Notes from the Panel Archives - Wine Blog from The International Wine of the Month Club

Why Serve Wine at Thanksgiving

November 15, 2020 by Don Lahey

In 2020, gratitude may well be the least appreciated of all virtues. This November many of us may not be exactly “feeling the love,” and when asked what we are thankful for this Thanksgiving, a gracious much may flow out of our mouths that doesn’t exactly sound like gratitude. Yes, we are all tired of COVID, the crisis, the illness, the masks, the economic and social destruction it reaps, not to mention, hurricanes, wildfires, the political and socio-economic divide, and everything else that polarizes; yet, we are still alive. We are still capable of looking at what we have and what we can do to make this world a better place, if we choose.

Yes, gratitude may, indeed, be the least appreciated of all virtues. We may bemoan the ravages of COVID, the devastating wildfires throughout California wine country and much of the American West, the absence of college football, and the list goes on, but we are still Americans. We have a day set aside to remind us of gratitude, a day on which to stop and pause, a day set aside to be anything except ordinary. Instead of being consumed by parades, football, and the specter of Black Friday, all of which have nearly obliterated the meaning of Thanksgiving, let us give thanks. What better way to give thanks than to seize the opportunity to help those less fortunate, share food and wine with family and friends, and give thanks to all who have made the food we eat and the wine we drink possible.

For me, Thanksgiving is a reminder that faith, family, friends, health, and an abundance of fine wine should never be taken for granted. It’s a day to express gratitude by bringing the finest wines from my cellar to share with everyone who partakes, a time to remind myself of all that I have and what I can still do, rather than a time to lament what I don’t have or can no longer do. Thanksgiving reacquaints me with all that is good in life, and that includes an abundance of fine wine. I am sincerely grateful that I don’t have to drink a wine I don’t like. Although, I am still asked to taste some less desirable wines from time to time, I don’t have to drink them. More importantly, Thanksgiving is a day of celebration and a time to share the finest wines with family, friends and whoever else shows up, either for dinner or simply to say hello and wish me a Happy Thanksgiving. This is why I serve wine at Thanksgiving. So this Thanksgiving, may we all express gratitude, share good wine, and all else that is good in life. Happy Thanksgiving!

Wildfires Ravage California Wine Country

September 1, 2020 by Don Lahey

Unless you are one of the hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the flames throughout California wine country, you cannot imagine the intensity of these blazes and the destruction ignited by more than 20,000 dry lightning strikes. As of this writing, this latest round of seasonal California wildfires has claimed seven lives, destroyed 1,200 homes and businesses, burned more than 800,000 acres, and forced mandatory evacuations in the San Francisco Bay area, Napa, Sonoma, Lake and Solano counties just as the grape harvest began. The heavy smoke from these fires threatens to taint the grapes that remain on the vines, and it is already creating the planet’s worst air pollution throughout the American West.

Even more frightening is the added specter of Covid-19, which impedes firefighters, first responders, and rescue efforts. And with the need to wear masks and the necessity of social distancing to prevent the spread of the disease, the question arises: How do we support essential workers and house and support the thousands of people whose homes and businesses are under siege? In past years, many of the wineries themselves opened their facilities and fed the multitudes who lost homes and had nowhere else to go. In the midst of the Covid crisis, few wineries or public shelters have space to house more than a tiny number of those seeking safety from the fires, and many of the wineries and vineyards are themselves threatened and are closed.

Spawned by more than 11,000 lightning strikes, the L.N.U. Lightning Complex (the largest and most widespread complex of fires) continues to ravage Napa, Sonoma, Lake, and Solano counties, the source of many of California’s iconic wines. Other areas throughout Central and Southern California have also been affected. It is one thing to be aware of a crisis, it is another to take action. What can you and I do to help? Plenty. Although few of us are equipped to fight fires or are too distant to offer shelter, we can support California growers and producers by making a concerted effort to buy and consume California wine, especially wines grown and produced by small family wineries who have the most to lose. And when California winemakers were asked how consumers and the general public could help, they responded by saying “Firefighters are truly on the front lines fighting these fires. They are risking their lives to save others’ lives and property. Helping injured firefighters and the families of those who have lost their lives would be the best way to honor these heroes.”

