Syrah, 2020. La Puerta

Julian Clusellas founded his iconic winery in 1994 in one of the most remote areas of Argentina, the Famatina Valley. It was almost 1,000 miles from his home in Buenos Aires, but the splendor and beauty of the estate is its remoteness and the clarity is the sanctity of the landscape. It was part lush and part dessert; a very tricky set of circumstances for a winery. Somehow, Julian was able to figure it out. Degrees in agriculture and engineering was his salvation, as was his understanding that he needed expert guidance to take on such an ambitious project.

He flew in experts from all over the world for advice on planting in key areas as well as organic and sustainable agriculture. He obviously chose wisely because today he employs 300 people and farms 5,000 acres. One of those employees is vineyard manager and winemaker, Javier Collovati, who is also an agricultural engineer with a side interest in motor cross racing. That probably doesn't have much to do with winemaking except for providing an alternative to the pressure of producing exacting wines from a precocious property.

You can almost taste the struggle of these two men in our selection. The bold flavors of blueberry jam and earth are counterbalanced by the violets and cinnamon that seem to dance on the tongue instead of invade it. The swirl of complexity and wonderment would naturally beg for a classic Argentine barbecue featuring flank steak lathered in garlic and fired to perfection over hickory and mesquite.

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