Horsepower Vineyards: Where Old Technology Is The Next Big Thing – Forbes

When we talk about technology in the world of wine, the tendency is to focus on the latest analytical tools that grape growers and winemakers use to ensure high-quality fruit and consistent winemaking, on the newest optical sorters, or irrigation whose precision would have been unthinkable to past generations of wine professionals. Machine learning and algorithms have even found their way into the world of wine, and the impact of all of this is going to be fascinating to follow in the coming years and decades. Already, the result of these technologies has been significant and, often, delicious.

But sometimes, the technology that makes the biggest splash is of the sort that farmers would have been familiar with a thousand years ago or more. I bring this up because of how flat-out impressed I was with two wines I recently tasted from Horsepower Vineyards: The 2015 Syrah from the Tribe Vineyard and the 2015 Grenache from Sur Echalas Vineyard, both in the Walla Walla Valley of Washington. They stopped mepun intendedin my proverbial tracks with their almost preternatural ability to express the land in which their roots had been sunk. And as I did more digging, it turns out that the nameHorsepower Vineyardsisnt just a play on words, referencing the subtle power of these exquisitely detailed wines. No, its a reference to the fact that winemaker Christophe Baron, who also produces the excellent wines of Cayuse Vineyards, has relied on horses for much of his key work in the vineyardsjust as his family did beginning in 1677 when they began farming in the Marne Valley of Champagne.

Horsepower isn't just a namein this case, it's also a reference to the horses that work the ... [+] vineyards, navigating rows of vines that are far too narrow for tractors.

Baron started Horsepower in 2008, and with the help of Joel Sokoloff, the Equine and Vineyard Manager, he grows tightly spaced, densely planted vineyards that only [horses] can navigate, according to their materials. Its an ancient method of working the land, and one that affords Baron and Sokoloff the opportunity to farm their vineyards in unique, precise ways. As a result of this, Horsepower was recently awarded the Green Emblem for their focus on sustainability from Robert Parker Wine Advocate, joining a small group of 24 producers around the world and just four others in the US.

But, of course, its the wine in the glass that matters most to consumers, and after having tasted the two below, its abundantly clear that their effortsboth Baron and Sokoloff, as well as their team and, of course, the horseshave paid huge dividends. The wines are absolutely stunning. My reviews of them, plus another from Baron, the Cayuse 2016 Syrah from Cailloux Vineyard, are below. All three are fantastic.

Horsepower Grenache 2015 Sur Echalas Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley

I stuck my nose in the glass and immediately saidaudibly, and loud enough for our dog to look up in concernWhoa. This is as pure a beam of cherries and cranberries as Ive smelled in a wine in a long time, and the cracked peppercorns and garrigue hovering at the edges are just crystalline in their expressiveness. For all of that fruit on the nose, however, these aromas tee up a palate of deep and brilliant savoriness, the dried thyme and oregano spicing up cherries and their pits, pink and green peppercorns, hot licorice, scorched earth, charred beef, and a grace note of orange rind that rings through the long, deeply mineral, iron-flecked, and saline finish. This should evolve for another 15+ years easily.

Horsepower Syrah 2015 The Tribe Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley

This is so pure and powerful, with effusive aromatics of green peppercorns, cured bacon, singed and resinous rosemary, black raspberries, and smashed black cherries before a silky, propulsive palate of melted black licorice, sarsaparilla, pepper-crusted venison jerky, blackberries, and olives and, on the long, spice-flecked finish, asphalt, hot slate, dried flowers, and plum pits, as well as a hint of pencil shavings. This lingers on the tongue for a full minute-plus, and promises a decade and a half of maturing ahead.

Cayuse Syrah 2016 Cailloux Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley

Redolent of bacon, grilled game meat, white peppercorns, subtle floral notes, and plum pits, this is exceptionally savory on the nose. All of that translates to a palate rich with ripeness and tension, the interplay of hot mineral, iodine, cured olives, and mountain berries full of energy and strength. This is co-fermented with Viognier, in the Cte-Rtie style, and the similarities are remarkable: This isnt a facsimile, however; its a highly successful evocation, still tied to its remarkable place of origin in Washington with shimmering yet anchored confidence. Drink now or hold through 2036, and perhaps beyond.

The wines from Horsepower Vineyards are detailed, subtly powerful, and exceptionally complex.

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Horsepower Vineyards: Where Old Technology Is The Next Big Thing - Forbes