Horsepower Vineyards Wine at Flickinger Wines

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Horsepower Vineyards

2020

Fiddleneck Vyd. Grenache

$99

VM 92 (8/2023): The 2020 Grenache Fiddleneck Vineyard is savory and earthy to the core, wafting up with an herbal-tinged bouquet of wild strawberries, spiced citrus, olives, wet stone and underbrush. This is round and soothing on the palate, mixing salty and sweet with vividly ripe red fruits and candied orange offset by exotic spice and saline minerals. It finishes long and peppery with a slightly smoky sensation as grippy, somewhat bitter tannins resonate. I must admit to finding this wine wildly attractive, yet the finish gives me a bit of pause. That said, it's a beauty. (Drink between 2023-2029). Eric Guido.

JD 90+ (6/2023): Ripe black cherries, mulberries, sappy herbs, spring flowers, and scorched earth notes all emerge from the 2020 Grenache Fiddleneck Vineyard, a more medium to full-bodied, structured, tannic Grenache that has lots of minerality as well as some firmer tannins that emerge on the finish. It's not as successful as the Sur Echalas Vineyard, and it's going to be interesting to see where this goes.

WA 89 (5/2023): Dark, dense and almost overripe with broad-shouldered, dark red-fruited expressions, the 2020 Grenache Fiddleneck Vineyard offers a firmly mineral nose with savory essences. Medium to full-bodied, the wine initially shows a full, firm and rich mouthfeel that quickly compresses to reveal a compact tannic edge. It shed away the fruit expressions to end with a strict, astringent and bitter finish.

2020

High Contrast Vyd. Syrah

$95

VM 96+ (8/2023): The 2020 Syrah High Contrast Vineyard is youthfully restrained, with blackberry and clove offset by wet stone and sage. This is soft and enveloping, with silken textures and ripe black fruits, all energized by brilliant acidity. This finishes with a salty flourish, gripping the palate with youthful tension. Spiced citrus mingles with silty tannins as savory hints of rosemary fade. This is so giving today, yet also beautifully balanced for the cellar. (Drink between 2024-2032). Eric Guido.

JD 95 (6/2023): Similarly translucent purple-hued, the 2020 Syrah High Contrast Vineyard has a brilliant perfume of cassis, leafy herbs, ground pepper, and smoked meat, with some background iodine, lavender, and assorted Rocks funk all developing with time in the glass. The palate is terrific as well, with a dense, concentrated mid-palate, building tannins, and a great finish. This meaty, smoky, gamey, exotic Syrah will benefit from a few years of bottle age and evolve for 10-15 with ease. (Drink between 2025-2040).

WA 92 (5/2023): Displaying a deep magenta core and an open-knit nose, the 2020 Syrah High Contrast Vineyard is earthy with spicy and savory tones that sway with black cherry skin and hot rocks. Medium to full-bodied, the palate reveals a dense and chewy mouthfeel with spicy and umami essences before gliding to a fresh, lingering finish with a tannic edge and persistent mineral essences.

2015

Sur Echalas Vyd. Grenache

$115

JD 94 (4/2018): The 2015 Grenache Sur Echalas Vineyard is a classic expression of both the terroir and the variety. Black cherries, strawberries, ground pepper, and forest floor notes all flow to a medium to full-bodied, silky Grenache that has incredible character and depth. Drink it over the coming decade.

2020

Sur Echalas Vyd. Grenache

$95

VM 94 (8/2023): The 2020 Grenache Sur Echalas Vineyard wafts up with a mentholated freshness, mixing crushed wild berries and exotic spices with savory sage and ashen stone aromas. This is round and supple, displaying ample weight yet also balance, with a pepper mix of woodland berries and spiced citrus. Juicy acidity maintains a lovely freshness as the 2020 finishes pleasantly chewy yet still fresh with silty tannins. (Drink between 2023-2030). Eric Guido.

JD 94 (6/2023): Revealing a translucent ruby hue, the 2020 Grenache Sur Echalas Vineyard has a complex bouquet of earthy red and black fruits, cold fireplace, rose petals, and charcoal, with an incredibly meaty, gamey style that develops beautifully with air. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has fine tannins, a lively, elegant mouthfeel, and outstanding length. I don't think it matches the 2019, but it's clearly a beautiful, elegant, classic 2020 with tons to love. It should evolve for 10-15 years. (Drink between 2023-2038).

WA 88 (5/2023): The 2020 Grenache Sur Echalas Vineyard opens to leathery and savory notions on the nose with wilted dusty flowers and hints of olive and red and black peppercorns. Medium to full-bodied, the wine initially shows a tight mineral tension on the palate, with gripping tannins and a slight prickle as the fruit and tertiary expressions subside for persistent, bitter and astringent sensations that leave me chewing the wine. While the nose is lovely and savory, I really can't get past the clipped, tannic and chewy finish to bring myself back for a second sip this year.

