Hors Categorie Vineyards

Hidden in the foothills of the Blue Mountains, where the north and south fork of the Walla Walla River converge, the Syrah vines of Hors Catégorie Vineyard cling to a steep hillside. Beneath ragged cliffs and surrounded by rocky outcroppings, their roots struggle for nourishment in the fractured basalt.

“Hors Catégorie” loosely translates to “In a class of its own”.

It’s a rare terroir, absolutely unique in America, with a climate, exposure and topography creating an incomparable wine-growing estate. “This combination of expressiveness, power and weightlessness is rare in American syrah,” said Wine Spectator’s Harvey Steiman, who visited the site in 2015 and tasted the first wine straight from the puncheon. “Hors Catégorie looks like a jewel.”