2011 Cayuse Impulsivo en Chamberlin

The 2011 Tempranillo Impulsivo is easily the top example of this variety coming out of the New World. Classic in style with its singed cedar board, spice, earth, dried flowers and plum and blackberry styled fruit, this puppy hits the palate with a structured, full-bodied profile that needs 3-4 years of cellaring to round into form. While I haven’t been able to taste many aged example of this cuvee (it was first made in 2003), I can’t imagine it not evolving gracefully for at least 10-15 years. Enough can’t be said about the quality coming from this estate, and Christophe Baron, who’s assisted by Elizabeth Bourcier, produces, in this reviewer’s opinion, some of the most distinctive and exciting wines on the planet. As I said last year, there’s no secret here, and Christophe simply has fantastic terroir, works his ass off in the vineyard (everything is farmed biodynamically), and then gets out of the way in the cellar. Looking at the vintages reviewed here, his 2011s (which come from the lowest yields ever at this estate) check in at the top of the vintage and have uncommon richness and depth. Stating that it was the coolest vintage of his career, Christophe loves the European style of the wines and feels they’ll reward 5-7 years of cellaring. As a group, they show superb aromatics, medium to full-bodied richness and fresh, lively characters. In contrast, the 2012s are flamboyant and decadent, with awesome textures, beautiful purity of fruit and brilliant underlying structure. To my palate, 2012 is up there with finest vintage from this team to date. 2012 is possibly the best vintage I’ve ever tasted from Christophe. Across the board, the wines shows incredible aromatics, awesome purity and full-bodied richness and concentration. Tel. (509) 526-0686; www.cayusevineyards.com