Wine Blog from The International Wine of the Month Club

What to Look for in December

December 14, 2018 by Don Lahey

In December, The International Wine of the Month Club’s Premier Series will feature a rare exceptional red wine from Provence, the 2016 Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Ventoux. This Provençal classic entices with its heady aroma; the seductive scents of red berries, mostly in the form of raspberries and redcurrants, immediately greet the nose. Add touches of wild Mediterranean herbs and garrigue, the scented brush of Provence, and an intoxicating concoction is in store to delight the nose. Silky smooth in the mouth and bursting with fresh fruit and pleasant racy spice tones, it is hard to resist this seductive, medium-bodied red wine that goes down ever so easily and accompanies with aplomb a wide range of holiday fare.

Our accompanying white Premier Series feature is the 2017 La Giustiniana Lugarara Gavi del Commune di Gavi DOCG, an exceptional Gavi from Stefano Massone. This single vineyard Gavi embodies all of the Cortese grape’s finest attributes: charm, elegance, finesse, and laser-like precision. The 2017 La Giustiniana Lugarara Gavi offers a beautiful straw-colored robe and a delicate perfume resplendent with the scents of pure freshly squeezed grapes, acacia and citrus blossoms as well as plenty of juicy acidity in the form of lemon zest. Add a soft but refreshing mid palate and impeccable texture and balance that complements the wine’s racy finish and we bet you will find this wine truly hard to resist.

Next in this month’s exceptional quartet is the much coveted 2016 Dominio Basconcillos Seis Meses Ribera del Duero, a wine that received 94 Points from Decanter and seriously raises the bar for all Ribera del Duero. This certified organic offering emanates from selected lots of grapes grown on a mixture of gravel and clay soils, which provide superb drainage and impart complexity as well as a diversity of flavors to an already impeccably balanced, fruit and spice packed wine. The 2016 Basconcillos Seis Meses Ribera del Duero reflects the estate’s pre-eminence in crafting traditional Ribera del Duero, as it offers a deep red color, superb concentration, and plenty of polish to complement its ample ripe tannins. Heady aromas of blackberry, dark cherry, sassafras, sage and violet flowers delight the nose. Happily, this youthful Ribera del Duero follows through in the mouth, too, offering plenty of smooth robust fruit and spice flavors backed by just the right amount of healthy tannins to assure a long illustrious life and many years of pleasurable drinking.

Completing this month’s Premier Series offerings is the delicious and eminently drinkable 2017 Domaine Houchart Côtes de Provence Blanc. In this rare white wine made from traditional Provençal grapes, one can almost taste the Provençal sun, feel the cool breeze wafting from the Mediterranean Sea, and smell the scented fragrance of Provence’s magical landscape. Light, fresh, yet full of flavor and pinpoint precision, the 2017 Domaine Houchart Côtes de Provence Blanc offers an intoxicating aroma of citrus, mango and white peach. In the mouth, the wine’s crisp orange peel and spice flavors appear on a sea of delicate acidity, making the wine’s delightful finish both round and refreshing. Domaine Houchart’s delicious 2017 Côtes de Provence Blanc brought a host of smiles to our tasting panel and made us all beg for more. No smoke and mirrors, oak, or butter tones here, just one fresh, unique white wine that embodies the best of Provence.

The International Wine of the Month Club’s Collectors Series is thrilled to offer three exceptional and unique wines in December from Italy and France, beginning with the much heralded 2013 Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, an aromatic, elegant wine of bold flavor and impeccable balance. The recipient of multiple 90+ ratings including 91+ Points from Wine Advocate, the 2013 Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano reveals its class and noble upbringing from the moment it exits the bottle. Dressed in a regal robe of purple with deep ruby highlights, this graceful yet flavorful Tuscan red leads with an enticing aroma redolent of black cherry, forest woodlands, violets, and spice along with a pleasing hint of mineral born of Tuscan earth – all of which intimate the ultimate complexity of the aristocratic 2013 Avignonesi Vino Nobile. On the palate, the 2013 Avignonesi Vino Nobile expands to reveal a mélange of complex flavors that well up from a vibrant core replete with ripe dusty tannins, which will inevitably hold this Vino Nobile in perfect condition for a decade or more. With aeration, hints of dark chocolate and fine Florentine leather also emerge to meld with the wine’s polished fruit and spice tones.

