Horsepower, a cult wine from Washington State.
Since its release, it has received rave reviews from various specialist magazines and has quickly become a star wine. In the United States, it is sold via mailing lists, and many people line up to eagerly await its release each year.
As the name suggests, Horsepower Vineyards plows its fields using only horsepower.
Christophe Baron, a vigneron (wine grower) from Cayeuse, has become the envy of wine connoisseurs around the world.
In his grandfather's time there were horses in every field.
Christophe was not only the first to adopt biodynamic practices in Walla Walla, but also the first to use horses for farming.
This field is characterized by its narrow, dense planting, which means that only horses can enter.
This is a rare label created by the Champagne genius Christophe Baron, who succeeded Cayeuse, and the fields are cultivated using biodynamic farming methods, entirely with horse power, without the use of any herbicides, chemical fertilizers, pesticides or fungicides.
Christophe's team represents tradition and history, and continues to write that history today.
This wine is Christophe's connection to his roots.
It is also a tribute to traditional techniques and family.
Like the Earth, it embraces all things, old and new.
That's Horsepower Vineyards.
Owen Bargreen 96 Points The 2020 "Fiddleneck Vineyard" Grenache, with its striking bright yellow label, is sourced from stony soil that sits on silty loam and ancient basalt cobbles.
The vineyard was first planted in 2015 and the wine was aged in neutral oak for 15 months before bottling.
This wine is quite different from the 2019 and at first sniff it comes across as more like Syrah than Grenache.
The aromas of Provencal herbs, white peppercorn-crusted beef brisket, black cherry compote and Kalamata olive tapenade fill the air, creating a rich, wonderful stone-smoked aroma.
On the palate, mouthwatering acidity and a seamless texture exude grace as tart red fruits parade alongside volcanic ash, menthol, bergamot and salty minerals.
Given the challenges of the year, this is a huge success.
New World Grenache like this is rare and if tasting blind I might have imagined a Syrah from this region.
This wine has already evolved beautifully and can be enjoyed now or over the next 5-7 years.
You can enjoy it from 2022 to 2029.
This vineyard was planted in the ancient riverbed of the Walla Walla River on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley.
The topsoil is 30-46cm thick and is a mixture of silty loam and basalt boulders.
Beneath this lies a layer of purely compressed cobblestone, more than 30 metres deep in some places.
Overall, it was cooler than average, resulting in a rainy harvest for the first time in a while.
Due to the late veraison, there is little sugar accumulation overall and excellent acidity.
Compared to recent vintages, 2019 was a mild year.
There was no sudden heat wave or temperatures above 38°C for any extended period of time.
During harvest, the days and nights were unusually cool, which raised acid levels a bit and gave the wines great balance.
The year 2019 shows elegant and very bright characteristics.
The nose is full of spicy fruitiness, with many overlapping spice characteristics.
It's juicy, delicious and very fresh.
The cool days and nights brought out the beautiful core of the fruit.
It takes a lot of work to make great wine in a cool vintage, but in 2019 the vegetation made all the difference.
For these reasons, the 2019 vintage has produced wines that are excellent food-friendly with balanced alcohol and rich tannins.
The vineyards have been farmed biodynamically since 2015 using Belgian and Percheron draft horses.
Aged 15 months in 100% French oak.
Horsepower is a cult wine from Washington State, made using 0% new oak barrels.
Horsepower Vineyards is a rare wine produced by Champagne genius Christophe Baron, who succeeded Cayeuse.
The fields are ploughed entirely by horse power.
Christophe's team represents tradition and history – and continues to write that history today.
This wine is Christophe's connection to his roots.
It is also a tribute to traditional techniques and family.
Like the Earth, it embraces all things, old and new.
That's Horsepower Vineyards.
Vigneron Christophe Baron first began practicing biodynamic farming in Washington's Walla Walla Valley in 2002.
Horsepower does not use any herbicides, chemical fertilizers, pesticides or fungicides. They work their vineyards with five farm horses, cultivating vineyards in small spaces of just 0.9m x 0.9m using the French term "sur echalas", where each vine is tied to a single stake.
As the eldest son of Baron Albert, a Champagne House with a Hundred Years of History, Christophe's family has been farming the land in France's Marne Valley since 1677.
Until 1957, all vineyard work was done by horse.
Horsepower represents a return to this tradition, to an artisanal simplicity and purpose that has now been all but lost.
It's a window on the Old World, rooted in the New World.
Day in and day out, the only sound to be heard across all three fields is the thumping of hooves, a tradition that continues to plough and protect Horsepower's stony fields.