that when the others see us picking, they start sampling.’

As it happens, one long-time Red Mountain winemaker I spoke with made that exact comment to me sincerely. ‘When I see Ben out there picking, I know it’s time to start looking at the fruit,’ they said with a smile.

‘It’s absolutely a stylistic determination on our part and one that we…,’ Smith pauses. Despite all their success over the last 25 years, you can tell making proclamations about how good the Cadence wines are still makes Smith a little bit uncomfortable. ‘Well, you can judge for yourself. But it fits our style, a little more acidity, and the tannins aren’t quite so soft.’

Cadence at a glance

Established: Cadence was established in 1998 after Ben Smith left his career at Boeing. Smith and Cadence co-owner, wife Gaye McNutt planted their estate vineyard Cara Mia on Red Mountain in 2004.

Area planted: 3.25ha

Winemaker: Ben Smith

Cadence annual production: Between 24,000 and 30,000 bottles

Wines:

Bel Canto: Cabernet Franc dominant blend

Camerata: Cabernet Sauvignon dominant blend

Coda: Known as the leftovers, this blend delivers on balance and value

Cara Mia Cabernet Sauvingon: 100% Cabernet from the estate vineyard

Cara Mia

The wines from Cadence are all a product of their Red Mountain estate vineyard, purchased in 1998 and planted in 2004.

In November of 2003, they were finally able to get the water rights for the vineyard. It was planted the following year. They got help from Jim Holmes, one of the legendary founders of Red Mountain. One of Washington’s most highly regarded vineyard managers, Ryan Johnson of WeatherEye, planted it for them.

‘There aren’t many people who will take on someone else’s project and treat it like their own. Ryan really did that for us, and it’s an important part of everything we’ve been able to do since,’ Smith proclaims.

‘Before the first vine went into the ground, we invested hundreds of hours planning the layout of the vineyard,’ says Smith. ‘Our first Red Mountain innovation was to orient the vineyard rows 11 degrees off true north-south to adjust for latitude and provide even sun exposure between morning and afternoon.’

‘Our second Red Mountain innovation related to geological analysis,’ Smith continues. ‘We dug 31 soil pits at regular intervals throughout the vineyard to a depth of 2.5 metres. A geologist reported the material and chemical composition of the strata in each pit. Washington State University geologists confirmed that we have perhaps the most unique and varied soil profiles of any vineyard site they’ve seen on Red Mountain.’

Click here to see tasting notes and scores from recent releases by Cadence

The vineyard consists of three major soil types. There are deep cobblestone soils, clay, fractured basalt and sandy loams. Two of these soils, the cobblestones and clay, haven’t been found in other vineyards in the Red Mountain AVA.

According to the team at Cadence, the physical makeup of the cobbles and clay is similar to the Pomerol and St-Emilion plateau in Bordeaux. They believe they match perfectly for their chosen varieties of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot.

The art of the blend

There may be a direction and house style that Cadence aims for, but vintage will dictate the blend. They don’t use the same percentages year in and year out. There is no predetermined formula.

‘The barrels and clonal selections that do and do not play well with each other surprise us year after year,’ McNutt explains. ‘Educated guesses are often wrong. We need to honestly taste the glass in front of us. Barrels that might have a strong element on their own may not bring that element to the blend.’

‘Likewise, a barrel that was not necessarily a favourite fills a hole or adds a spark or other dimension in an unexpected way. We’ve also found that single barrels can suddenly dominate a blend in a manner that far exceeds their raw percentage of the blend.’

It’s in their blending that the partnership between Ben and Gaye really shines. Smith, ever the engineer, leans into structure and the technical side, while McNutt is the hedonist of the two.

They have a definite philosophy with their two Cara Mia blends, Bel Canto and Camerata. ‘With Bel Canto, we’re looking for the fabulous Cabernet Franc aromatics and plushness with the addition of complexity and backbone,’ says McNutt. The wine is always a Cabernet Franc dominant blend with Merlot and Petit Verdot.

Cabernet Sauvignon leads Camerata. ‘Camerata is always about structure up front and brilliant fruit to back it up. We go for balance always,’ McNutt continues. ’Balance between acids, fruit and tannin. Balance between elegance, structure, complexity and integration.’

‘We go for ageability and balance all the way around,’ McNutt adds. ‘It can be challenging for people who just want that big, fruit flavour hit when you open it. Now, looking back at our wines 25 years, we’ve accomplished what we set out to do. That’s really gratifying.’

Beyond just showing ageability, these wines show they are improving with 10 to 20 years in the bottle. Cadence makes a strong case for the wines that balance power and elegance with undeniable harmony that Washington is capable of producing.

Cadence over time: a vertical from the Red Mountain producer

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