2018 Horsepower "High Contrast Vineyard" Syrah Walla Walla Valley

Horsepower specializes in powerful Northern-Rhône inspired Syrah from Christophe's single vineyards. The wines are deeply brooding, very tannic, unfined and unfiltered, and full of feral, rustic flavors more reminiscent of the inky, powerful Syrahs from legendary producers in Cornas. Water and nutrients are low, so the highly stressed vines produce very small yields, which create wines with tremendous intensity and complexity reflective of the stony soils of Walla Walla. It often takes four or more vines to make one single bottle of wine! These wines are all critically acclaimed every vintage and many of them have received 100 point scores across multiple vintages. - KELLY RAU

97+ points from Jeb Dunnuck: "Last of the Syrahs, the 2018 Syrah High Contrast Vineyard reveals a deep ruby/purple color as well as a wonderfully complex, classic Syrah nose of red and black fruits, cured meats, mushrooms, bacon fat, iron, and forest floor, with a touch of flowers emerging with time in the glass. With its medium to full-bodied richness, firm, focusing tannins, and great finish, it's another wine that takes savoriness to the nth degree. I love its texture, and there's almost a Burgundian style here that keeps you coming back to the glass. Hide bottles for 4-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades."