In August, The International Wine of the Month Club’s Premier Series is proud to offer four exceptional wines from around the world, beginning with the 2019 Van Ardi Estate Red Blend. This exceptional blend provides testimony to Armenia’s historic preeminence with wine, adding further credence to the understanding that in the 21^st century fine wine emanates from places far and wide. The deeply colored 2019 Van Ardi Estate Red Blend offers an entrancing bouquet redolent with the scents of baked blackberry and plum dusted with cacao. In the mouth, smooth and rich berry flavors sprinkled with chocolate ganache and deft touches of cedar, sandalwood and vanilla flow on a river of ripe, racy tannins to gratify the palate. Pleasantly dry, seamless, and hauntingly complex Van Ardi’s 2019 Estate Red Blend comes across in body and style as an exceedingly well-crafted Bordeaux or Cabernet-based wine with a certain extra Je ne sais quoi. Enjoy!

Our next Premier Series feature is the aromatic and juicy 2022 Val des Rois Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc. The hard-harvested 2022 Val des Rois Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc from organically grown grapes offers a pure, sensuous bouquet of white flowers, exotic fruits, and jasmine with a refreshing citrus twist. In the mouth, this comely white wine caresses the palate with floral tones and mineral notes infused with exotic fruit flavors. Refreshing acidity imparts great palate appeal and a mouthwatering finish – all of which made us literally beg for more. Enjoy the lovely 2022 Val des Rois Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc now and often. A Vôtre Santé!

Next in August’s world tour of wine is the 2022 Costers del Sió Celistia Tempranillo/Syrah – a wine that is best described as succulent and deliciously lip-smacking. This is a wine for all seasons that is downright hard to put down. The 2022 Costers del Sió Celistia Tempranillo/Syrah debuts with a brilliant purple robe and amplifying aromatics: heady scents of ripe cherry and raspberry leap from the glass tinged with delectable traces of cinnamon and vanilla. Sporting a superb texture and plenty of forest berry flavors, a hint of rain washed woodlands, and a touch of exotic spice, the 2022 Celistia Tempranillo/Syrah quickly ingratiates itself to the palate, filling the mouth and flowing seamlessly across the tongue before disappearing down the throat. Purity, suavity and a vibrant finish make the 2022 Celistia Tempranillo/Syrah a true joy to drink. Enjoy!

Completing this month’s Premier Series is the bright, eye-catching, and thoroughly seductive 2023 Château Sainte Eulalie Printemps d’Eulalie. Redolent with the scents of ripe strawberries, raspberries, melons, and herbs, one is immediately enchanted. Moreover, the 2023 Printemps d’Eulalie offers juicy berry flavors that fill the mouth, a sense of elegance, and a fresh, racy finish that delights the palate and slakes the thirsty throat. As another crowd pleaser from this premier estate, the 2023 Château Sainte Eulalie Printemps d’Eulalie captures in every sip the savory scents and flavors of southern France. Drink this flavorful rosé early, often, and throughout the year. Salut!

The International Wine of the Month Club’s Collectors Series is delighted to reveal three special wines this August. Headlining this month’s portfolio is the 2016 Cyan Prestigio Tinta de Toro Reserva, a quintessential Tempranillo from Toro Zamora, a region known for rich, complex red wines. The 2016 Cyan Prestigio Tinta de Toro Reserva is one big, bold, powerful potion. Sporting a deep impenetrable color and redolent with the scents of dark cherry, plum, and aromatic herbs, the 2016 Cyan Prestigio makes a statement from the moment it wafts from the glass. It is, also, highly extracted, intense on the palate, and burnished with 18 months of ageing in French and American oak barrels. Sumptuous flavors of black fruits, garrigue, and vanilla oak emerge in the mouth. Hints of sandalwood, spice and vanilla meld with the wine’s black fruits to enliven the palate. Each sip reveals richer fruit flavors and additional nuances of flavor, which explode on the wine’s long, lengthy finish. Enjoy now and for years to come.

