Buty Rediviva of the Stones 2009

Buty Rediviva of the Stones is made from 77% Syrah, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon.

We produced our inaugural Rediviva of the Stones in 2001. This premium pairing of syrah and cabernet sauvignon was the first of its kind in Washington State and continues to set the standard for this blend among the great wineries of the Northwest. The grapes for Rediviva of the Stones come from the vineyards of LeFore, Morrison Lane, Les Collines, and River Rock in the coveted Milton cobblestones section of the Walla Walla Valley appellation.

We harvested our different clones of syrah as each block ripened on September 24, October 1 and October 5, which together yielded natural alcohols of 13.8%. All grapes were harvested by hand and hand-sorted on modern shaker tables, with gravity transfer to tank. As is our style with this wine, the syrahs fermented whole cluster by native yeast for two weeks. We kept the ferments cool and only free-run wine was used. The original lees were excellent and aromatic, so we aged the wine with them in old
puncheons and barrels until bottling. Cellared 15 months, It was bottled January of 2011.

The 2009 vintage shows off what a warmer growing season can do to bring power to our Rediviva of the Stones, while still maintaining the fineness and aromatics that have always defined this wine. This is an intense wine, but for all of its richness and black fruit extraction, it also shows lovely perfume and acidity. The savory notes from wholecluster fermentation and lees aging balance with the generous ripe fruit. At the same time, these natural techniques preserve the inimitable signature tone of the Milton gravels. Enjoyable now, it will age for a decade or more. Three hundred sixty-five cases including large formats were bottled.

The Buty Winery Estate
Pronounced "Beauty", Buty winery was founded in 2000 by owners Caleb Foster and Nina Buty, inspired by a decade of vintages from Washington and overseas. An artisan producer, Buty creates vineyard designated chardonnay, a crisp white blend and nuanced red blends—including Rediviva, Washington’s pioneering blend of syrah and cabernet sauvignon. The Rediviva of the Stones will be grown from the 2008 plantings at Rockgarden, their organic Estate vineyard in the cobblestones of Walla Walla.
Since the spring of 2001 they have worked with Californian consultant Zelma Long. Zelma’s multiple decades of worldwide winegrowing and winemaking offer a great breadth of wine and vine knowledge and a “whole business” perspective to Buty.
The philosophy of winegrowing and winemaking at Buty is one of balance, artisanship and enjoyment, as we aim to capture the essence of the grape in bottle.

The Buty Winery Vineyard
Caleb and Nina purchased 10 acres of apple orchard in Milton-Freewater in late 2006. In 2008, they organically prepared and planted Buty’s Estate, Rockgarden. The famous cobblestones section of the Walla Walla Valley appellation is located in the southeast part of the valley. In the 5% highest elevation of the cobblestones, this Grand Cru section has been the most prized farming section since the Walla Walla Valley was settled over one hundred years ago. Grand Cru is defined and set apart from its neighbors by location, history and consistently superior wines. We waited years to buy only here. Anywhere else further out in the cobblestones would have been a compromise. Developing the Estate with one wine in mind—the Rediviva of the Stones—we have densely planted clones of syrah, cabernet sauvignon, grenache, mourvèdre, marsanne and roussanne.

The Columbia Valley Appellation wines are sourced from six great estate grown vineyards. Caleb’s experience making wine from Champoux and Conner Lee Vineyards spans 16 vintages since 1992. All winegrowing stages are all maintained to Buty’s specific goals from pruning to shoot positioning, prevéraison cluster thinning, water and pest management, and the day and the time of harvest. They exclusively harvest by hand and hand berry sort on a shaker table before fermentation.