Christophe Baron has done it again. With his talent, he seems to have a wonderful knack for boutique wine projects. Horsepower is no exception. More than 100 years ago draft horses had changed farming practices in Europe for the better. Soon after in the United States thousands of horses were working on American farms. Baron has two horses that he uses for his vineyards, named Red and Zeppo. The horses are from a famous breed that was first domesticated in ancient Egypt. Red and Zeppo help cultivate vineyards ranging from 3,555 to 4,840 vines per acre with as little as 3' x 3' spacing—planted 1 vine per stake, or “sur echalas” in French. Which is where the Sur Echalas vineyard comes into play. This vineyard is the source for the remarkably good 2012 Horsepower ‘Sur Echalas Vineyard’ Grenache. This vineyard is a 3-foot by 3-foot spacing and 4,840 vines per acre. Horsepower winery says that the 2 acre vineyard of Syrah and Grenache is the highest density planting in the Walla Walla Valley and one of the highest in North America!
Baron has been making the Sur Echalas Vineyard Grenache since 2011. This past vintage he was blessed with near perfect growing conditions. The 2012 version of this wine is a knockout with beautiful aromatics and an incredible array of ripe fruit flavors alongside incredible minerality. It is the best of its kind that I have reviewed this year. Here is my review for the 2012 Horsepower ‘Sur Echalas Vineyard’ Grenache. Check out more about Horsepower at https://horsepowervineyards.com/horsepowervineyards/
Here is my review for International Wine Report: http://internationalwinereport.com/…/5042-horsepower-vineya… #horsepowervineyards #horsepower
2012 Horsepower ‘Sur Echalas Vineyard’ Grenache- This wine comes from the esteemed ‘Sur Echalas Vineyard’ which has the highest density planting in the Walla Walla Valley. This is the second release of this wine. There are incredibly rich aromas of smoke, wet stone, tarragon, lavender and Bing cherry. The intense aromatics make you want to smell this wine for days. This leads to lush flavors of raspberry, cherry cola, essence of lavender, Mandarin orange rind and a wonderful effervescence. This is an incredible and memorable wine. The palate just glides and the finish lingers. Christophe Baron is on top of his A game. Drink 2015-2030- 97