Our next August Collectors Series offering is Emile Beyer’s 2022 Eguisheim Mosaïque, a thrilling wine that combines the best of Riesling and Pinot Gris in one knockout blend that is nothing short of enthralling. Radiating a crystalline sun-kissed brilliance and proffering an intoxicating bouquet of citrus, exotic fruits, and spices, the 2022 Emile Beyer Eguisheim Mosaïque had us even before the first sip. Add pristine fruit, a glimpse of exotica, laser-like precision, and a racy minerality that fills the mouth and we couldn’t put Mosaïque down. Each sip reveals another facet of this intriguing offering. A Vôtre Santé!

Rounding out this month’s Collectors Series is the smooth, bursting with flavor, and wonderfully intriguing 2020 Castell del Remei Oda. Castell del Remei combines the best of Spain and France in this delicious red blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Syrah, and Merlot. Floral, fruit, and woodsy aromas meld with a light touch of sandalwood to delight the nose. Although still youthful and carrying 15% ABV, the 2020 Castell del Remei Oda opens nicely in the glass, exhibiting suavity and great mouth appeal to complement the wine’s distinctive fruit and wood flavors. In the mouth, red and black fruits, vanilla, and hints of clove caress the palate. Elegance and complexity merge in the 2020 Castell del Remei Oda, providing both joy and intrigue from start to finish. Enjoy!

The International Wine of the Month Club’s Premier Series is pleased to offer four exceptional wines in July from four countries in both hemispheres. Leading this month’s features is the 2020 Domaine Chamfort Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Sablet La Pause from Vasco Perdigao, one of the Rhône Valley’s consummate craftsmen. The 2020 Domaine Chamfort La Pause is the scion of a superb vintage in the Southern Rhône. It hails from the appellation’s two prime red varietals: Grenache and Syrah from the picturesque, sun-splashed hills surrounding the picturesque village of Sablet. Deep in color and rich in flavor, this polished wine offers up a juicy and enticing aroma redolent with raspberry, black cherry, and savory spice notes. In the mouth, woodland berries and violets, lightly dusted with Provencal herbs and a hint of black pepper, grace the palate – all bolstered by suavely textured tannins that glide across the tongue. Domaine Chamfort’s 2020 La Pause is no ordinary Côtes-du-Rhône. It possesses great purity and reflects Sablet’s special terroir as well as Vasco Perdigao’s penchant for organic viticulture and minimal intervention in winemaking. Enjoy!

Our next Premier Series feature is the crystalline 2023 Silver Sands Robertson Sauvignon Blanc, a wine that more than brings its welcome from the moment it is poured. Selected from the best parcels planted on the slopes of nearby mountains and harvested in the early morning hours, the 2023 Silver Sands Sauvignon Blanc offers an entrancing aroma of citrus blossoms, tropical fruit, and limestone, the latter imparting texture in the form of a gentle minerality. In the mouth, juicy tropical fruit flavors meld with touches of wild herbs and freshly mown spring grass. Precise and endowed with a healthy dose of racy acidity, the 2023 Silver Sands Sauvignon Blanc exits with panache, eliciting a long and satisfying finish. Enjoy!

Next among this month’s diverse quartet is the violet colored, highly aromatic 2021 Franklin Tate Estates Margaret River Shiraz, a delicious red that greets the nose with a sensuous perfume. Redolent with the scents of ripe red cherries and plums, lilac, and violet flowers, this Rhône-style Shiraz/Syrah had us from the first draught of its heavenly scent. In the mouth, the wine’s silky fruit and floral flavors continue to tantalize the palate. Gently layered and subtly complex, the medium-bodied 2021 Franklin Tate Estates Margaret River Shiraz slowly, almost methodically, unfolds its wealth of flavors. Unlike many of the brawny Australian Shiraz wines from hotter, drier locales, the tannins in this Margaret River beauty come across as sleek and soft to conjure a long, lovely finish. Enjoy!

