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97 WA. "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. The newest project (I suspect there are more in the works) of Christophe Baron, these Horsepower releases focus on two estate vineyards, The Tribe and the Sur Echalas, both of which are located in the Rocks region of Walla Walla and farmed only by horse (hence "Horsepower"). The 2012s are certainly gorgeous wines, yet lacked a little of the oomph and depth I found in the wines from barrel. Nevertheless, as I think the scores show, these are incredible wines. I was surprised to see the 2013s already in bottle, yet they showed beautifully as well." Wine Advocate #219, Jun 2015 |