If you would like to help, please consider making a donation to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, a non-profit that is active in all states, by going to www.wffoundation.org. The Wildland Firefighter Foundation has been assisting firefighters and their families since 1994 and has been especially supportive of California wildland firefighters and their families, including those who fought the deadly Camp fire that destroyed Paradise. Any support you can render will go a long way to helping those who help the rest of us stay safe.

Petite Sirah: California’s Latest Darling

August 15, 2020 by Don Lahey

Petite Sirah, also known as Durif, is named for Francois Durif, the French botanist who first identified the grape in the late 19^th century in the south of France. Petite Sirah is thought to be the result of a natural chance cross pollination between Syrah and the French grape Peloursin. Durif or Petite Sirah (the names are often used interchangeably) is rarely cultivated today in its native France. However, this adaptable grape has gained considerable favor elsewhere, with California its main proponent. It is increasingly popular in Australia and Israel, too, as the grape is well-suited to a dry, Mediterranean climate.

Although called Petite Sirah, there is nothing petite about Petite Sirah, except the size of its berries. Petite Sirah produces rich, powerful, and often tannic wines that are typically at their best within the first 5 or 6 years of life, but the finest versions benefit from extensive bottle aging and live for up to two decades or more.

Petite Sirah has a long history in California where it has flourished since the 1870s. A favorite of Sonoma County’s Italian immigrant population for its deep color, rich fruit flavors, and tannic structure, Petite Sirah quickly found a place among California’s “field blends,” wines that were enamored by California’s immigrant population and the state’s burgeoning population. At the turn of the 20^th century, Petite Sirah was reputed to be among the three leading grape varieties planted in California. Zinfandel and Mourvèdre were the other players in that triumvirate. Although not nearly so widely cultivated today, Petite Sirah is enjoying resurgence, both as a key component in many of California’s finest Zinfandels and popular field blends but also on its own as a single varietal. Rich dark fruit, plenty of robust flavors, and ample tannins make Petite Sirah popular among American consumers.

Salud!
Don

Malbec: Better Than Ever

July 15, 2020 by Don Lahey

Malbec’s more than decade-long meteoric rise to prominence north of the Rio Grande has secured it a place at dinner tables and around barbecue pits all across America. Invariably, Malbec offers a deeply colored mouthful of wine that complements a wide variety of foods that Americans enjoy: steaks, burgers, pork barbecue, pizza, and a host of everyday, stick to your ribs fare. However, Malbec’s star has not always burned so brightly. For years, much of the Malbec on store shelves in this country were simply blah or at best one trick ponies, with only a handful of notable exceptions. It is not because Malbec makes inherently inferior wine (nothing could be further from the truth), but because for too long there were so few really good Malbecs in North America to choose from. With the exception of Catena, Alta Vista, Achaval-Ferrer, and a handful of other notable producers, most Malbecs in this country in decades past were one dimensional wines that provided the grape variety’s deep hue and jolt, but little else. Thankfully, all that has changed. Today, we in North America have many excellent Malbec wines to choose from and one need not have an expense account to enjoy them.

Although Malbec’s origin is southwest France, including Bordeaux, where it still plays an important supporting role alongside Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, Argentina has come to fore as the contemporary champion and spiritual home of Malbec. A continuous stream of excellent Malbecs now flow north from Argentina to grace North American tables. And I am happy to report that many of my favorite Argentinean Malbecs are now readily available in the U.S. Almarada, a new venture from Malbec specialist Antonio Mas, offers a tasty, crowd-pleasing Malbec from the famed Uco Valley at a very reasonable price. Graffito, La Posta, Luca, Mendel, and Tikal are even more consummate Malbec producers that consistently fashion excellent, affordable Malbecs at the level of Achaval Ferrer, Catena and Alta Vista. With that said, one should also not overlook the top Malbec wines from France’s Cahors appellation where Château Armandière and Domaines Georges Vigouroux are fashioning traditional, world-class Malbecs. So why not fire up the grill, call friends over for a barbecue, and pour a glass of a truly good Malbec?

