Horsepower - first bottles

We have been on the Horsepower list since day 1. Big Walla Walla fans. Naturally we have accumulated quite a stash.

This weekend we are opening our first two, 2012 Syrah & a 2013 Grenache. Sure hope we like it, fairly confident we will.

Any advice as to how long this needs to be opened before they’re ready to enjoy?

Will sharing boring tasting notes of course.

I had a 2011 Grenache 2 weeks ago and I let it slow ox in the bottle for about two hours. My tasting note was basically it’s like eating tapas & berry pie while you have a bloody nose & gave it a 94.
The 2012 Syrah is next up on deck (was thinking Easter or soon after) as well so please post your thoughts as well.

Tasting note of the year?

Seriously! That’s awesome.

Looking forward to the tasting notes on the Syrah. I bought the 2012 & 2013 vintages and found very little fruit. I like funk and meaty notes, but these were straight olive juice to my taste buds. Stopped buying but stashed away a couple of bottles to see what they are like at 15 years old. Cheers!

I’m in just for the visual of having a bloody nose while giving a wine 94pts.

Honestly it was the best thing I could think of. Sometime you got blood/iron/metal in the aromas and sometimes it seemed you got it on the palate - it was awesome. I have a 2014 HP Grenache in the cellar but am considering picking up a few more from other vintages from Benchmark.

For the sake of TNOTY or WOTY, while I had this in 2021 which is only a few months in, thus far what has scored high as or higher are:
2011 Marcassin Chardonnay
2008 Cayuse Flying Pig
2011 Saxum Broken Stones
NV Roulot Liqueur d’Abricot
1995 Taken From Granite (Clos Saron) Soleil Renaissance Vineyard

94+ wines in 2020 being:
2013 Monocole Cabernet Sauvignon
2017 Dureuill-Janthial Rully 1er Cru Le Meix Cadot Blanc
2010 J. Vidal-Fleury Cote-Rotie La Chatillonne
2010 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova
2014 Paolo Bea San Valentino x 2
2016 Caraccioli El Bec Pinot Noir
2003 Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyards Durif McDowell Valley
2014 Antica Terra Antikythera Pinot Noir
2014 Ultramarine Blanc de Blancs
2015 Pisoni Estate
1993 Otto Pauly Graacher Himmelreich Beernauslese
2011 Cayuse Bionic Frog
2018 Clarice Wine Co. SLH Auction Lot Pinot Noir
2011 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle
2012 Saxum Terry Hoage

Does anyone know if Horsepower recently raised the price of their wines? I just got my first offer and I’m somewhat disappointed that the price, especially after shipping, is more than I’m finding for several older bottles at auction, and even compared to a good amount of retail prices, the list price doesn’t seem horribly attractive. Did the winery recently raise prices or are the wines just good buys in the secondary market (or am I just missing something)?

It’s been 121 a bottle for the 3 vintages I’ve bought.

I was on the list for the first two vintages and fell off, but recently re-inquired and also got an offer today for 2018 High Contrast Syrah. I’m not familiar with this bottling… is it similar to Sur Echalas and Tribe?

I got the same offer but when I clicked through I was offered the tribe bottling instead of high contrast. Anyone else have that happen?

I was offered High Contrast + able to wish list a 3 pack of each of the others I think.

I’ve only had the 2012 Tribe Syrah, but that made me a true believer and then some. I’m still torn on if I should buy from the list. I might have to pop open a Horsepower Grenache this weekend to get a better feel for things.

I’m not on the list, but it sounds like the allocation is / will be done in a similar manner to Cayuse. Some members get offered one wine, others another. You can then wish list the ones you weren’t allocated and, if they’re granted, you’ll be allocated that wine going forward. No answer for whether or not prices were raised.

i’ve probably had 15-20 bottles of these wines since the '11’s
most have been simply amazing but a few recently have been as you describe scott
hopefully just a dumb phase

Would you recommend drinking or holding the 11s and 12s?

The 2012 Tribe Syrah I had in May was outstanding (my current WOTY). I don’t know if it’ll improve, but if you have 3 bottles, I think you should open one.

Looks like the next release is on January 6th. Anyone have some strong recommendations of which Grenache or Syrah is the best? Don’t have the funds to buy everything so need to prioritize.

Bumping this thread, the release for 2019s was today.

Any word on the 2019 vintage for Horsepower or for Walla Walla in general?

They also have some 2011 “The Tribe” magnums available for 350/per.

RE the 2019 vintage, I heard that for Washington as a whole the temperatures cooled significantly mid-September and that as a result a fair number of wines are more lively and elegant in style rather than big. Not sure what happened exactly in the rocks however.