Our next December Collectors Series offering is one of the rarest of French wines, the 2016 Domaine Chaley & Fille Les Larets Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Pinot Gris dit Beurot. Only in select areas of Burgundy where Pinot Beurot is indigenous, such as in the tiny village of Curtil-Vergy, is the grape allowed to be grown and its wine sold as Burgundy. A white mutation of Pinot Noir, Chaley’s Les Larets Pinot Beurot from Curtil-Vergy sports a dark pinkish skin, which adds a rich, slightly golden color to the 2016 Domaine Chaley & Fille Les Larets Pinot Beurot. The wine’s aroma is attractive and its flavor quietly seductive. Unlike Hautes-Côtes de Nuits wines made from Chardonnay, oak doesn’t play a significant role in this wine, so that Les Larets’ pure fruit flavors, gentle spice, and refreshing minerality all come front and center in one harmonious package from the first sip until the last.

Completing this month’s Collectors Series is the 2016 Domaine Chaley & Fille Les Rousselots Hautes-Côtes de Nuits. The Hautes-Côtes de Nuits produces some very fine red Burgundies, especially in splendid vintages such as 2016 when the weather shines favorably upon the undulating rows of Pinot Noir vines that cover the hills, but rarely does a Hautes-Côtes de Nuits match the quality of the 2016 Domaine Chaley & Fille Les Rousselots. Chaley’s 2016 Les Rousselots could easily be mistaken for a village wine from nearby Vosne-Romanée, the most hallowed ground in Burgundy, where dirt determines destiny. Chaley’s 2016 Les Rousselots wears a deep red robe that aptly foreshadows its strength and structure. This is no wimpy translucent Burgundian Pinot Noir, but a traditional age-worthy red Burgundy that reveals its intoxicating bouquet of cherries, woodland berries and exotic spices slowly, almost surreptitiously. Similarly, the wine’s rich deep fruit flavors, floral tones, and complex blend of bergamot, black tea, and vanilla emerge at a snail’s pace, but slow and steady wins the race. This is a wine built for the long haul. Enjoy!

The Best Wines to Serve with Holiday Meals

December 7, 2018 by Don Lahey

It seems that everyone wants to sell us something, almost everything in fact, before the holidays. And similarly, there is no shortage of pundits to advise us on what we should buy; this is especially true of wine. Unsolicited or not, I am repeatedly asked by friends, acquaintances, and even total strangers what wine I recommend they serve with their holiday dinner.

My answer to the inevitable holiday wine question is this: What are you serving and what do you like? I can’t, nor should I, tell you what you like, but I may be able to offer some suggestions based upon decades of experience as to what wine and food pairings tend to please most people’s palates, so below is a stab at answering the question.

With poultry, whether turkey, chicken or duck, light reds and full-bodied white wines make good companions. Pinot Noir, red burgundy, and Beaujolais Villages work especially well with poultry. Pinot Noirs from California’s Russian River, Santa Lucia Highlands, and Santa Rita Hills appellations as well as Oregon’s Willamette Valley tend to get the highest marks. Some tried and true Pinot producers to consider are Benovia, Walt, Bethel Heights, and Bergström, among others. As for Beaujolais fans, they will want to consider Janodet’s excellent Beaujolais Villages or a cru Beaujolais from one of the appellation’s 10 cru villages. California Zinfandel also merits two thumbs up. Similarly, Chardonnay lovers have a wide array of producers and wine styles from which to choose. Excellently crafted oak aged Chardonnays from Benovia, Chappellet, and Morgan are readily available and garner considerable acclaim from critics and consumers alike. For more mineral and terroir driven Chardonnays, consider serving a Pouilly-Fuissé from the likes of Domaine Gilles Noblet or other premium Mâcon producers.

If seafood is on the menu, Pouilly-Fuissé, Mâcon-Fuissé and Mâcon Villages Chardonnays are again top crowd pleasers, but I would not overlook the delicious Gavis from La Giustiniana Lugarara or Stefano Massone, as they provide equally compelling companionship to fish and shellfish with more body and character than Pinot Grigio.

If meat and hearty vegetarian dishes grace your holiday table, the world of wine is at your fingertips. Big reds such as Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Malbec, Meritage offerings, Ribera del Duero, Rioja, and Super Tuscans all shine with beef, lamb, and other red meats. There is no shortage of eligible candidates from among that list, though several producers stand out for quality and consistency: Chappellet, Domaine du Vieux Lazaret, Domaine Grand Tinel, Round Pond, Luca, Tikal, Dominio Basconcillos, Valenciso, and Urlari, to name just a few.