Rounding out July’s Premier Series portfolio is the charming and succulent 2020 SJ Montigny Kreuznacher Riesling Kabinett. This highly rated wine (92 Points – Wine Enthusiast) is a joy to sniff, savor, and drink with abandon. As a bright, fruit-forward Riesling, it offers an intoxicating aroma of apricots, ripe and juicy tangerines, candied cherries, and a hint of bergamot. Light and lovely in the mouth, it graces the palate with beautiful fruit flavors and a soft touch of sweetness. The wine’s slight sweetness is imbued with a pleasant citrus twist, which provides wonderful balance and an invigorating, lingering finish. Each sip of the spry, seductive 2020 SJ Montigny Kreuznacher Riesling brings a new revelation as the wine unfolds gracefully in the glass. Prost!

The International Wine of the Month Club’s Collectors Series is proud to offer three exceptional wines again this month, beginning with David Finlayson’s 2020 Camino Africana Stellenbosch Cabernet Franc. Finlayson has created a delicious full-bodied Cabernet Franc, thanks to minimal filtration and little or no fining. Deep in color and redolent in the nose and mouth with blackberry, blackcurrant, cedar, and dark chocolate flavors, the 2020 Camino Africana Cabernet Franc quickly seduces the senses with its bold fruit, juicy tannins, and suave texture – all of which graciously keep on giving. The product of non-interventionist winemaking, David Finlayson’s 2020 Camino Africana Cabernet Franc is a tour de force for the outstanding, yet underappreciated, Cabernet Franc varietal. Although still in its youth, this impeccably balanced Cabernet Franc drinks beautifully now and should offer additional complexity and drinking pleasure for the remainder of the decade. Enjoy!

Our next July Collectors Series offering is the 2022 Domaine Gilles Noblet Mâcon-Fuissé, a superb, hedonistic white Burgundy, which exhibits the vintage’s alluring seduction. The 2022 Domaine Gilles Noblet Mâcon-Fuissé offers superb ripeness along with the energy and precision that always make Noblet’s wines both immensely compelling and highly sought after. The 2022 Gilles Noblet Mâcon-Fuissé radiates a brilliant glint of sunshine, which recalls the rows of golden clusters of Chardonnay grapes that mature slowly under the Mâconnais sun in what is the prettiest and warmest part of Burgundy. Floral notes of acacia, forsythia, hawthorn, and pear greet the nose. Yet, it is in the mouth that the 2022 Domaine Gilles Noblet Mâcon-Fuissé truly begins to spread its wings and work its seductive magic in the form of gentle, pure fruit flavors, pinpoint precision, and a delightfully refreshing mineral-driven acidity, which graciously ties everything all together. Fresh, nuanced and eminently drinkable as always, Gilles Noblet’s 2022 Mâcon-Fuissé is a delight to drink now, yet it will continue to develop in bottle for at least two more years. Enjoy!

Completing this month’s Collectors Series is the 2018 Viña Alicia Lujan de Cuyo Morena, a suave, sophisticated Bordeaux blend that combines Old World charm with New World flavors and structure. Savory scents of baking spices, blueberry, and cassis quickly greet the nose, while the wine’s layered berry flavors infused with crushed violets, cedar, and vanilla tantalize the palate. Soft tannins and spritely acidity carry Morena’s beautiful fruit and woodland flavors through to a long, lingering, and satisfying finish. Enjoy this seductive wine now and often!

The International Wine of the Month Club’s Premier Series is pleased to offer four exceptional wines in June from south of the equator. Leading this month’s Premier Series is the highly acclaimed 2022 La Posta Bonarda (92 Points – Descorchados), a wine that immediately captures the eye with its crystalline brilliance and intense ruby red color. However, what’s most impressive is the wine’s flamboyant aroma, a delightful mélange of crushed red raspberries, sandalwood, and dark chocolate. The newly released 2022 La Posta Armando Bonarda continues to impress in the mouth with rich berry flavors, smoky spice tones, and juicy mouthwatering acidity, which dances across the tongue before exiting with a delightful and refreshing flourish. The wine’s racy, hedonistic style and seamless structure make it an ideal wine to drink cool over the next several years, but there is no need to wait. Enjoy!

