It is easy to imagine clarity in a visual sense. We are used to thinking of picture clarity or the quality of eyesight with simple metrics that measure the sharpness of what we see. This scale actually applies to all our senses. We hear things with varying degrees of definition. We also smell and taste and feel things with different degrees of clarity. Those last three senses all engage with wine, and the best wines smell, taste, and feel sharper. Emile Balland’s wine from the Sancerre-adjacent region of the Coteaux du Giennois always comes across clear and vivid in all three senses. There's a nose of tangerine, gooseberry, and ruby grapefruit, with white pepper and basil too. The palate is medium weight, with the sort of acidic tension that reminds us of the cables holding up the Fremont bridge. Flavors this year are very citrus-fruity, with racy, green apple notes too. Tangerine and lemon linger on the finish. This delightful wine is named "Waiting for the Beautiful Days" because 2024 was a cold, wet, and frosty vintage in the Loire. Thanks to Emile Balland’s hard work, we don’t have to wait for the beautiful wine.