Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Exploding from the glass with elements of white peppercorn, spiced potpourri, black raspberry, dusty leather and cherry compote, the 2018 Grenache Sur Echalas Vineyard offers elegant earth tones of cedar, cigar box and iodine. Medium to full-bodied, the palate possesses a fantastic mineral tension with a soft stemmy essence that sways with exotic red and purple flowers, baked clay and freshly crushed peppercorn. The wine lingers with persistence over the elongated finish, offering notes of graphite and bitter black tea. The wine rested for two years in neutral demi-muids and foudre. With the beautiful lineup of Syrahs, Horsepower Vineyards is quickly becoming known for another powerhouse Rhône variety: Grenache. Almost 3,400 bottles were filled.
Rating: 96+ -
James Suckling
Blueberries, blackberries, smoke and spices on the nose. Medium-bodied with plush tannins. Juicy and creamy on the palate. Balanced and flavorful with texture and a nice structure. Supple finish with excellent length. Hints of tobacco and stems with spices. Drink or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
Coming from a vineyard planted at high density with the vines on stakes, it's an aromatic tour de force, with notes of crushed rock, stem, black and green olive, peat, potpourri, soot and grilled asparagus. Palate-coating, rich but still light-on-their-feet savory flavors follow, with impressive structure behind it all. A crazy long flower- and olive-filled finish only ups the appeal of this completely captivating offering. Give it some time in the cellar to see it at its best.
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Wine Spectator
Sleek and elegantly taut, with cherry and raspberry flavors that gather in notes of smoky meat and crushed rock, finishing with refined tannins. Drink now through 2029.
Grenache thrives in any warm, Mediterranean climate where ample sunlight allows its clusters to achieve full phenolic ripeness. While Grenache's birthplace is Spain (there called Garnacha), today it is more recognized as the key player in the red blends of the Southern Rhône, namely Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône and its villages. Somm Secret—The Italian island of Sardinia produces bold, rustic, single varietal Grenache (there called Cannonau). California, Washington and Australia have achieved found success with Grenache, both flying solo and in blends.
Responsible for some of Washington’s most highly acclaimed wines, the Walla Walla Valley has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years and is home to both historic wineries and younger, up-and-coming producers.
The Walla Walla Valley, a Native American name meaning “many waters,” is located in southeastern Washington; part of the appellation actually extends into Oregon. Soils here are well-drained, sandy loess over Missoula Flood deposits and fractured basalt.
It is a region perfectly suited to Rhône-inspired Syrahs, distinguished by savory notes of red berry, black olive, smoke and fresh earth. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot create a range of styles from smooth and supple to robust and well-structured. White varieties are rare but some producers blend Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, resulting in a rich and round style, and plantings of Viognier, while minimal, are often quite successful.
Of note within Walla Walla, is one new and very peculiar appellation, called the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. This is the only AVA in the U.S. whose boundaries are totally defined by the soil type. Soils here look a bit like those in the acclaimed Rhône region of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but are large, ancient, basalt cobblestones. These stones work in the same way as they do in Chateauneuf, absorbing and then radiating the sun's heat up to enhance the ripening of grape clusters. The Rocks District is within the part of Walla Walla that spills over into Oregon and naturally excels in the production of Rhône varieties like Syrah, as well as the Bordeaux varieties.