Our next Premier Series feature is the delightful 2022 Black Pearl Swartland Chenin Blanc from Mary-Lou Nash. A true crowd pleaser, the 2022 Black Pearl Chenin Blanc offers a fresh and sensuous bouquet of red Anjou pears, stone fruits, and lime zest. The wine’s enticing fruit aromas carry through in the mouth and meld beautifully with the wine’s racy, refreshing acidity. Precise and laser-like in focus, the 2022 Black Pearl Chenin Blanc caresses the senses and slakes the thirst. Moreover, every sip seems to reveal an additional aromatic delight and an appealing subtlety. Enjoy this Chenin Blanc with multiple 90 Point ratings now and often.

Next in this month’s quartet is the 2021 Mendel Lujan de Cuyo Cabernet Sauvignon (93 Points – Tim Atkin; 92 Points – Robert Parker; 92 Points – Vinous) from Roberto de la Mota, one of the planet’s greatest winemakers. Harvested from the estate’s premier, high elevation vineyards and matured in 100% oak barrels for 12 months, the 2021 Mendel Lujan de Cuyo Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits amplifying aromatics and bold beautiful flavors. Blackberry, cassis, and dark chocolate flavors flow on a bed of ripe, racy tannins. Add deft touches of spice and well-integrated oak tones to the wine’s pure ripe berry tones and this Cabernet fills the mouth, before finishing with real panache. Enjoy!

Rounding out June’s Premier Series portfolio is the 2022 Groot Constantia Western Cape Sauvignon Blanc, a classic blend of 93% Sauvignon Blanc and 7% Semillon. Bearing a bright sun splashed color and fragrant with the scents of lemon zest, passion fruit, gooseberry, and guava, the 2022 Groot Constantia Sauvignon Blanc pleases from the moment it is poured. The wine’s intoxicating aroma re-emerges in the mouth, offering a complex mélange of guava, gooseberry, citrus, melon, and passion fruit to complement a zesty minerality. Boldly flavored but impeccably balanced, the fresh and racy 2022 Groot Constantia Sauvignon Blanc tantalizes the taste buds with its snappy fruit flavors and crisp refreshing minerality. Enjoy this delicious Sauvignon Blanc moderately chilled (40°-45° F) now and for as long as you can get your hands on it, for this is truly one of the world’s finest Sauvignon Blancs.

The International Wine of the Month Club’s Collectors Series is proud to offer three exceptional wines again in June, beginning with the highly touted 2021 Luca Old Vine Uco Valley Mendoza Malbec (94 Points – James Suckling; 93 Points – Wine Spectator; 93 Points – Vinous) from Argentina’s first family of Malbec. Aromatic and seductive, Luca’s 2021 Old Vine Malbec offers a cornucopia of savory scents and flavors: blackberry, cherry, cacao, and violets mingle with sensuous spice tones and rich dark chocolate. The wine’s delectable aromatics follow through in the mouth, offering layers of savory dark berry, chocolate, and intoxicating spice tones. Savory, complex, and long in the finish with a hauntingly beautiful patina of vanilla oak, the 2021 Luca Old Vine Malbec is a very polished, balanced Malbec. A clear standout, this acclaimed wine may again be named “Malbec of the Year.” Enjoy!

Our next June Collectors Series offering is the 2022 Albert Bichot Domaine Long-Depaquit Chablis. This brilliant Chablis wears an inviting, bright, sun-splashed color, while fresh scents of spring flowers, white peach, citrus, and oyster shells greet the nose. Moreover, this comely Chablis delivers on the palate with the appellation’s refreshing telltale flavors: a delightful mélange of white flowers, flint, lemon zest, and a faint but beckoning scent of the sea born of Chablis’s Kimmeridgian soil. Sensuous and intriguing, the youthful 2022 Bichot Domaine Long-Depaquit Chablis finishes with panache. Enjoy!

Completing this month’s Collectors Series is the suave, sophisticated, and knockout delicious 2015 Château Sainte Eulalie Minervois La Livinière Grand Vin, a wine that leaves no doubt as to the Coustals’ acumen and why La Livinière was designated the first Languedoc Cru. From the moment this hedonistic delight exits the bottle, the wine’s deep and impenetrable purple robe beckons the taster. Savory scents of ripe blackberry, cherry, and plum along with a cache of exotic spices greet the nose and grace the palate. In the glass, the 2015 Château Sainte Eulalie Grand Vin unfolds gracefully, filling the mouth first with seductive berry and fruit flavors, followed by hints of chocolate and sandalwood that emerge in the mid-palate. All that the 2015 Château Sainte Eulalie Minervois La Livinière Grand Vin has to offer is carried on the smoothest, silkiest tannins. Enjoy!

