Cadence Winery

Ben Smith and his wife Gaye McNutt founded Cadence Winery in 1998 as a side project to their professional careers. Smith was working as a software engineer at the time; the wine project began with rented winery space and contracted Red Mountain fruit, focused exclusively on Bordeaux variety blends from the outset. The operation grew through the early-to-mid 2000s as Smith's Cabernet Franc-focused approach attracted critical attention and growing customer demand. Smith and McNutt eventually transitioned to full-time wine production while maintaining the Seattle-area winery base (with no Columbia Valley facility; Cadence has remained a Seattle-region producer with all fruit sourced from Red Mountain). The producer's Bordeaux-variety focus was distinctive among early Red Mountain producers, with most early Red Mountain producers focused on Cabernet Sauvignon as the dominant single variety; Smith's emphasis on Cabernet Franc and on Bordeaux blends across multiple varieties produced a stylistic distinction that became central to Cadence's identity.

• Ben Smith and Gaye McNutt founded Cadence Winery 1998 as side project to professional careers; Smith software engineer at the time
• Operation grew through early-to-mid 2000s as Cab Franc-focused approach attracted critical attention and customer demand
• Seattle-area winery base: no Columbia Valley facility; all fruit sourced from Red Mountain
• Bordeaux-variety focus distinctive among early Red Mountain producers: most focused on Cabernet Sauvignon single variety; Smith's Cab Franc emphasis and multi-variety blends produced stylistic distinction

Cadence's Red Mountain fruit sourcing centers on three principal vineyards. Ciel du Cheval Vineyard (the Jim Holmes operation supplying many WA premium producers) provides the source for the Cadence Bel Canto and other Ciel du Cheval vineyard-designated bottlings; the Holmes vineyard's premium grower-supplier role positions Cadence among the dozens of Washington premium producers using Ciel du Cheval fruit. Tapteil Vineyard (another Red Mountain premium grower-supplier site) anchors the Camerata vineyard-designated bottling. Cara Mia Vineyard ('my dear' in Italian) is Smith and McNutt's 10.5-acre estate vineyard purchased on Red Mountain; the first vines were planted in 2004 with first harvest in 2006. Cara Mia anchors Cadence's estate-tier bottlings and provides Smith with direct vineyard-management control over a portion of the production. The three-vineyard model allows Cadence to produce vineyard-designated single-vineyard Bordeaux blends from each site, demonstrating the within-Red-Mountain stylistic variation across the AVA's premier grower sites.

• Ciel du Cheval Vineyard (Jim Holmes Red Mountain): principal contracted source; Cadence Bel Canto and other Ciel du Cheval vineyard-designated bottlings
• Tapteil Vineyard (Red Mountain premium grower-supplier): anchors Cadence Camerata vineyard-designated bottling
• Cara Mia Vineyard ('my dear' in Italian, 10.5 acres estate): planted 2004, first harvest 2006; Smith and McNutt purchased; anchors estate-tier bottlings
• Three-vineyard model: vineyard-designated single-vineyard Bordeaux blends from each site; demonstrates within-Red-Mountain stylistic variation across premier grower sites

Ben Smith's Cabernet Franc focus has earned him the Cab Franc Savant nickname among Washington wine community insiders. The Cadence Bordeaux blends typically feature Cabernet Franc at higher percentages than typical Red Mountain blends (often 30-50 percent Cab Franc in some bottlings versus the 5-15 percent typical in Cabernet Sauvignon-led WA Bordeaux blends), and the Cadence single-varietal Cabernet Franc bottlings anchor Washington's premium Cab Franc reference. The Cabernet Franc-led approach produces a stylistic register that distinguishes Cadence from the Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant Quilceda Creek, Hedges, and other Red Mountain producers: more herbaceous-elegant character, lighter tannic backbone, brighter fruit profile, and slightly different ageing trajectory. The musical naming convention across the Cadence lineup (Cadence, Bel Canto, Camerata, Coda, Crescent, Ciel du Cheval) reflects Smith's interest in music; the producer's identity combines the software-engineering analytical sensibility with the musical naming aesthetic.

• Ben Smith Cab Franc Savant nickname: among Washington wine community insiders; Cadence Bordeaux blends feature Cabernet Franc at higher percentages (30-50% in some bottlings vs 5-15% typical in Cab Sauvignon-led WA blends)
• Cadence single-varietal Cabernet Franc bottlings: anchor Washington's premium Cab Franc reference
• Cabernet Franc-led stylistic register: more herbaceous-elegant character, lighter tannic backbone, brighter fruit profile, slightly different ageing trajectory than Cab Sauvignon-dominant Red Mountain producers
• Musical naming convention: Cadence, Bel Canto, Camerata, Coda, Crescent, Ciel du Cheval; reflects Smith's interest in music; combines software-engineering analytical sensibility with musical naming aesthetic

Cadence's lineup includes vineyard-designated Bordeaux blends from each of the three Red Mountain vineyards plus multi-vineyard reserve bottlings. The Bel Canto (Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Bordeaux blend, typically Cab Franc-led) anchors the producer's most consistent reference. The Camerata (Tapteil Vineyard Bordeaux blend) shows the Tapteil-specific terroir expression. The Cara Mia Vineyard bottlings (the estate vineyard) show the estate-control register. The Coda (multi-vineyard reserve Bordeaux blend) anchors the upper-tier Cadence reference. The producer's modest production scale of approximately 2,500-3,000 cases per year supports the artisanal Red Mountain producer model; distribution is direct-to-mailing-list plus limited specialty wholesale through premium Seattle and broader West Coast retailers. The Cadence operation represents an alternative Washington premium producer model: small-scale Cabernet Franc-focused Bordeaux blend specialist with three-vineyard portfolio across Red Mountain rather than large-scale single-variety Cabernet Sauvignon production.

• Bel Canto (Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Bordeaux blend, typically Cab Franc-led): producer's most consistent reference
• Camerata (Tapteil Vineyard Bordeaux blend): Tapteil-specific terroir expression; vineyard-designated single-vineyard
• Cara Mia Vineyard bottlings (estate vineyard, planted 2004): estate-control register; provides Smith direct vineyard-management
• Coda (multi-vineyard reserve Bordeaux blend): upper-tier Cadence reference; ~2,500-3,000 cases/year total; direct-to-mailing-list + limited specialty wholesale