Horsepower Vineyards Sur Echalas Vineyard Grenache 2017
-
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator -
James
Suckling -
Wine
Enthusiast
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Starting with the 2017 Grenache Sur Echalas Vineyard, this beauty is the spitting image of a great vintage of Rayas and offers a complex bouquet of black raspberries, white pepper, spring flowers, and sappy herbs. These all carry to a medium to full-bodied, ethereal Grenache that has a light, graceful texture, silky tannins, and a great finish. It shows the more elegant, almost Pinot Noir-like style of Grenache on the palate and is flawlessly balanced. Just a singular, remarkable wine, drink it any time over the coming 15 years or more.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Power and elegance. The 2017 Grenache Sur Echalas Vineyard bangs with bright red fruit character with fantastic clarity and a pure sense of underlying terroir at its core. Intoxicating floral aromas of Sakura, crushed rose petals and hints of lavender flood the senses first, followed by layers of wild strawberries, bright cherry skin and crushed raspberries in the glass. It is medium-bodied on the palate, with delicate savory and spice tones that fade in and out between the seductive red fruit and floral notes, giving way to an impeccably balanced structure with energetic acidity and a robust shine and gleam to the fruit. An instant success, the palate is full of flavor and mouth-watering juiciness without being overripe. Immensely pleasureful, the wine delivers an elongated yet compact finish that continues to evolve and unpack in the mouth with persistence. Hands-down, it's a winner!
-
Wine Spectator
Dynamic yet refined, featuring a brooding core of dark blueberry fruit, surrounded by rich raspberry, bacon fat and slate accents that build tension toward medium-bodied tannins.
-
James Suckling
The aromas of dried strawberries and cloves are really pretty. It’s full-bodied with ultra-fine tannins that frame a balance of harmonious, ripe fruit. Touch of bitterness on the finish. Extremely long and thoughtful here.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Compelling soot, green-olive, grilled asparagus, potpourri, licorice and raspberry aromas are followed by a palate that is more restrained in style than the aromas would suggest. It has a pillowy soft feel to the savory flavors. Outrageous potpourri and sea-breeze notes linger on the finish.
Other Vintages
2020-
Wine
Enthusiast -
James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Spectator -
Wine
Enthusiast
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast -
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator
-
Wine
Enthusiast -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator -
James
Suckling
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator -
James
Suckling
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast
Tradition isn’t an abstract concept to Christophe Baron, founder of both Cayuse Vineyards and Horsepower Vineyards—he was born into it. The oldest son of the centuries-old Champagne house, Baron Albert, his family has worked their land in the Marne Valley of France since 1677. As recently as 1957 horses still did all of the vineyard cultivation.
Horsepower represents a return to that time, to a simplicity of craftsmanship and purpose that has been largely lost in the modern translation. It’s a window to the Old World—right here in the new.
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.