Horsepower Fiddleneck Vineyard 2020

Horsepower Fiddleneck Vineyard 2020

Horsepower
$180.00

Grape: Grenache
Vintage: 2020
Type: Red

Sourced from the Fiddleneck Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley, this red wine showcases an old-school approach to the Grenache grape. Christophe Baron manages the high-density estate vineyard entirely with draft horses, avoiding modern heavy machinery to protect the rocky cobblestone soils. The grapes ferment spontaneously with native wild vineyard yeasts in neutral open tanks, prioritizing a gentle infusion process over heavy extraction. The wine matures naturally in neutral French oak barrels to preserve site transparency.

It displays a pale ruby color, releasing high-toned aromas of fresh cherry, red currant, tobacco leaf, and dried flowers. On the palate, the medium-bodied frame is juicy and precise, balancing concentrated red fruit with a fine-grained tannin structure. Savory notes of black pepper, damp earth, and iron add depth across the fluid mouthfeel without feeling heavy. A clean wave of natural acidity cuts through the texture, maintaining great freshness. It concludes bone-dry.

Horsepower is Christophe Baron's homage to the vineyard work of his family's Champagne past, translated into the stone-strewn soils of Walla Walla. The vineyards are planted at extremely high density, one vine per stake, and cultivated by draft horses rather than tractors to avoid compaction and preserve the life of the soil. As with Cayuse, the farming is biodynamic and avoids herbicides, synthetic fertilizers and chemical sprays. The wines, mostly Syrah and Grenache, come from sites such as Sur Echalas and The Tribe, and combine New World intensity with an old-fashioned, almost monastic commitment to physical vineyard work.