Horsepower Vineyards
Colgin Cellars
Cariad Napa Valley Red Blend 2009
The heat from the vintage has bowed out of the fight, giving way to the vibrancy and horsepower of fruit these vineyards are known for. I tasted David Abreu’s 2009 Madrona Ranch at Vinous’ Napa in the City two years ago and am being reminded once again how magical of a vineyard site Madrona and Thorevilos are. — 3 years ago
Reynvaan Family Vineyards
In the Rocks Syrah 2016
Very minimal funk in comparison to the cayuse/horsepower but the minerality is nice. Great wine. Bacon fat, floral, gravely. — 4 years ago
M. Chapoutier
l'Ermite Ermitage Syrah 2005
Got to pop some special bottles when my good friend Shawn came in to town!
We thought it would be fun to open this alongside the Horsepower for a small comparison...as an ‘05, this was shockingly young. Gorgeous aromatic display of dried red flowers, herbs de Provence, underripe blackberries, and a touch of iron. On the palate, it unfurled a bit towards the end of the evening, revealing black currant, raspberries, coffee beans, smoked meats and a tangy mineral driven finish. This needs another 5 years and at that point, this may start approaching triple digits. Thanks @Shawn R . — 6 years ago
Charles Smith
Royal City Washington Syrah 2015
Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7
Thanks for the info @Boxer BriefsCosentino Winery
CE2V Secret Clone Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
A perfect wine? Perhaps. Not many Napa wines can have this kind of horsepower at 19 years old (I was always told Napa wines fall apart after 15 years). I’ve never had Screaming Eagle or Grace Family or any of the new “premier cru” wines. What I will say, though, is that I have a hard time imagining a wine being better than this. Plush, with a solid core. Very little fade. Let it breathe, but it was drinkable right out of the bottle, rich with refined tannins, so much fruit, so much pleasure. The oak is now seamless with the wine, not an addition, but a part of it. If you had told me this was a more recent vintage, I would have believed you. This was Cosentino’s top of the line and what a top it was. Age has allowed for more complexity (I did taste this when it was newly bottled) and development, but this is a young wine, still. Nothing out of place. It is one of the best wines I’ve ever tasted. Quintessential Napa, the best the valley has to offer. I forget the story of “the secret clone” but knowing what all the steps are in making great wine, having this clone was just one of the many right choices in making this. This one may outlive me. It is in its prime with no end in sight. Perfect? I’m not sure. But I’ve not had better. — 2 years ago
St. Amant Winery
Amador County Souzão 2018
I love it! Lush fruit forward wine, very approachable and pairs well with pizza and cheeseburgers! 13.3% horsepower — 5 years ago
Rene Rostaing
Ampodium Côte-Rôtie Syrah 2010
For all of you that drink; SQN, Cayuse & Horsepower, if you haven’t tried a well aged Rostaing, you are missing the best aspect of Syrah.
Côte de Rôtie translates in English into Roasted Slope. That’s exactly what this wine defines.
The Ampodium is a blend of 7-8 different Rhône vineyards. 2010 a dynamic vintage in Northern Rhône.
I bought this recently at auction and it has been decently stored but not quite ideally stored.
The nose reveals; roasted chestnut, stewed; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, raspberries, dark cherries, strawberries on the high nose & backend of the fruit, used coffee grounds, soft leather, dry tobacco, savory meats, dark, moist soils, anise to black licorice, fresh sage & bay leaf with candied; dark, red, blue, purple florals in a field of lavender.
The palate is; fresh, ripe, juicy, elegant and nicely resolved. The structure, tension, balance and length are perfect. It is for the palates that love elegance & beauty, not brawn & ABV. Roasted chestnut, stewed; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, raspberries, dark cherries, juicy, ripe strawberries backend of the fruit, used coffee grounds, soft leather, dry tobacco, savory meats, smoke, dark, moist soils, anise to black licorice, light purple cola, fresh sage & bay leaf with candied; dark, red, blue, purple florals in a field of lavender. The acidity is round & stream like. The finish is in perfect balance, harmony that settled softy yet speaks volumes.
Paired with the Cardiff Chipotle Tri-tip. The best Tri-tip we’ve had. You can order at CardiffCrack.com. Not inexpensive though. The best never is!
Photos of; me in the La Landonne Vineyard, Rene Rostaing and our tour with Pierre Rostaing in their La Landonne Vineyard. What an afternoon!
