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!

In November, The International Wine of the Month Club’s Premier Series is delighted to offer four illustrious wines, beginning with Dayne and Jill Sherwood’s beautiful 2020 Sherwood Estate Waipara Valley Pinot Noir. Hailing from another splendid vintage on New Zealand’s South Island, it is every bit as compelling as their expressive, highly touted 2019 Waipara Pinot Noir as it continues to outshine many Burgundy and New World Pinot Noirs selling for twice the price. The succulent 2020 Sherwood Waipara Valley Pinot Noir offers delicious aromatics, beginning with beguiling scents of ripe cherries, strawberries and crushed cranberries. Charming, simply elegant, and so easy to drink, this medium-bodied Pinot Noir follows on the palate, delivering a delightful mélange of fruit, exotic spices, and a welcome vinosity. The 2020 Sherwood Waipara Valley Pinot Noir provides all the attributes one can expect from well-made, cool weather Pinot Noir: a floral bouquet, a cache of aromatic spices, and crunchy acidity, which leaves the palate refreshed and ready for more. Enjoy!

Our next feature this month hails from France, the 2022 Chateâu la Genestière Les Petits Cailloux Viognier Pays d’Oc. This enchanted Viognier had us on the first sniff. “What a gorgeous nose!” uttered one tasting panel member. “This wine smells so good it’s almost a shame to drink it,” commented another. In true Viognier fashion, the aroma alone of the 2022 Les Petits Cailloux Viognier is worth the price of admission. Pure juicy peach and apricot aromas waft from the glass. Add a spray of spring flowers and the bouquet on this wine is nothing short of mildly intoxicating. In the mouth, the wine’s fruit and floral tones meld with fresh acidity and gentle mineral tones, delivering considerable palate pleasing pleasure. Stylish and utterly charming, the Chateâu la Genestière 2022 Les Petits Cailloux Viognier exits with grace, leaving all of us begging for more. Textured and pleasantly dry, it’s hard to ask more of this lovely Viognier.

This month’s next venture is the delicious and utterly fascinating 2020 Schwarz The Butcher Blaufränkisch. Just as one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, the same can be said for a wine’s label. The label on Schwarz’s 2020 The Butcher Blaufränkisch elicits all kinds of reactions, everything from the ridiculous to the sublime. The wine on the other hand is nothing short of masterful. The 2020 Schwarz The Butcher woos the nose with juicy scents of crushed blackberries and currants laced with hints of sandalwood. In the mouth, the wine’s delicious fruit, spice, and herbal flavors fill the mouth and flow across the tongue, offering wonderful texture and energy. As one tasting panel member stated with a smile, “This wine drinks like Pinot Noir on steroids.” Perhaps, that isn’t how most tasters would put it, but the medium-bodied, boldly flavored 2020 Schwarz The Butcher Blaufränkisch has the juice and complexity of a good Pinot Noir but with more stuffing and a flavor profile of its own. Enjoy!

Rounding out this month’s Premier Series is the exuberant NV Gruber Röschitz By Nature Sparkling Grüner Veltliner. This Austrian beauty shines like the sun and brings a smile to every occasion. Not only does this sparkling wine have eye appeal, it offers an enticing aroma of freshly picked mountain apples, hints of citrus, ripe pears and more. A delicate mousse carries the wine’s lovely aroma through to the palate, offering a mélange of exotic fruits and deft touches of spice before exiting with a satisfying flourish. Enjoy the delightful NV Gruber Röschitz By Nature Sparkling Grüner Veltliner well chilled (37º-40º F) before imbibing. Prost!

The International Wine of the Month Club’s Collectors Series is proud to offer three exceptional wines from three of the planet’s finest appellations and producers. This month’s odyssey begins with the 2020 Arzuaga Ribera del Duero Crianza, a superlative offering from an excellent vintage as well as multiple 92+ Point ratings from James Suckling and European critics. The 2020 Arzuaga Ribera del Duero Crianza opens with heady aromatics. A deep draught of red and black fruits, roasted chestnuts, herbs, and aromatic wood smoke greet the nose. In the mouth, Arzuaga’s 2020 Ribera del Duero Crianza is deep and harmonious, offering plenty of rich fruit, dark chocolate, and coffee tones. Moreover, all of these flavors come wrapped in a firm core of well integrated tannins, which should afford those savvy enough to cellar a few bottles of Arzuaga’s Crianza a decade or more of drinking pleasure. Enjoy!

Next up is the delightful, highly rated (92 Points – Wine Enthusiast) NV Camille Braun Crémant d’Alsace Brut. Camille Braun’s Crémant delights the senses with its lively persistent mousse and expressive nose and flavor. Delicate hints of ripe autumn apples, freshly baked shortbread, and spring flowers delight the nose. In the mouth, the wine’s beautiful aromas re-emerge and expand on the palate. A delight to sip and savor or drink with abandon, Camille Braun’s Crémant d’Alsace Brut NV is subtle, pleasantly round, and delightfully balanced. From the first sip until the very last drop, Camille Braun’s Crémant d’Alsace Brut NV presents itself as a true crowd pleaser. Elegance, purity, and a delightfully graceful finish make Camille Braun’s organically grown Crémant d’Alsace Brut a welcome anytime companion. Salut!

Completing this month’s Collectors Series is the knockout 2020 Quinta Nova Reserva Terroir Blend (95 Points – Decanter). Purity and sophistication mark the regally robed 2020 Quinta Nova Reserva Terroir Blend. The wine’s brilliant ruby/purple robe first captures the eye before seducing the nose with dazzling aromatics. A bouquet of cherries, raspberries, roses, and violets along with the sensuous scent of rain washed woodlands immediately greets the nose. Ample and expansive on the palate, the 2020 Quinta Nova Reserva Terroir Blend reveals juicy berry flavors, delicate spice tones, and a delightful hint of forest floor. Sensuous and elegant, yet fully endowed, the 2020 Quinta Nova Reserva Terroir Blend combines the best of Old World Douro with today’s penchant for charm and complexity, while ripe tannins carry all this goodness to a smashing finish. Juicy, intense, crystalline, and complex, the 2020 Quinta Nova Reserva Terroir Blend is a stunning expression of the Douro and Portugal’s indigenous grape varieties. Enjoy!