Horsepower Fiddleneck Vineyard 2020

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.