In January, The International Wine of the Month Club’s Premier Series is delighted to offer four exciting world-class wines from around the world, beginning with the concentrated 2021 La Planta Ribera del Duero. This textbook Ribera del Duero reveals its charm, beginning with a deep cherry red and violet-rimmed color and tantalizing aromatics. Bright red raspberry and cherry scents waft from the glass to greet the nose. In the mouth, the medium-bodied, yet boldly flavored 2021 La Planta Ribera del Duero reveals both elegance and concentration as it entertains the palate with a delightful mélange of red fruits, cacao, and dark spices. Supple tannins and a light patina of oak from spending 6 months in American and French oak barrels provide an ideal frame for the wine’s savory notes. Enjoy!

Our next Premier Series feature is the 2022 Château La Gabarre Bordeaux Blanc, another great success from the Gabard family who continue to fashion superb Bordeaux Blanc by blending Bordeaux’s two most important white grape varieties: Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. The 2022 Château La Gabarre Bordeaux Blanc delights the eye with its brilliant sun-splashed color and entices the nose with a sensuous bouquet of citrus, freshly cut melon, and mango, all infused with a delightful touch of Sauvignon Blanc herbaceousness. The wine’s sensual appeal continues in the mouth where a mélange of suffused fruit and minerals flow gracefully across the tongue. Add the gentle roundness and refined texture from Semillon, and this classic Bordeaux Blanc delights from start to finish. In fact, we found the 2022 Château La Gabarre Bordeaux Blanc truly hard to resist. Salut!

This month’s next special red wine is the elegant, charming 2020 Bodega Renacer Punto Final Malbec Reserve (92 Points – Tim Atkin MW and 90 Points – Wine Advocate). Produced organically from vines more than 50 years of age and arrayed in a regal violet robe, while offering heady aromatics, the 2020 Bodega Renacer Punto Final Malbec Reserva had us from the very first sip. Enchanting scents of blueberry, strawberry, and woodland violets mingled with light earth and spice tones greet the nose. The wine’s berry flavors and heady aromatics carry through to the mouth where they flow on fine-grained tannins. As an added delight, chocolate and roasted coffee tones emerge with aeration to complement the wine’s juicy fruit and floral tones. Elegant, yet full of flavor, the 2020 Bodega Renacer Punto Final Malbec Reserva reminds us of the finest Malbec wines of Cahors, the original Malbec of southwest France. Aged for ten months in French barriques and bottled unfiltered, this organically produced vegan friendly Malbec combines the best of New World and Old World Malbec, making it fascinating and hard to resist. Enjoy!

Rounding out this month’s Premier Series is the 2022 Gruber Röschitz By Nature Niederösterreich Riesling. This graceful Riesling bears no resemblance to the Rieslings of yesteryear. Pale yellow in color and delicately floral with the scents of white peach, green apple, and lemon zest, the organically produced 2022 By Nature Riesling exudes vitality and charm. Initially soft and delicate in the mouth, almost spritely, Gruber’s 2022 Röschitz By Nature Riesling graces the palate with lovely floral flavors before the wine’s minerality and refreshing acidity emerge in the form of a citrus twist. The youthful, but balanced, 2022 Gruber Röschitz By Nature Riesling comes together nicely, finishing with a flourish and exiting with verve and vitality. Enjoy!