Salud!
Don

Our Owner’s Top 7 Picks Available in our Wine Store Now

June 5, 2020 by International Wine of the Month Club

We asked the head of our wine curation panel, Don Lahey, to come up with the top 7 wines they’d pick from our inventory to get them through the quarantine (One for each day of the week!). Here’s what we got back:

Put together your own quarantine dream assortment, and save 15% automatically when you order 12 total bottles! And, save an additional 10% on all wine, beer, and cigar store orders over $100 with the code below.

Order Online or by emailing or calling us at 800-625-8238.

Thanks so much for supporting our small, family-owned business during these unprecedented times. It means so much to us.

What to Look for in November

November 15, 2019 by Don Lahey

In November, The International Wine of the Month Club’s Premier Series offers four unique, highly acclaimed wines. To begin this month’s odyssey is the 2018 Château Pizay Morgon, a wine that personifies the endearing side of cru Beaujolais, which is nothing like the oceans of “Nouveau” that inundate the market each fall. From the very first sniff of the 2018 Château de Pizay Morgon, the accolades heralding the superior quality of the 2018 vintage in Beaujolais are confirmed. 92 points from Decanter adds further affirmation. Beautiful cherry and freshly picked strawberry fruit scents leap from the glass. Add a bright crimson and purple robe and savory silky smooth flavors and it’s hard to think of the 2018 Château de Pizay Morgon as anything but hedonism in a glass. In the mouth, raspberry and strawberry fruit with hints of cinnamon, crushed minerals, and a delightfully seductive vinosity seduce the palate. Although wonderful to drink now, this top notch Morgon still has several years of development ahead of it, as the wines of Morgon are traditionally some of the longest-lived Beaujolais.

Next in line is Domaine Houchart’s 2018 Côtes de Provence Blanc, a wine that embodies the best of Provence. 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, but full of flavor and pinpoint precision, the 2018 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. With Domaine Houchart’s simple but delicious blend of Clairette and Rolle, there is no smoke or mirrors, oak, or butter tones, just one fresh, unique white wine.

This month’s adventure continues with Ernesto Catena’s certified biodynamic 2015 Tikal Natural from organic grapes. This is a masterful blend of Malbec (60%) and Syrah (40%) from this premier estate. Born in an excellent vintage and the offspring of a vineyard in Mendoza’s renowned Vista Flores region, the 2015 Tikal adds further evidence of Argentina’s ability to craft natural tasting world-class red wines that do not require bank loans to enjoy. A more natural, plush, and thoroughly satisfying red wine will be hard to find as the 2015 Tikal Natural captures the essence of biodynamic farming. It offers a deep rich color, fresh cherry and wild raspberry aromas, and a delicious array of fruit, spice, mocha and vanilla flavors to tantalize the palate. Bold-flavored, yet smooth and immensely satisfying, the 2015 Tikal Natural will spoil your palate for anything less natural and sensuous.

The last leg of this month’s odyssey is the 2018 Château de Pizay Beaujolais Blanc. Purity and precision pervade Château de Pizay’s vibrant 2018 Beaujolais Blanc. This recent release from Château de Pizay sports an eye-catching, sunny straw-colored robe, but this wine has more than visual appeal going for it. Fresh draughts of spring, apple blossoms, and melon waft from the glass. In the mouth, this Mâcon style Chardonnay offers delicate floral and fruit flavors infused with a gentle palate-pleasing minerality. Although imbued with the soft lovely fruit of a first rate Mâcon-Villages, the 2018 Château de Pizay retains the pinpoint precision of Beaujolais from the appellation’s granite soil, adding vibrancy to the wine’s smooth palate-cleansing finish.