With cheese, pasta, pork, and tomato based dishes, consider a delicious Côtes-du-Rhône from Chamford or Guigal, a Ventoux from Domaine de Vieux Lazaret, or a rich Petite Sirah from D. Pfaff, Carmen, or Peltier, but as you like it because the holidays and life itself are too short to drink wine you don’t like or someone else’s palate.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and the safest of Holidays,
Don

The 10 Most Important Things to Know About Wine

November 16, 2018 by Don Lahey

Wine has played a huge role in my life, whether tasting it, drinking it, studying it, or simply sharing it with friends, family, and wine lovers around the world. Although I have other interests, wine seems to be the topic everyone wants to discuss with me or, perhaps, I am the one who feels compelled to speak of wine out of a sense of my own passion or the perceived expectations of others. Whatever the case, in the more than 40 years I have been enjoying wine and worked in the trade, two questions invariably ensue. Firstly, what is your favorite wine? Secondly, what are the most important things everyone should know about wine? The answer to the first question is simple: I don’t have one single favorite wine. Besides, I don’t drink wine that I don’t enjoy, so the wine in my glass is invariably my momentary favorite. The second question requires a more lengthy response and encapsulates what I have learned about wine and life in the previous four decades.

Wine is meant to be enjoyed.
Wine doesn’t mean much until it’s shared and someone else enjoys it, too, so share.
You can’t drink a label, a price tag, or anyone else’s palate, only the contents of a bottle. All else is snobbery.
Paying too much or too little for wine is a recipe for disappointment.
Variety is truly the spice of life, so try new and different wines often; you will learn a tremendous amount about wine and your own palate.
Food and wine are fast friends; each makes the other shine and doubles the pleasure.
Pair different wines with the same dish to see which pairings work best.
Trust your own palate.
Drink wine from fine thin glassware that you wash and dry carefully by hand. Soap spots and water stains add nothing pleasurable to wine.
Read about wine and the world’s wine regions from multiples sources, learn about the varietal connections that link Old and New World wines, and taste, taste, taste… but don’t forget to enjoy! Wine is not a contest.

Salud!
Don

20 DIY Wine Cork Christmas Ornaments

November 14, 2018 by Kristina Manning

With the holidays in full swing, we here at The International Wine of the Month Club™ decided to pull out our stash of wine corks (we tend to have quite a few by the end of the year) and make some Christmas tree ornaments. With a little imagination, some crafting supplies, and help from some of our kids, we were able to make quite a few fun and unique tree ornaments!

Here are our 20 favorite Christmas tree wine cork ornaments, as well as a few that the kids made for us:

A big thank you to our helpers Lizzy and Emily!

What to Look for in October

October 26, 2018 by Don Lahey

In October, The International Wine of the Month Club’s Premier Series will feature an exceptional red Bordeaux wine from the outstanding 2016 vintage, Château Tour de Gilet, and three other superb selections from around the world. A traditional blend of primarily Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from the magnificent 2016 vintage, the 2016 Château Tour de Gilet truly shines. Bolder and richer in flavor than one might expect from a Petit Château, the 2016 Château Tour de Gilet offers up an inviting bouquet of blackcurrant, cranberry and forest floor. In the mouth, a delightful mélange of berry flavors (blackberry and currant), dark cherry and damsel plum make a delightful appearance on a wave of silky tannins. Nicely balanced and endowed with traditional Bordeaux character and style, one would be hard pressed to find a better, more affordable Petit Château than the 2016 Château Tour de Gilet.

Our next Premier Series feature is the 2014 Cambridge Cellars CCR Carneros Chardonnay. Since its inception, Cambridge Cellars has consistently over-delivered on quality, and this month’s feature is no exception. The 2014 Cambridge Cellars CCR Carneros Chardonnay offers a tantalizing bouquet of spring flowers and buttered brioche along with just the right touches of vanilla and caramelized oak. The wine’s aromatics flow through on the palate, too, offering a complex mélange of fruit, lemon curd, freshly baked croissants and toasted almonds. “Hedonism in a glass,” remarked several members of the tasting panel. Add a nice citrus twist, superb texture, and a gracefully long finish to this wine’s delightful repertoire and it is difficult to imagine a better Chardonnay from California or France for less than $50.00 than the 2014 Cambridge Cellars CCR Carneros Chardonnay.

