Author: gusclemens

While priced at $120–140 at release and now selling for more, this is an “entry level” pour in the rarefied realm of Napa Valley corps d’élite. Whatever your wallet or proclivities, it will be worth it. This is voluptuous and refined, nuanced and vibrantly delicious—such juxtaposed qualities demonstrate high-level skills from a prestigious vineyard and a consequential cellar. And why you have to pay $120 or more to enjoy it. Continue reading →

Distinctive, site-specific, high-altitude Argentine wine. Oak-fermented at low temperature with no malolactic conversion. Aged eight months in barrel and six months in bottle before release. The result is a smooth, almost creamy wine that showcases sauv blanc’s versatility. $33–36 Continue reading →

Approachable, full-throttle red blend of unlikely bottle mates—petit verdot and petite sirah. Take note, there is nothing “petite” about wines made with either of these grapes. Petit verdot usually shows up in Bordeaux blends. Petite sirah rides alongside California zinfandel. The intriguing Texas pairing delivers a tasty, surprisingly well-integrated marriage of grapes known for their deep color, firm tannins, and power. Yee-Haw, Texas! $55-60 Continue reading →

Fresh, vibrant “baby Barolo” from a Serralunga d’Alba estate that also makes classic Barolo. In this case, the winemakers work to tone down tannins during fermentation, then forgo oak contact. The result is a young, light, drinker-friendly nebbiolo that shuns the raw power and extreme ageability the grape can attain. $25-35 Continue reading →

Complex, layered wine made with the negroamaro grape, a key black-skinned grape in Salento, the sun-washed peninsula in the heel of Italy’s boot. This is a stellar example of what can be done with the grape. Easy drinker over-delivers. $28-30 Continue reading →

Built-to-please, food-friendly expression of Texas tempranillo, the red grape that has a particularly affinity to Texas terroir. Very accommodating, easy drinker with just enough red-fruit character to be interesting. $51-60 Continue reading →

Cheap easy-drinker. There is only faint depth and complexity, but is a very respectable wine for $5-7 a bottle. There are nights and events and situations where that is all you need. Continue reading →

Domaine Bousquet’s most ambitious wines, made in relatively small amounts and only with superior vintages from block-selected sites from the premier Eva Estate. Excellent effort from one of the world’s reference points in organic wines. This is Argentine quality hitting on all cylinders without requiring a second mortgage to enjoy. $85 Continue reading →

Excellent, affordable sangiovese winner from a historic Montepulciano estate that has reinvented itself over the past 15 years as one of Tuscany’s flagship terroir-driven producers. $25-30 Continue reading →

A showcase for black fruit from a celebrated Washington State vineyard planted in 1972—which easily qualifies as an old-vine site in the Pacific Northwest. Continue reading →