Today we share the world-class wines of Horsepower Vineyards. Vigneron Christophe Baron had a strong affinity for animals, as draft horses worked the Champagne vineyards that he and his family resided over. Today we see that childhood inspiration which that led to creating one of the most coveted lineup of wines in the Pacific Northwest, Horsepower Vineyards. In his Walla Walla AVA vineyards his horses 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. I am consistently blown away with the wines that come this profound site in the Walla Walla AVA. The tightly spaced Sur Echalas Vineyard produces wines that show incredible underlying tension. They have been stunning wines regardless of vintage — wines that shine even in the most challenging of conditions.
Bionic Wines Director of Winemaking Elizabeth Bourcier is an incredible talent in West Coast wine. Bourcier studied under Christophe and has been producing sensational wines for many years now. She did an amazing job with the challenging 2020 vintage. The new wines I tasted come from the warm 2021 vintage. These remind me of 2018 in their fleshy profile. All wines are deep and concentrated but show fantastic underlying finesse. They are better overall wines than the 2020s — up there with the finest wines I have ever tasted from Horsepower Vineyards. I think there is little reason to cellar these, as the level of tension and flavor/aromatic range is truly outstanding.
I reviewed three of these wines at 100 points. The 2021 Horsepower ‘Sur Echalas Vineyard’ Grenache (OB, 100) is absolutely stunning with amazing verve, mouthfeel and a literal cornucopia of flavors. This is a must-purchase for any Grenache lover. Learn more about about these monumental wines at https://horsepowervineyards.com/horsepowervineyards/ Here are my reviews of the new 2021 releases by Horsepower Vineyards.
2021 Horsepower Vineyards ‘Sur Echalas Vineyard’ Grenache- Stony, salty and very savory, the stunning 2021 Horsepower Vineyards ‘Sur Echalas Vineyard’ Grenache is one of the great wines that I have tasted over the past year —and is nothing short of perfection in a bottle. Coming from this very tightly-spaced site set on cobblestones in Milton-Freewater, this nose can only be from one place in the world. Seaweed, wet gravel, anise, bacon fat and menthol notes all combine with pure pomegranate and red cherry fruits on the nose. The palate is extremely stony and salty, with loads of mouth-watering acidity. Finishing long, this memorable effort with serious nerve is already drinking beautifully now — but will cellar well over the next eight plus years. Drink 2023-2031- 100
2021 Horsepower Vineyards ‘Fiddleneck Vineyard’ Grenache- The 2021 ‘Fiddleneck Vineyard’ Grenache comes from this vineyard which was planted back in 2015. The Grenache was stored for 15 months in neutral oak prior to bottling. The Rayas-level of pure red fruits expressed here is second to none. It takes on Syrah-like level of concentration, with garrigue, smoked brisket and Mandarin orange zest flavors that mingle well with suggestions of guava puree and loganberry flavors. With more air the stony and salty nuances take shape, as this highly novel Grenache is a stunning foil to the ‘Sur Echalas’ and completely deserves its spot at the high table of top Grenache wines made in North America. Viscous, novel and tension-filled, I see no reason to cellar this total heavyhitter of a wine as it is drinking magically right now. Drink 2023-2031-100
2021 Horsepower Vineyards ‘Sur Echalas Vineyard’ Syrah- You are going to be completely enamored by the 2021 ‘Sur Echalas Vineyard’ Syrah which is one of the great wines made in this warm vintage. Horsepower Vineyards Director of Winemaking, Elizabeth Bourcier, has crafted another utterly stunning bottling. The nose is massively complex from white truffle shavings, tar, black licorice candy, wet rocks, Umami and potpourri notes that mingle well with parma ham tones. Once on the mouth this beauty effortlessly glides throughout the drinking experience. The palate is soft, round and generous with a sensational sense of texture, weight and viscosity, yet is light on its feet with serious tension and salty/stony nuances. This has to be up there with the 2018 bottling as the finest ‘Sur Echalas’ Syrah ever made. Heady and intense, this is drinking beautifully now and will surely live on for another decade. Drink 2023-2033- 100
2021 Horsepower Vineyards ‘High Contrast Vineyard’ Syrah- The astonishingly good 2021 Horsepower Vineyards ‘High Contrast Vineyard’ Syrah comes from a vineyard that is set on a combination of ancient cobblestones and silty loam soils. Aged for 15 months in large format neutral French oak barrels, this shows plenty of stony nuances on the nose alongside citrus rind, charcuterie, black olive tapenade and shades of dark truffle crudo. The palate shows great length, weight and salty undercurrents, as the weight of this wine alongside the mouth-watering acidity really makes this shine. There is little doubt that this is the finest edition of this wine made yet as this stunning Syrah flirts with perfection. Enjoy now and over the next eight plus years. Drink 2023-2031- 99
2021 Horsepower Vineyards ‘The Tribe Vineyard’ Syrah- Heady, intense and very gratifying to savor now, the 2021 Horsepower Vineyards ‘The Tribe Vineyard’ Syrah is a magical wine from this warm vintage. Once on the nose this takes on anise and dark currants alongside wet stone, salted meats, Black Forest cake, Hoisin sauce, violets and shades of Nori. The heady aromatics bring you back to the glass for more hedonistic enjoyment. The palate is plush and soft with serious weight and texture. Enjoy this wow-factor Syrah now and over the next eight plus years to come Drink 2023-2031- 98