2022 Cayuse Impulsivo Tempranillo

Cayuse's 2022 Impulsivo Tempranillo is one of the most distinctive expressions of the varietal grown outside Spain, sourced from the Walla Walla Valley estate where Christophe Baron farms biodynamically on ancient cobblestone soils. Baron, a Champagne native who brought radical viticultural ideas to eastern Washington in the late 1990s, plants on terroir most growers reject—pure rock, almost no topsoil—and farms without irrigation. The result is a Tempranillo that reads more like northern Rhône Syrah in structure and minerality than anything from Rioja, with the stony tension that defines every bottle Cayuse releases. Baron founded Cayuse in 1997 after walking the basalt-strewn fields that now anchor his estate, convinced that the Walla Walla Valley's cobblestone benches could rival Châteauneuf-du-Pape for intensity and longevity. He farms roughly 60 acres across multiple single vineyards, all certified biodynamic, and ferments with native yeasts in small open-top tanks before aging in French oak—mostly neutral barrels to preserve the fruit and mineral clarity. The Impulsivo bottling, introduced in the early 2000s, showcases Tempranillo's adaptability to the Valley's hot days and cold nights, with Baron treating the varietal not as a Spanish transplant but as a full expression of the estate's geology. The 2022 vintage opens with umami-driven aromatics—soy sauce, wet stone, black cherry compote—that layer into short-rib savory depth as the wine evolves in the glass. The palate is silky and full-bodied but marked by a nervy acidity and stony minerality that keep the wine lifted despite its weight, with the basalt cobbles translating directly into the wine's texture. It's built for grilled ribeye, lamb chops with rosemary, or mushroom risotto—anything that can match the wine's savory umami core—and it will hold beautifully over the next decade as the tannins integrate and the tertiary notes deepen. Available for pickup at our Lincoln Park shop at 1128 W Armitage Ave, local Chicago delivery, or nationwide shipping.