The International Wine of the Month Club’s Collectors Series is proud to offer three exceptional wines from three world-renowned estates and appellations. This month’s odyssey begins with the 2020 Domaine Raspail-Ay Gigondas. Domaine Raspail-Ay continues to fashion outstanding Gigondas and garner tremendous critical acclaim, including for the estate’s 2020 Gigondas (95 Points – Vinous and 95 Points – Jeb Dunnuck). The 2020 Raspail-Ay Gigondas is ripe, succulent, and scented with dark cherry, raspberry, and exotic floral tones. Floral, herbal, and downright seductive, the 2020 Domaine Raspail-Ay Gigondas coats the mouth with rich berry tones, deft touches of sandalwood, and garrigue. Expansive and powerful in the mouth, the 2020 Raspail-Ay Gigondas just keeps on coming, delivering a boatload of flavors, all beautifully wrapped in lush tannins. Dominque Ay and family have quite possibly fashioned their greatest wine to date in the superlative 2020 Domaine Raspail-Ay Gigondas. Salut!

Next in line is the highly allocated 2021 Chartron et Trebuchet Beauroy Premier Cru Chablis. Crystalline, structured, and supremely elegant, the brilliant 2021 Chartron et Trébuchet Beauroy Premier Cru Chablis embodies the very best attributes of the venerable Chablis appellation (97 Points – Decanter). It is sensuous and beguiling with intense citrus and floral scents infused with the region’s distinctive minerality – the very hallmarks of the greatest Premier Cru Chablis. Expressive and round in the mouth, the 2021 Chartron et Trébuchet Beauroy Premier Chablis delivers its full, rich flavors with laser-like precision. Add Chablis’s propensity for imparting a faint savor of the sea from the region’s Kimmeridgian soil and Chartron et Trébuchet’s 2021 Beauroy Premier Cru Chablis beckons from the time it is poured clear through to its long, lingering, perfectly dry finish. This is Premier Cru Chablis at its best. Although still in its infancy, the 2021 Chartron et Trébuchet Beauroy Premier Cru Chablis offers exciting drinking pleasure now, though it will surely continue to improve in bottle to provide superb drinking pleasure for a decade or more. Enjoy!

Completing this month’s Collectors Series is an exceptional Burgundian Pinot Noir, the aromatic, lithe, and quietly seductive 2021 Domaine Gille Grandes Creusottes Bourgogne Côte d’Or Pinot Noir. This wine truly highlights young Matthieu Gille’s consummate winemaking skills. Sporting a bright ruby color as well as the juicy scents of wild strawberries and red raspberries, this wine had us on the first sip. Yet, the best was still to come. Smoothness and grace are the calling cards of Domaine Gille’s 2021 Grandes Creusottes Bourgogne Côte d’Or Pinot Noir, which graces the palate with feminine charm, perfumed fruit, and juicy acidity. This 2021 Burgundian Pinot Noir is traditional red burgundy, so there’s no brawn or mouth puckering tannins to contend with, only the delicate, pretty essence of unadulterated Pinot Noir. Enjoy!

In December, The International Wine of the Month Club’s Premier Series is delighted to offer four exciting world-class wines, beginning with the full-bodied 2018 Château Beauregard-Ducasse Albert Duran Graves. In keeping with the vintage’s great strength of character, the 2018 Château Beauregard-Ducasse Albert Duran is bold and built for the long haul. For starters, the wine wears a profound purple color and offers deep-down scents of black cherry, unsmoked tobacco, and forest floor. In the mouth, blackberry and cherry fruit mingled with savory earth and vanilla tones flow on a bed of strong ripe tannins, leading to an explosive finish. Hang on for the ride. In true Graves fashion, the 2018 Château Beauregard-Ducasse Albert Duran opens nicely with aeration. This full-bodied red Graves is sure to please those who long for classic, age-worthy red Bordeaux.

Our next feature this month also hails from France, the 2019 Château Beauregard-Ducasse Cuvée Albertine Peyri Graves Blanc. Albert Perromat’s exuberant 2019 Château Beauregard-Ducasse Cuvée Albertine Peyri Graves exhibits crystalline brilliance, amplifying aromatics, and a wealth of flavors, as well as laser-like focus and intensity. Citrus, peach, and quince aromas greet the nose before re-emerging in the mouth. Full-bodied and mouth filling, the 2019 Château Beauregard-Ducasse Cuvée Albertine Peyri evolves constantly in the glass, initially offering a citrus-like intensity born of Sauvignon Blanc before revealing a mélange of dried honey, melon, guava, and quince from the wine’s predominance of Semillon. The wine’s hiatus in barrel is barely evident until a delightful hint of vanilla melds with a splash of quinine on the wine’s long, power-packed finish. Enjoy!

