Tasting at Cadence Winery (Aug 2nd 2017)

I met with Ben Smith of Cadence on my last night in Seattle to taste some wine at his very unassuming warehouse winery. If he hadn’t put a small sign outside I wouldn’t have even known it was there. The space is very much in line with his demeanor and minimalistic intervention wine making style.

All of the wines tasted, with the exception of the 2006 Bel Canto and the 2014 Camerata had been opened at 2:30 that afternoon (we were tasting at around 7:00).

This tasting was without question my wine highlight of the week. Ben is making absolutely stellar Bordeaux blends that are completely balanced, full of varietal complexity and structure and are totally delicious to drink. It was as if he was making these Red Mountain wines catered specifically for my old world leaning palate. While I truly enjoyed my wine tasting day in Sodo the previous weekend, I probably only truly enjoyed give or take half of the wines being poured. I didn’t find a dud in the bunch here, they were all absolutely stellar.

2015 Coda - entry level, Cab Franc dominated cuvee that tastes anything but entry level. Medium/full bodied. After tasting the rest of the wines, this wine totally stays in line with the Cadence house style but in a much more ready to go and approachable way. I still see this being able to age for a few years as delicious as it was today with some air.
2014 Tapteil - (50% Cab Sauv, 25% Cab Sauv, 25% Merlot) - More dark and brooding than the Ciel. Black currant, smokey tobacco, with a fresh note on the mid palate before the dark savory tones and structure take over on the finish. Very good.
2014 Ciel Du Cheval (33% Cab Franc, 33% Cab Sauv, 25% Merlot, 9% Petite Verdot) - Less dark than the tapteil but still in a bit of a brooding state at such a young age. Black cherry, graphite, with a beautiful florality coming through on the mid palate that mixes with the darker notes on the finish. Needs time, but this is off to a great start.
2013 Bel Canto - (75% Cab Franc, 25% Merlot) the wine of the tasting and my favorite wine I had all week. It is a mouth full of flavor on a medium to full bodied frame. Fresh herbs, tobacco, smokey currant, black cherry and mint. There is significant structure here, but with a sensation of freshness that hints at mint on the mid-palate that keeps this wine in total balance. The most complete wine on the table.
2013 Camerata - (40% Cab Sauv, 30% Cab Franc, 20% Merlot, 10% Petite Verdot) - This isn’t nearly as ready for business as the Bel Canto and but qualitatively it is right in line. A bit darker, but still showing the mid palate mint-like freshness of the Bel Canto this wine shows the more savory side of Cab Sauv while maintaining the wild herbaceousness of the Franc. Splendid.
2014 Camerata - (86% Cab Sauv, 14% Cab Franc) this was a pop and pour and is still very tight, much like the 2013. There is more rounded fruit here and it seems a bit bigger. The flavor profile still retains the mid palate freshness that is a character of all of these wines but this is a serious bruiser of a wine that is going to need some time. Black currants, spices, smokey tobacco. I will buy when it is released in the fall.
2006 Bel Canto - This was was the first vintage to be release from his estate Cara Mia vineyard. I was astonished to find out that this wine came from only from third leaf fruit. The inner mouth perfume, herbed red fruit and mid palate freshness showed great poise and this wine was delicious to drink. I had been lucky enough to try this one once before where it showed fantastically in a double blind format of much more expensive wines. While this was great, what made me most excited was speculating how great the 2013 will be 10+ years as it is a superior wine IMHO. If the 2006 is this good, the 2013 will be a mind bender.

Thanks to Ben for an awesome tasting!!

That’s a VERY conservative drinking window on Coda. I throw a couple bottles in the back of the cellar every year just for grins. The '06 I opened earlier this year was no where near being over the hill, and had still improved significantly since the last bottle I’d opened.

My first rule on the Cadence wines (includes Coda, as well as the SVDs) – however long you think they will age & improve, your estimate is short by 5-10 years.

I’m newer to Cadence, but I would tend to agree. I got onto Cadence through Full Pull and have been buying the SVDs since 2011 releases. They’ve all just been slumbering in the cellar . I also crack some Codas and stash some and they’re pretty good both ways. This spring Cadence did a Mystery Library release, which helped me backfill a bit and I PnP’d a 2003 Tapteil that was just singing. Can’t wait to open more over the years.

Adam, thanks for the notes!

Agreed with both of you!! When I say the Coda “stays in line with the Cadence house style but in a much more ready to go and approachable way” it was just as much a comment on how structured and ageable the others cuvees are, as the Coda is more forward than all of them but still very much in the structured, ageable Cadence mold. Where the SVDs, especially the '13’s will go 15-20+ years for the patient, I think the Coda will be prime between 7-10 and never really shut down.

We cracked open the '07 Bel Canto this weekend and I’d say it was the best one in the Mystery Pack. The wine would probably last another 10 years, but it’s perfect now so why wait?

Glad you were able to get a tasting with Ben. He has a wealth of information, honest and humble about his craft, and makes some awesome wine. The last couple times I’ve been there he is always running around and super busy, but when you can get his time and attention, it is very rewarding.

My favorite wine year in and year out is the Bel Canto. I think the single vineyard wines need about 10 years to hit their stride. And Coda needs about 5, but can certainly go longer as well. I am almost through my 2011 Coda’s and the last '12 that I had (last year) wasn’t quite ready yet. Haven’t touched my 13’s, 14’s or '15s. Your note on the '13 Bel Canto reminds me that I need to get some as I haven’t picked up any of the '13 SVDs yet.

The '13 Bel Canto is so good. Ben indicated that the 2011 and 2013 are his best/favorite vintages to date of the Bel canto. With the 2011 taking the edge. With as good as the '13 was, I bought some of both as I already have Bel Canto back to '09 but had skipped the '11 for whatever reason. The tasting was my first experience with the Coda and I am kicking myself for not purchasing sooner.

Agree completely on the SVDs. I don’t even think about opening any of them until at least 10 years from the vintage.

Their recent “mystery” library release was a screaming value. My only regret is that I didn’t go even heavier into that offer. Hope to see another one at some point - will be a “back up the truck” at that point…

I am bummed I missed out on that library offering, it looks like it was amazing. What was the price point for a sixer?

$220 (including shipping) for the 6-pack - works out to about $37/bottle. Full case was $400. Less that current release vintage prices for those same wines.

Wow, that is bonkers. I hope they decide to do it again as I would be all over it.

I love team BenGaye. When do the '14 SVDs drop, November?

Over the last few years, they seem to have released the SVDs sometime in mid to late Q4. Your estimate above seems reasonable.

Great report Adam, huge fan of the wines and the team behind them. I bought a few of the 12 Bel Canto’s though your notes has me eyeing some of the 13’s for sure. I loved the the 13 Tapteil BTW.

Fall is right for the '14s!

And Dale, don’t sleep on the '13 Bel Canto. It was a show stopper.