2015

Sur Echalas Vyd. Syrah

$114.75

JD 93+ (4/2018): The 2015 Syrah Sur Echalas Vineyard is a savory, tertiary effort that’s reminiscent of red wine filtered through a rocky riverbed. Earth, chalky minerality, wood smoke, and sous bois notes, as well as both red and black fruits, give way to a medium to full-bodied, seamless Syrah that has light tannin, no hard edges, and a singular, transparent character. It’s going to gain weight with 2-3 years in bottle and drink well for a decade.

2015

Sur Echalas Vyd. Syrah

$115

2012

The Tribe Vyd. Syrah

$149

WA 97 (6/2015): More gamy, bloody and meaty than the Sur Echalas Vineyard Syrah, the 2012 Syrah The Tribe Vineyard is a full-bodied, elegant, concentrated and structured effort that gives up complex notes of savory dark fruits, beef blood, dried herbs, pepper and olives. It's another incredible Syrah that needs short-term cellaring, but will have two decades of evolution.

VM 93+ (11/2015): (14.1% alcohol; as with the Echalas Vineyard, the Tribe is cultivated with draft horses): Dark ruby. Aromas of black cherry, liquefied lamb tartare, paprika and black licorice, plus a note of medicinal reserve. Hugely sweet and concentrated but carrying a good bit of unabsorbed CO2 and showing less finesse today than the Cayuse Syrah bottlings from the 2012 vintage. Inky and primary, with strong underlying minerality. This is distinctly Brune while the Echalas Syrah is more Blonde. Finishes with substantial ripe tannins and a slight bitter edge that will require cellaring. Stephen Tanzer.

2013

The Tribe Vyd. Syrah

$119

WA 96 (6/2015): More straight and focused than the Sur Echalas Vineyard, the 2013 Syrah The Tribe Vineyard is slightly darker in color, with lots of gunpowder, blackberry, blueberry, smoked game and beef blood aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, yet elegant and silky, with a great finish, it's a gorgeously complex, balanced and complete Syrah that has lots of Rocks character, as well as 15 years of more of longevity. I have a slight preference for the Sur Echalas Vineyard Syrah, but these share lots of similarities and are both brilliant wines.

2015

The Tribe Vyd. Syrah

$115

JD 95+ (4/2018): 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 all emerge 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’s going to drink nicely for a decade. If drinking anytime soon, don’t be afraid to give all these Horsepower releases plenty of airtime.

2016

The Tribe Vyd. Syrah

$109

JD 97+ (4/2019): The 2016 Syrah The Tribe is largely in the same mold 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’s going to benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and cruise for 15-20 years.

2020

The Tribe Vyd. Syrah

$109

VM 97 (8/2023): The 2020 Syrah The Tribe Vineyard lifts from the glass with a savory bouquet, mixing crushed peppercorns with grilled herbs, wet stones and currants. It’s profoundly textural and massive upon entry, with a core of vibrant acidity to balance, along with tart wild berry fruits and zesty acidity that offsets its power and intensity. The 2020 finishes remarkably fresh yet grippy, with inner violet and olive tones, as silty tannins add a pinch of cheek-puckering tension. The 2020 The Tribe mixes vibrancy and power in a way that I find wildly attractive. There is 90-100% whole-cluster fermentation, and it’s refined for fifteen months in neutral oak French demi muids and foudre. (Drink between 2024-2032). Eric Guido.

JD 97 (6/2023): Similar meaty, mineral-laced, smoky notes emerge from the 2020 Syrah The Tribe Vineyard, another classic Rocks Syrah from this team. Black cherries, mulberries, smoked earth, ground pepper, savory herbs, and tons of meaty, almost bloody notes define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied, with wonderful purity, fine tannins, and a great finish. This brilliant Syrah already offers pleasure yet will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and have upwards of two decades of overall longevity. (Drink between 2025-2040).

WA 95 (5/2023): Beginning with an open-knit nose and generous expression, the 2020 Syrah The Tribe Vineyard is spicy, fruity and nutty with elements of savory herbs, stewed plum skin and notes of olive tapenade. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is spicy with umami notes that sway with spicy potpourri essences followed by notes of worn leather, iodine, baked clay, graphite and pencil shavings. The wine continues to evolve and unlock new savory expressions as it glides to a delightfully spiced and firmly mineral finish with a lingering tannic edge. The wine rested for 15 months in neutral oak barrels. Enjoy with barbecue.