As for the 2008 Impulsivo en Chamberlin, it is a dense purple color with a remarkably complex bouquet of smoke, licorice, tar, violets, exotic spices, blackberry, and black raspberry. Dense, powerful, and mouth-filling, this layered, plush effort has a finish that keeps on going. It is a total turn-on that will continue to provide pleasure for another 12-15 years. Ho hum. Just another great set of wines from Christophe Baron. Over the past 6 years, because of my coverage of Spain for this journal, I have gotten to know Tempranillo very well. My principal observation is that it does not travel particularly well although there are outposts of very fine Tempranillo in the Uco Valley of Mendoza and in South Australia. There is one exception, Christophe Baron’s small parcel of estate-grown Tempranillo. The wine’s only competition, in my opinion, is Dominio Pingus, the great Tempranillo produced by Peter Sisseck in Ribera del Duero. I would like to try the wines side-by-side, the only problem being that Pingus is ten times as expensive as Impulsivo. As a postscript of sorts, Christophe Baron has created a new label called No Girls. The origin of the name is a great story but goes beyond this journal’s purview. The two wines have been specifically earmarked for those who have patiently been waiting on the Cayuse mailing list. No, these are not at quite at the same level as those wines bearing the Cayuse label but, as the scores attest, they’re not so bad.Tel. (509) 526-0686; www.cayusevineyards.com

Reminding me of the 2010 with its elegant, seamless style, the 2008 Impulsivo offers lots of blood orange, cedar, cassis and white flower aromas and flavors. These all flow nicely into a full-bodied, ultra-fine, seamless and incredibly polished and pure 2008 that’s impeccably balanced, has fine tannin and a great finish. This was the first vintage where they scaled back the new oak, and where previous vintages saw roughly 70% new barrels, this 2008 was raised in just 40-50% new barrels. Drink it anytime over the coming 10-15 years.

Saturated in every way, this sappy, spicy, almost surreal Tempranillo piles on the wild, gamy fruit, the mineral-infused base, the leaf and forest flavors, all around tart berry flavors. Amazingly deep color, fine-grained tannins, a sweetly herbal character, and great balance throughout. ——P.G.(11/1/2011)—— 94