Horsepower Vineyards

As the name suggests, Horsepower Vineyards pays homage to winemaking traditions of centuries past, with Belgian draft horses as the driving force behind the winery. Horsepower continually strives to harmonize with Mother Nature to create the highest quality wines grown in their vineyards. Vigneron Christophe Baron and team are committed to the farming philosophies and practices of biodynamics and have been practicing these methods for almost two decades in the Walla Walla Valley. A central foundation to Horsepower’s philosophy, following Rudolf Steiner’s biodynamic practices, they track the astrological calendar and farm without the use of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides or synthetic fertilizers. By “closing the loop” and keeping the unbroken circle to which vines, animals and earth maintain their sacred connection to one another, Baron and his team have created something special. Balancing Mother Nature and tending to the earth, Horsepower wines are a throwback to simpler times in our not-so-distant past where we had to embrace the earth, respect its soil and cultivate crops without modern agrochemicals that could degrade the viability of the soil and/or soil microbiota. Horsepower Vineyards' commitment to biodynamic farming is paramount, and the team believes it is the best way to create a true balance in the vineyard and make world-class wines that clearly display terroir. In their quest to make better wines and unearth new discoveries, Horsepower Vineyards continues to be a beacon for biodynamic farming, while crafting some of America’s finest wine and help to elevate the Walla Walla Valley and its recognition in the global wine market.

Building on the magic captured with Cayuse Vineyards, vigneron Christophe Baron, assistant vigneron Elizabeth Bourcier and the rest of the team continue their groundbreaking work with Horsepower Vineyards. Steeped in tradition, Baron comes from a Champagne family in the Marne Valley that has worked their land since the late 1670s. Embracing history and old-world tradition, Horsepower Vineyards offers up a way forward by looking to the past. A stout believer in biodynamic farming practices, Horsepower Vineyards continues to raise the bar for eco-friendly wines that compete at the top echelon of the wine world. Whether it’s the horse-driven plows or the winery philosophies that embrace the earth and soil, the wines have a soft umami essence that allows them to shine and gleam. Or perhaps it’s the thoughtful winemaking decisions or experimental high-density three-foot by three-foot spacing to grow nearly 5,000 vines per acre for the Sur Echalas vineyard, while the Tribe vineyard, High Contrast vineyard and Fiddleneck vineyard all have slightly more space with planting densities of 3.5-feet by 3.5-feet for a grand total of just over 3,500 vines per acre. The vineyards are simple yet stunning, seemingly defying logic, with high-density plantings in a warm place like the Walla Walla Valley in Eastern Washington. That is until you try the wines, which are nothing short of magical. The wines burst with high-toned, fresh fruit expressions, compounded by savory, umami notes and an energetic mineral tension. These wines are devastatingly stunning, world-class, highly collectible and utterly surprising every time.