2016 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 two keywords for The Tribe Vineyard Syrah are intensity and density. This wine is savoury and distinctly different from the Sur Echalas. There is more fruit purity here, less funk on the nose. The aromatic salts drive it, so characteristic of the stones of southern Walla Walla and bring a sense of refinement and delicacy. Finessed and textural. It is friendlier and more approachable than the Sur Echalas, with a delicious balance and still those characteristic accents of grey salts and dried, salted meats.

Drink 2020 - 2032

Full, bright medium red. Alluring, vibrant scents of raspberry, steak tartare and Benedictine herbs are lifted by a floral top note and complicated by a faint barnyard note that screams out Rhône Valley. Then dense, savoury and alive, with its intense red raspberry fruit joined by a slightly meaty wildness and perked up on the back by black pepper. A classic Old World style of Syrah with terrific definition and lift and a very long, rising finish featuring dusty, well-supported tannins. This utterly captivating wine boasts rare persistence for seven-year-old vines and should age well.

Drink 2022 - 2032

The 2016 Syrah, The Tribe Vineyard, has complex aromas of peppercorn-crusted meat, iodine and smoke, along with crushed violets and a wet river rock minerality. The wine is medium to full-bodied on the palate, showing soft tones of underbrush that add to the range of the expressions on the palate, later moving to a delicate stemmy note with a flutter of Sakura. The finish is thoughtful and complete, with good focus and balance. Only 525 cases were produced.

Drink 2020 - 2040

This has such impressive, silky black fruit with interwoven spices and subtle, meaty nuances. The intensity of the fruit is dialled up in this wine. A very pure, bright fruit core here pushes out of the mid-palate with a lot of energy and stony, graphite-like notes. This has a wealth of dark berries on offer. Such length and balance. Planted at 8,500 vines per hectare. 

Drink or hold. Best from 2022.

The 2016 Syrah The Tribe is mainly in the same mould with a gamy, meaty, backward profile. Smoked meats, earthy dark fruits, ground pepper, and wood smoke are all present in this medium to full-bodied, concentrated Syrah that will benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and cruise for 15-20 years.

Drink 2022 - 2037