Sinapius Clem Blanc 2020

Genuine field blends are rare, and good ones are rarer still. Detailed and layered, not skinsy, the texture is of peach skin. Textural complexity is hard get right, often with too much or too little time on skins. The 2020 Clem Blanc tread the tight rope to perfection, adding interest , without making the skins treatment the focus of the wine. Musky, blood orange, cherry and lemon peel is delightful, so strong the perfume. Succulent and tangy, luscious and bright, the Clem is a style all its own. Plum, grapefruit, white flowers, lavender wood, peach and lime zest. There’s more, but you really will have to it. Classicism embracing the avant-garde. Waters Wine Co.

Despite the struggles presented by growing conditions, 2020 was a year of experimentation. During vintage, Vaughn had a bit of fun with these wines – particularly the Clem blend, where he extended the fermentation time on skins to 12 days. The wine was then matured in a Pozvek foudré where it spent 9 months on full lees, undergoing 100% malolactic fermentation. A blend of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay Musqué, Riesling and Grüner Veltliner. Bottled in February 2021.

The extra time spent on skins transforms this traditionally barrel influenced expression into the orange category. Presenting hazy old gold in the glass with a subtle strawberry tint, fleshy orange fruit with pretty musky perfume on the nose. Delightfully layered on the palette, an impressively refined skin contact style. Vinous