Producer notes, Pierre (son of Rene & now Winemaker) uses up to 100% of the stems - believing they contribute to Côte Rôtie’s ineffable perfume. Macerations last from 7 to 20+ days, and the wines enjoy a long élevage in a mix of barrels and time-honored pièce for aging, so that no more than 15% of a given vintage sees new wood. — 6 years ago
No Girls Wines
La Paciencia Vineyard Grenache 2015
This is a wicked wine. Medium red/medium garnet. Savory wine for sure. Nose is majority meat ( maybe some beef that’s been left in the sun, or some smoked bacon ), black tea, sour cherry, plum, earth, poo, some floral notes. Palate follows, meat and black tea, strawberry, sour cherry. All of the Cayuse has this similarity for sure. Horsepower Sur Echalas light. — 7 years ago
Lodi Native
m2 Wines Zinfandel 2020
Wow! Jammy Fruit bomb, pure deliciousness. 14.3 horsepower — 3 years ago
Henschke
Keyneton Estate Euphonium Barossa Red Blend 2001
Been reading reviews and I have to laugh. Drink up in 2014? Ha. Some definite brickishness on the edges, but like a good Barossa wine, this has horsepower to spare even 22 years later. Kept in my cellar. Color is still a deep ruby color (with fade). Had out of a Riedel red glass. Nose has some cigar box, mostly sweet red fruit still, some caramel, at one point there was a line of green (!) that came through, which was especially odd for a Barossa wine. Shortbread, cassis…a pinch of briar (the green streak evolves). Don’t get any of the funk some reviewers talked about. On the palate this is a full red, the oak has mostly disappeared, there are very fine tannins. Very little in the way of legs. This is a Shiraz, but the other grapes come through. This is an easy drinking wine, now. Probably its best days are behind it, but it’s a graceful, slow descent. The Barossa Shiraz shines through, keeping a nice, long finish. It may have been more “serious” a few years ago, but it’s great for sitting on the deck on a summer night. Delicious still. My date has never had good wine before and now she has. — 3 years ago
Nellcôte
500 Chevaux Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Stand it up for a week Major sediment Winery notes, composition
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
aging
21 months in 75% new French oak
cooperage
Treuil, Sylvain, Remond, Orion, Alain Fouquet
500 Chevaux is an automobile racing term; French for “500 horsepower.” Nellcôte founder and vintner Tyler Olbres is an avid car-racing fan, and has himself driven in the Monaco Rallye for Classic Cars. This wine is a high-horsepower Cabernet, meant to be sleek, powerful, and fully able to go the distance.
LAST BOTTLE Notes,
Nellcote was an uber-pricey luxury Cab that recently closed its doors, and, after extensive tasting through all the brilliant, incredibly fine-tuned Cabernets early last year, that none other than Phillip Titus (yep, THAT Phillip Titus, the legend behind CHAPPELLET and others!) made,
— 4 years ago
Proper Wines
Syrah 2015
The poor man's Horsepower. Upon opening backend finish is off but settles with air and finds elegance and power balance. — 6 years ago
Le Clos du Caillou / Domaine du Caillou
Cuvée Unique Vieilles Vignes Côtes du Rhône Red Rhone Blend 2011
This is an insiders wine. You have study, focus and taste a lot wine to know how special this wine can drink. Especially, at its QPR.
There are a lot of people that covet SQN, Caycuse, Horsepower and No Girls. For my palate, these wines either burn the palate with ABV or choke off the fruit with way too much bacon fat and or deeply marinaded grilled meats. Yes, you are drinking expensive, flashy producers but, I would humbly disagree they are better wines than this 2011 Le Clos Du Caillou Vielles Vignes Cuvée Unique. Those other wines should aspire to be everything this 2011 shows and delivers.
This Le Clos Du Caillou has the balance the above wines lack and at a fraction of the price point. I would drink this 2011 over any of the other fore mentioned wines. While this Le Clos Du Caillou is a shade hot, it is not nearly as hot as SQN etc.. Hot ABV alcohol that burns the palate & back of the throat will forever be a fatal flaw in a wine.
The nose reveals, ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, blue & purple fruit mix, poached & back strawberries, black raspberries and both plums. Dark, sweet tarriness, dry, crushed rocks, steeped teas, anise stretching to black licorice, hint of dry herbs with bay leaf leading the way, dry brush, black, dry earth, savory, grilled meats, medium, dark spice, understated baking spices; clove, nutmeg, vanilla and a touch of clove, dark & mid red fruit cola, just a whiff of incense with candied, fresh and withering red & dark florals.
The body is rich and mid full. Tannins just 50% resolved with round, dark tarry teethiness. The structure, tension, length and balance are harmonious...just before their peak. Ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, blue & purple fruit mix, raspberries that haut the center palate on the long set, poached & back strawberries, black raspberries and both plums. Dark, sweet tarriness, dry, crushed rocks, limestone minerals, steeped teas, anise stretching to black licorice, hint of dry herbs with bay leaf leading the way, dry brush, dry black earth, dry stone wrapped in moist clay, savory, grilled meats, some bacon fat, medium, dark spice, understated baking spices; clove, nutmeg, vanilla and a touch of clove, Mix of caramel & mocha powder, dark & mid red fruit cola, just a whiff of incense with candied, fresh and withering red & dark florals. The acidity is phenomenal. The long, ripe, well balanced & textured, elegant finish is memorable and is persistent for several minutes.
Wine paired perfectly with our marinated Tri-tip.
If you are over paying for the above lesser wines mentioned above, you owe it to yourself to seek out and cellar this wine appropriately.
Photos of; Le Clos Du. Caillou, their barrel room, Owners-Sylvie Vacheron & Bruno Gaspard and one of their vineyards. It’s amazing they can grow anything in that stone soil structure.
— 7 years ago
Sleight Of Hand Cellars
The Psychedelic Stoney Vine Estate Vineyard Syrah 2013
At opening, though slightly funky, it wasn’t as aromatically funky as I was expecting a wine from this region to be. Evidently, it only needed 15-20mins for the full funk to come out. Smoked brisket, teriyaki strip, olive tapenade, and peppercorn. On the palate, specifically the mid palate, this showed more fruit than expected (in a good way) with spiced blackberry and roasted rhubarb. Herbal notes too. This is an iron fist in a velvet glove...the power is up front and then becomes elegant on the back end. Drinking really well now but can hold in this window for 3-5yrs. @Keith Fisher mentioned he thought this was maybe a bit more funky than Horsepower...it’s certainly up there! — 7 years ago
Chris Regina
Phenomenal. Horsepower and Reyevaan esque. Strawberry and blackberry jam nose. Pepper and leather. Rhone like elegance. — 2 years ago