K VINTNERS EL JEFE TEMPRANILLO 2009

Description

Wine Advocate: #204 Dec 2012

Review by:David Schildknecht

Rating: 93 POINTS
Drink: 2012-2022

Grown in one of the sites made famous by Christophe Baron, Charles Smith’s 2009 El Jefe En Chamberlin is comprised of Tempranillo co-fermented with 34% Cabernet Sauvignon. Lusciously brimming with juicy blackberry, elderberry and cassis, the smoky Tempranillo typicity here encompasses both ends of the cigar: rich, resinous, toasty and juicy on the one hand and ashen on the other. Here’s one of those instances where you swear you’re licking stones in the finish, an impression that only serves to broadcast the wine’s abundance of juicy dark berry fruit. Vibrant and for all of its density and metaphoric darkness downright refreshing in a way I can recall from few Tempranillos, this ought to be fascinating to follow and to employ (cautiously!) at table over at least the better part of a decade.