The International Wine of the Month Club’s Collectors Series is proud to offer three exciting and highly allocated wines in November from three countries. We begin with the 2017 Fore Family Carneros Napa Pinot Noir. Few California producers fashion a Pinot as bold and beautiful as the 2017 Fore Family Carneros Napa Pinot Noir, yet still retain the elegance and complexity for which the finest Pinot Noirs are renowned. The 2017 Fore Family Carneros Napa Pinot Noir does that and more, offering up savory scents of Morello cherries, woodland blackberries and a cornucopia of enticing spices from the minute it is poured. Faithful to the Fore style, the wine’s beckoning aromatics follow through on the palate, carried on a bed of silky tannins that continue to caress the palate long after the wine has been swallowed. Unfolding slowly with each sip, the wine’s hauntingly beautiful fruit, exotic spice, and fresh forest floor tones are an absolute delight. And given Fore Family’s track record for crafting Pinot Noirs that continue to improve in bottle and drink well for up to a decade or more, you can bet the 2017 Fore Family Carneros Napa Pinot Noir will be even more enticing tomorrow than it is today.

This month’s highly allocated Collectors Series white wine is Delamotte’s Brut N.V. Champagne from the celebrated Champagne house that fashions Champagne’s legendary Salon-Le-Mesnil. Elegance, finesse, and delicacy are the hallmarks of all Delamotte champagnes, and Delamotte’s Brut N.V. provides the ideal introduction into Delamotte’s prestigious house style. Lithe in the glass and sporting a fine delicate mousse, Delamotte’s Brut immediately strikes the right chord. Enticing aromas of orchard fruits mingled with soft scents of hazelnuts and pain grillé greet the nose. In the mouth, the wine truly turns on its charm with crisp clean mineral driven flavors that complement the wine’s delicate fruit and delightfully toasty elements. Refreshing and beautifully balanced, it is hard to imagine a finer, more sophisticated Brut champagne than Delamotte’s Brut N.V.

To round out this month’s Collectors Series is the 2015 Casa Silva S38 Los Lingues Single Block Cabernet Sauvignon, the estate’s rarest and most highly allocated wine: Wow! this newly released wine makes quite a statement. Always pushing the envelope, the 2015 S38 Cabernet Sauvignon is unquestionably the finest Cabernet to date from Casa Silva. This illustrious winery has imbued their 2015 S38 Cabernet Sauvignon with a gorgeous deep ruby/ purple color, an intense bouquet, and a wealth of flavors in the form of ripe blackberries, tobacco, mint, and chocolate tones. Long in the mouth and saturated with flavor, the 2015 S38 is a tour de force from Casa Silva. No wonder it garnered 93 points from Descorchados, South America’s most prestigious wine review. Enjoy!

What to Look for in August

August 16, 2019 by Don Lahey

In August, The International Wine of the Month Club’s Premier Series is proud to offer four exceptional wines from around the world, including an exclusive offering of Artesana’s 2017 Cabernet Franc Merlot Reserva. This newly released wine marks another milestone for this boutique winery. In the hands of two highly skilled women from Uruguay, Analía Lazaneo and Valentina Gatti, this unique offering combines two of Bordeaux’s most prestigious varietals to create a bold flavored wine that is both complex and polished. The 2017 Artesana Cabernet Franc Merlot Reserva comes endowed with a deep purple complexion, yet, it is what captures the nose and fills the mouth that deserves the greatest laud. An impressive array of savory scents and flavors in the form of crushed blackberry, cassis, and mulberry infused with hints of dark chocolate, unsmoked tobacco, and an intriguing herbaceous note grace the nose and mouth. Underlying the fruit and savory aspects of this wine is a solid core of ripe tannins that provide real energy and lift in addition to the promise of a long, flavor-filled life.

Our next Premier Series feature is the strikingly beautiful and downright eye-catching 2018 Château Sainte Eulalie Printemps d’Eulalie, a wine that sets a high bar for rosé. Redolent with the scents of ripe strawberries, raspberries, melons, and herbs, one is immediately enchanted. Better still, the 2018 Printemps d’Eulalie offers juicy flavors and a real mouthful of wine to satisfy the palate, without sacrificing delicacy or freshness. A true crowd pleaser from start to finish, the 2018 Château Sainte Eulalie Printemps d’Eulalie captures the savory scents of spring and evokes the allure of southern France. Drink this flavorful rosé early and often. But have no fear; there is plenty of stuffing in this wine to carry it through until well into next year and beyond.