This month’s next venture is from the esteemed Douro estate of Quinta Nova. The richly robed 2021 Quinta Nova Pomares Tinto first captures the eye with its brilliant ruby hue. Bright cherry and wild raspberry scents waft from the glass. Elegant and subtly complex, the 2021 Quinta Nova Pomares Tinto graces the palate with juicy berry fruit flavors and deft touches of spice and vanilla. Refined tannins add lift and a racy mouthwatering finish. Pure and crystalline in flavor, the 2021 Quinta Nova Pomares Tinto brings its welcome with an approachable expressive personality. Enjoy!

Rounding out this month’s Premier Series is the racy 2022 Domaine des Quatre Routes Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine from Henri Poiron, one of the appellation’s consummate producers. Always bottled Sur Lie and downright thirst quenching, the 2022 Domaine des Quatre Routes Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine offers a brilliant pale yellow color and clean, dry, mineral-rich flavors. Soft scents of citrus and stone fruits, minerals, and sea spray emanate from this energetic Muscadet. This is a dry white wine with a fresh round texture. There’s no smoke or mirrors in Henri Poiron’s 2022 Domaine des Quatre Routes, just authentic Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine. You won’t find butter, oak, or the residual sugar associated with many New World wines either. Instead, the limestone-rich soil of the Loire, the scent of the sea, and the delicate fruit flavors of Melon de Bourgogne shine in Domaine des Quatre Routes’ crisp, refreshingly dry 2022 Sèvre-et-Maine Muscadet. Enjoy!

The International Wine of the Month Club’s Collectors Series is proud to ring out 2023 with three exceptional wines from two of the planet’s iconic producers. This month’s odyssey begins with the 2021 Titus Andronicus Napa Valley Red, a sensuous Cabernet-centric proprietary blend from the award winning Napa estate of winemakers Phillip and Eric Corallo-Titus. The 2021 Andronicus is screamingly great and downright seductive. The aroma of the 2021 Andronicus nearly leaps from the glass, offering an elixir of blackberry, dark cherry, cedar, and sweet tobacco leaf, but that’s just this Andronicus’ opening act. In the mouth, the 2021 Titus Andronicus satiates the palate with layers of rich berry fruit, dark chocolate, sweet tobacco leaf, and vanilla. Bold in flavor but with nary an edge, Titus’ 2021 Andronicus is backed by lush tannins, which add structure and form, without compromising the wine’s delectable fruit. Enjoy!

Next up is the elegant, richly flavored, and highly acclaimed Emile Beyer Crémant d’Alsace Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut NV (92 Points – Wine Enthusiast). This certified organic wine is pure pleasure. From the froth of its tiny bubbles until the last sip, Beyer’s Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut NV offers the eyes, nose, and palate a delightful interlude. Endowed with a creamy mousse and the savory scents and flavors of mountain grown apples and freshly baked brioche, it is hard to imagine a finer, more elegant wine, sparkling or still. Natural tasting and refreshingly dry straight through to the finish, Emile Beyer’s certified organic Crémant d’Alsace Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut NV truly puts to shame the vast majority of sparkling wines, including champagne, in flavor, purity, and drinking pleasure. Sante!

Completing this month’s Collectors Series is the 2020 Titus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from iconic Titus Vineyards. Beautifully balanced and wonderfully layered and complex, the 2020 Titus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon embodies Titus’s distinctive poise. Regally robed in purple, the 2020 Titus Cabernet Sauvignon offers tantalizing aromatics redolent with Bing cherry, black berry, and plum. Vibrant in the mouth with delicious dark cherry and berry fruits wedded to rich cacao and black tea flavors, the 2020 Titus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is already a delight to drink. Add hints of baking spices and cigar box to the wine’s beautiful fruit and fine grained tannins, and it’s easy to see how Napa Valley and Bordeaux converge in Titus’s multi-layered 2020 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Enjoy!