The 2008 Widowmaker En Chamberlin Cabernet Sauvignon was aged in 50-60% new oak, something Baron uses judiciously. It is a very Left Bank Bordeaux styled wine combining power and elegance. It is likely to have a 20 year lifespan. 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

Superb sculpture and definition in this compact and lightly funky evocation of pure Cabernet Sauvignon. The deep, dense, super ripe berry flavors are framed within a bouquet of dried herbs, pepper, mineral, astringent tannins, and a crisp mix of earth, wood and plant flavors. Superb length and ageability. ——P.G.(11/1/2011)—— 96