The 2008 Cailloux Vineyard Syrah contains 4% Viognier. Expressive game, bacon, and blueberry aromas are given uplift by the Viognier component. This savory, rich, lengthy Syrah can be enjoyed now and over the next 10-12 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

6 This is the only Cayuse Syrah that is co-fermented (with 8% Viognier), which adds nuances of white flower and floral, though the citrus rind scents override them. In the nose it’s hugely expressive, though still quite tight and compact in the mouth; it must be decanted. It’s a three ring circus of a wine, with things moving and shaking in all directions. Mineral, berry, mountain complexity, nuanced herb and earth and citrus, all in proportion, and all flowing in the mouth.——P.G.(11/1/2011)—— 97