2017 The Tribe Vineyard Syrah

Bright full red. Pure but subdued nose hints at blackberry, black pepper, violet and menthol. In a very dark, juicy, savory, tight style; reveals a sexy hint of sweetness but quite bound up today and in need of time to soften. Peppery black fruits are complemented by a subtle floral character, which makes this wine livelier and more delineated than the High Contrast Vineyard Syrah. Finishes with firm but suave tannins and rising violety length. This beauty has the most mid-palate energy and the most explosive length of Horsepower's trio of new Syrahs but is quite backward and in need of patience. Outstanding potential here. (ST) 94+

The 2017 Syrah The Tribe Vineyard begins with a firm, tight nose of rustic dark red fruit and soft aromas of worn leather, black spice and dust-covered violets. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is still tight in its youth, but it remains approachable and food-friendly now. The wine has a bolder mouthfeel than the rest of the range and is balanced with firm tannins that will ensure it will last for years to come. It concludes with a long, drawn-out finish with an essence of dark red fruit and a soft, lingering spiciness. 549 cases produced.

Beautiful notes of red and black raspberries, tobacco, plum sauce, loamy earth, and loads of floral notes emerge from the 2017 Syrah The Tribe Vineyard, another tight, closed wine that’s going to benefit from bottle age. Medium to full-bodied, with notable freshness as well as plenty of underlying structure, it reminds me of Cote Rotie from the Cote Blonde lieu-dit with its incredible floral character as well as its seamless texture. Beautifully done and one of the standouts in the lineup in 2017, give bottles a healthy decant if drinking any time soon, and my money is on it benefiting from 2-3 years of bottle age and evolving for 15-20 years or more.