Cayuse Weekend

I got my first invite to the Cayuse Weekend in Walla Walla (7 years on the waiting list). Can’t wait. Any suggestions for other wines to taste or places to eat?

Leslie

For food, Saffron is a can’t miss, though I would recommend making reservations early for that weekend.

I’m pretty sure Reynvaan does their release that weekend as well, they were pretty lax about entry last time so it might be worth your time to pop over to see if you can get in and taste. Similar in style to Cayuse as their winemaker trained under Christophe, not the most popular opinion but I actually prefer them to Cayuse in my limited experience.

Thank you Bryan, I didn’t know their winemaker trained with Christophe. I’ll stop by there for sure! Just waiting for Saffron to open to call for reservations!

Go to Sleight of Hand especially if Andreas Food Truck is there for some voodoo fries.

Also TMACS for dinner

I echo what the others have said and add that there are some really nice places that are generally appointment only, but open up for walk-ins that weekend. Rasa is one of them that I believe does it.

Thanks Leonard and Terrance! I got a reservation at Saffron. Will try TMACS for Friday night. And checked Rasa and they are open. Also going to Figgins and Reynvaan.

Gramercy Cellars and Rotie Cellars are quite good. Whitehouse Crawford is another good restaurant.

Hattaways recently opened in Saffron’s old space and I have become a big fan (Saffron is, of course, great as well). Walla Walla Steak Co. is also brand new and has worked out some early kinks. Crossbuck Brewing next door to the Steak Co. is great for a more casual meal and has the best beer list in town. Passatempo’s bar is a favorite as well. You can reliably spot your favorite winemakers at the Brasserie. Bacon and Eggs is the place to go for breakfast/brunch (don’t miss the sparkling wine fridge!).

I won’t be unleashing my pet-nats and other curiosities until May when our tasting room opens, but if anyone is out later in the season I’d be happy to roll out the Berserker red carpet.

Looking forward to dining at Hattaway’s on Alder this Cayuse weekend. The Waters event with Walla Walla Steak should be pretty great too.

Second Brasserie. I still think about that bouillabaisse. Saffron was really good but wasn’t for everyone at our table. Try to get an apt at Figgins. Also Woodward Canyon has excellent wine top to bottom.

Leslie,

Walla Walla is a really fun place to taste and there are many up and coming wineries to explore.

First of all a word of warning… the Cayuse tasting will be elbow to elbow. I’ve only gone once and the wines and food were wonderful but the crowd was a bit overwhelming.

I have not been there for a few years but have a few wineries to suggest that I did not see mentioned.

Downtown we enjoyed Mark Ryan. On the Westside L’ecole No. 41 and Long Shadows are well worth a visit. Another fun thing is to visit the Airport “incubator” and try some of the new producers. We found some really good new producers there and it was fun talking to the owners and/or winemakers.

Have fun!

It’s not that bad if you go on Friday when they open.

In MN we have nothing like this. Jealous. Love Cayuse wines.

Christophe puts on a great tasting/party. You’ll have a blast. I don’t go to Walla Walla without having smoked brisket hash for breakfast at Andrae’s kitchen in the convenient store a few blocks south of town. La Monarcha taco truck is good. I had an excellent meal at Brasserie last time I was there as well. I have found some gems at the Thief wine shop as well. FX Pichler Unendlich, Planetes de Nin amphora Grenache, Keller, and even a bottle of Cantillon on the shelf! Worth stopping by. I’ll be at Cayuse on Saturday afternoon.

Yes – Friday tends to be less crowded than Saturday. But I don’t think I have ever found so crowded that it was difficult to move around.

There are lots of wineries in the area of course, so it depends on what you like. Reynvaan is probably the closest in style to Cayuse, but there are many producers that are making wine from “the Rocks.” Gramercy is really good; we also like Rotie. Garrison Creek is in the middle of a vineyard – you need to call to make an appointment but in the past we have called the same day and got in easily. The wines are very good, but the setting is quite beautiful. Lots of other good recommendations here. I second also going to the airport area. Definitely hit and miss – but there are some real gems to be found out there. Lastly, the Walla Walla Community College tasting room is fun – wines made by the students. Sometimes they are top notch, and they are very reasonably priced. It is also near Figgins if you want to go there as well. Enjoy, and don’t stress out about hitting every winery we recommend!

The wines have been mentioned a couple of times but I’ll add that Rotie has their crawfish boil the same night as the Cayuse party (Cayuse is in the morning so you can hit both) and it’s a truly fantastic party with live music and a really fun vibe.

Thanks!

Thanks so much Ron!!

Thank you for that Jesse, I checked online and they are only inviting club members unfortunately. Sounds great though!

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