2015 Horsepower, The Tribe Vineyard Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, Washington, USA

Grown in the 3-acre The Tribe Vineyard and planted at 3.5’ x 3.5’ spacing. Biodynamically farmed.

The 2015 vintage was the hottest on record, offering here a broader, more approachable palate than the other vintages tasted. The wine is perfumed, lifted, and even floral with notes of violet, grapefruit blossom, fruit and pith, and black olive and olive leaf. The palate is juicy and quite lengthy with a lot of persistence, and more than that seen in the Sur Echalas from the same vintage. Beautiful. Distinctive and singular.

Drink 2019 - 2032

From an Alban massale selection of Syrah planted at a density of 3-1/2 by 3-1/2 feet in 2009; the 2015 Horsepower wines were bottled in December of 2017.

Good medium red. Musky black raspberry, truffle and game on the nose, lifted by high notes of mint and herbs. At once tactile and penetrating, displaying more punch and inner-mouth floral lift than the Sur Echalas vineyard Syrah. But this juicy wine is still youthfully imploded. Finishes firmly tannic, with black pepper, spice notes, and a persistent saline character. Very promising.

Drink 2021 - 2029

The Horsepower wines are made at Cayuse yet from their own vineyards farmed exclusively by horses. The wines share many similarities with the Cayuse releases yet have slightly more backward profiles that demand bottle age to show at their best.

Cut from the same cloth, the 2015 Syrah The Tribe Vineyard offers slightly more depth and length. Blackcurrants, ground pepper, smoked earth, and a beef broth-like meatiness emerges from this full-bodied, deep, layered Syrah that offers more purity and floral nuances with time in the glass. Like the Sur Echalas Vineyard release, it has silky tannin, integrated acidity, and a great finish. Give it 2-3 years of bottle age, and it will drink nicely for a decade. If drinking anytime soon, don’t be afraid to give all these Horsepower releases plenty of airtime.

Drink 2021 - 2031

This shows beautifully executed freshness and complexity with charcuterie, graphite, abundant spice and a dusting of pepper, bright berry fruits and an enchanting floral edge. The palate has light, playful tannins and is wildly charming and lacy; it offers blackberries and spiced red cherries wrapped neatly. Syrah at its ethereal best.

Drink or hold

Of these three offerings from Horsepower, the 2015 Syrah The Tribe Vineyard will require the most time, as it's the most tight-knit at this early stage, slowly unwinding in the glass with savory aromas of raw cocoa, tapenade, nori and ripe blackberries. On the palate, it's full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a rich chassis of satiny structuring tannins and a layered, umami-laden core of fruit. At 13.6% alcohol, it's also beautifully balanced.

Drink 2022 - 2040