Next in August’s world tour of wine is the 2017 Rayen Monastrell from the heartland of Spain – a wine that lives up to Monastrell’s reputation for yielding deeply colored, bold flavored wines. Purple with a bluish tinge, this scion from the sun-splashed land of Castilla makes a statement even before one’s nose or mouth can greet the glass. Forceful and tannic, but not hard-edged, this youthful Monastrell from Castilla La Mancha delivers plenty of savory berry and black fruit scents and flavors along with hints of clove, vanilla, and other spices. Although not overly complex, Rayen’s 2017 Monastrell is nonetheless unctuous, mouth filling, and satisfying.

Completing this month’s Premier Series portfolio is the 2017 Domaine de la Racauderie Gautier Vouvray Sec, a truly exceptional Vouvray that exemplifies the role fine weather plays in determining the quality in France’s Loire Valley. The 2017 Domaine de la Racauderie Gautier Vouvray Sec sports a cheerful sun-kissed robe and sensual aromatics in the form of orchard fruit blossoms, ripe pear, dried honey, and Vouvray’s distinctive minerality born of the region’s limestone-rich tufa soil. In the mouth, this wine bursts with flavor and mouthwatering acidity at the same time that it highlights a core of textured fruit that hints of pear and quince. This Vouvray’s finish is long and vivacious, suggesting that it has many more excellent years ahead of it. Enjoy!

The International Wine of the Month Club’s Collectors Series is delighted to reveal three special offerings in August. Beginning this month’s tour is the 2016 Josep Grau Vespres Montsant from an outstanding vintage. Born of old vines of Garnacha (80% Grenache) and Samsó (20% Carignan), many of which are 100 years of age, the 2016 Vespres sports an opaque purple robe, an enticing, sensual aroma, and a boatload of flavors that flow joyfully from the glass. Fragrant with an alluring bouquet of freshly picked raspberries, woodland blackberries, and wild violets infused with touches of exotic spices and a hint of wood smoke, the bouquet of the 2016 Josep Grau Vespres is nothing short of alluring. The wine’s palate appeal is equally gratifying as layers of ripe fruit unfold in the mouth, bolstered by firm, juicy tannins that provide energy and freshness. Add a pleasant minerality and just the right amount of oak from 10 months in barrel and the 2016 Josep Grau Vespres positively sings from the glass.

Our next August Collectors Series offering is the 2018 Domaine Moreux Les Bouffants Sancerre, a wine that emanates from a small, steep hillside parcel rich in limestone and rock next to Les Damnés, the “Grand Cru” of Chavignol. The exceptional 2018 vintage, which many in Sancerre are already calling legendary, has yielded a classic energetic Sancerre. The 2018 Les Bouffants exhibits Sancerre’s telltale pale yellow color, striking aromatics, and ripe fruit flavors infused with the appellation’s mouthwatering minerality. In short, 2018 has allowed the Moreux brothers to fully work their magic, crafting a Sancerre that is resplendent with citrus and passion fruit flavors infused with melon, fig, and a juicy, mineral-rich acidity. Balanced, flavorful, and delightfully dry, Domaine Moreux’s laser-like 2018 Les Bouffants Sancerre is the wine of choice when only the finest Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre will do.

Rounding out this month’s Collectors Series is the 2013 Pasanau Finca La Planeta Priorat. Albert Pasanau has fashioned an exceptional and complex Priorat in the estate’s 2013 Finca La Planeta. Emanating from Priorat’s highest vineyard, this special offering exhibits a deep, nearly impenetrable color from the preeminence of Cabernet Sauvignon. Add Finca La Planeta’s beautiful and distinctive bouquet of black fruits and graphite and a resemblance to classified Bordeaux, and the great Château Lafite springs to mind. And much like a young Château Lafite, the 2013 Finca La Planeta is initially reticent upon emerging from the bottle, but not for very long. The wine’s deep berry flavors, graphite, thyme and hints of cedar quickly come to fore. Full-bodied, intense, and endowed with an iron core, the 2013 Finca La Planeta retains a combination of Bordeaux hauteur and Spanish warmth, a wine that is both sleek and immensely flavorful.

Enjoy!

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