Next in this month’s quartet is the 2008 Monasterio de las Viñas Reserva, a 10 year old Reserva from Spain. A blend of Garnacha (50%), Tempranillo (25%) and Cariñena (25%), the perfectly mature 2008 Monasterio de las Viñas Reserva offers layers of smooth, mouthwatering flavors. Lightly scented with the aromas of blackberry, plum, violet, finely tanned leather and unsmoked tobacco, this wine draws you in almost surreptitiously. In the mouth, the wine is smooth and expansive, offering well-integrated fruit, leather, cedar, and cigar box flavors born of a 12 month hiatus in oak. Reminiscent of mature Rioja Reserva, the 2008 Monasterio de las Viñas Reserva offers plenty of flavors before finishing with mouthwatering acidity from fine-grained tannins.

Completing this month’s Premier Series offerings is the delicious 2017 Estampa Fina Reserva Sauvignon Blanc, a wine every bit as compelling as the estate’s Fina Reserva red wines. The 2017 Estampa Fina Reserva Sauvignon Blanc is an artful blend of predominantly Sauvignon Blanc with small amounts of Chardonnay and Viognier. The addition of Chardonnay adds texture and mouth feel, while Viognier augments the wine’s already attractive aroma: citrus scents mingle with herbal tones and freshly cut grass, offering a delightful perfume that goes far beyond what one expects from Sauvignon Blanc alone. In the mouth, the wine’s generous tropical fruit flavors and fresh acidity come to fore, providing both counterpoint and refreshment.

The International Wine of the Month Club’s Collectors Series is proud to offer three exceptional wines in October from opposite ends of the world, beginning with the stunning 2015 Chapel Hill McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon from a winery that consistently garners 90+ points for its wines and continues to over-deliver with each successive vintage. The deeply colored 2015 Chapel Hill McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon offers an impressive array of savory Cabernet aromas: a core of refined blackberry and cassis infused with hints of wild herbs and eucalyptus—not unlike many of Joe Heitz’s legendary Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons of yesteryear—seduces the nose and seeps deliciously into the marrow of this wine. Medium to full-bodied, the boldly flavored 2015 McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon possesses superb balance, polish, and texture, which allows it to drink beautifully now while remaining capable of further maturation and 10 or more years of pleasurable drinking.

Our next October Collectors Series offering, the 2015 Josef Chromy Tasmania Chardonnay, is one of the finest Chardonnays made south of the equator. It is rare that any New World Chardonnay tastes like Puligny-Montrachet or can stand qualitatively with Puligny-Montrachet, one of France’s greatest white wines from Burgundy, but Josef Chromy’s 2015 Josef Chromy Tasmania Chardonnay does resemble Premier Cru white Burgundy and, yes, it does taste a lot like Puligny-Montrachet. The 2015 Josef Chromy offers up a brilliant robe, savory scents and flavors of stone fruits, citrus, crisp mountain apples, freshly baked bread, and hints of exotic spices refined by a light patina of vanilla from the finest of oak barrels. Yet the most endearing aspects of this wine may be its lithe and engaging flavors and superb texture, which come wrapped in one seamless and supremely elegant package. Like fine Puligny-Montrachet, the 2015 Josef Chromy Chardonnay relies on elegance and finesse more than power to charm its adherents. Josef Chromy’s 2015 Chardonnay is already quite exceptional now, but if past vintages and experience with Chromy’s Chardonnays are any indication, the 2015 Josef Chromy Chardonnay will continue to improve in bottle for at least several more years.

Completing this month’s Collectors Series is the 2015 Château Paveil de Luze Margaux from the outstanding 2015 Bordeaux vintage. This wine reflects the renovation and attention afforded this historic property by renowned wine consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt and the late Frédéric de Luze. The 2015 Château Paveil de Luze is not only a sleeper of the great 2015 Bordeaux vintage, it is potentially the finest wine produced at this property in more than half a century (91 Points – Wine Enthusiast). The 2015 Château Paveil de Luze is a deeply colored wine with impressive fruit, texture, and body. Ripe and generous, it displays plenty of blackberry and plum flavors infused with tobacco and Margaux’s pleasant distinctive earthiness. Backed by ripe, substantial tannins, the 2015 Château Paveil de Luze is a wine to lay down in classic Margaux fashion as such patience yields huge dividends. Enjoy!

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