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!

International Wine of the Month Club’s Premier Series is pleased to offer four exceptional wines in July from all corners of the globe. Beginning this month’s odyssey is the delicious 2015 Atze’s Corner Grenache Syrah Mourvèdre from Australia’s Barossa. The 2015 Atze’s Corner GSM displays a beautiful deep ruby and violet colored robe that pleases the eye, and a sensuous bouquet that heralds the wine’s juicy palate-pleasing flavors. Savory scents and flavors of black currant and mulberry infused with hints of cocoa, spring flowers and touches of toasted oak delight the nose and mouth. Soft and succulent on the palate, the 2015 Atze’s Corner GSM gives very little hint of the latent power that lies behind the wine’s sumptuous fruit and polished tannins, until after the wine has so elegantly slipped down the thirsty throat. Smooth and seemingly lighter in alcohol than one might think, Atze’s GSM is a joy to drink, but make no mistake; it’s no lightweight.

Our next Premier Series feature is the 2017 Vigne Sannite Falanghina del Sannio, a wine that embodies the allure and beauty of Campania’s Amalfi Coast. It blends the full tropical flavors of Falanghina with the salty freshness of the nearby Tyrrhenian Sea. To whet the appetite, fresh scents of green apple, lime, and sea spray splashed with a dash of quince spring from the glass to tantalize the nose before magically re-emerging in the wine’s fresh, invigorating mid-palate. Crisp and zesty from start to finish, Vigne Sannite’s 2017 Falanghina makes a convincing case for the ancient Falanghina variety, one of Italy’s oldest and most revered grapes.

Next in this month’s exciting quartet is the 2012 Valle Secreto First Edition Carmenère from Chile’s Cachapoal Valley (aka Rapel Valley). This is a wine that has matured beautifully in bottle, gaining both weight and depth with age. In true Valle Secreto fashion, the 2012 First Edition Carmenère sports an intense red color with purple notes, which foreshadow the wine’s charming, extroverted personality. Amplifying berry aromas bound from the glass, redolent with the scents of woodland blackberry and currant with an infusion of bergamot and wild herbs. To complement its seductive aroma, the 2012 Valle Secreto First Edition Carmenère follows up with an explosion of flavor in the mouth that is rich and rewarding without a tannic bite. Mouth-filling flavors of black berry fruit, dark chocolate and racy spice tones all come together in the mouth, supported by smooth, fine grained tannins and a light patina of oak. Warm, supple, and full of flavor, this wine drinks beautifully from the moment it is poured.

Rounding out July’s Premier Series portfolio is the 2018 Le Provençal Côtes de Provence Rosé from the Mâitres Vignerons de la Vidaubanaise. The 2018 Le Provençal conjures images of the sun-drenched Provençal countryside along with the region’s rarified air and illuminated landscapes, all of which shimmer beside the sparkling Mediterranean Sea. Le Provençal is bottled in the traditional “flute à corset,” the distinctive bottle of the Provence region, that recalls charming flower-bedecked villages, colorful outdoor cafés, and fun in the sun. Delicate in color, much like the lightest of pink roses, the 2018 Le Provençal Rosé enchants the eye as well as the nose and palate. Delicate scents of cherry blossoms and woodland strawberries haunt the nose and seep surreptitiously into the wine’s spritely flavor profile. This is a dry, scented, savory rosé whose delicacy and evanescence render it unabashedly attractive. No oak, no hard angles, no smoke or mirrors, the Maitres Vignerons’ 2018 Le Provençal Rosé is just plain seductive and… so refreshing.

The International Wine of the Month Club’s Collectors Series is proud to offer three exceptional wines in July from the United States and France to celebrate our nation’s founding, beginning with Talty’s 2013 Dry Creek Valley Estate Zinfandel. Talty’s style of Zinfandel embodies elements of Old and New World winemaking, resulting in a wine that exhibits both dense fruit and a tannic backbone along with all of the brambly elements that Dry Creek Valley happily imparts to its finest Zinfandels. Rich in color and pleasantly aromatic with savory scents of berry and bramble, the 2013 Talty Dry Creek Valley Estate Zinfandel immediately establishes itself as serious Zinfandel. No blowsy raisined or half-baked fruit in this wine. On the palate, Talty’s flagship wine offers deep down fruit flavors infused with bramble, spice, and plenty of structured chewy tannins to satisfy the most ardent Zinfandel aficionado as well those whose tastes gravitate to the Cabernets of Napa. The 2013 Talty Dry Creek Valley Estate Zinfandel personifies Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel – a wine whose bold flavors personify its distinctive New World home at the same time that they recall Zinfandel’s Old World origins.

Our next July Collectors Series offering is the elegant, pure, and complex 2018 Château Margüi Côteaux Varois en Provence Rosé, the ultimate Provençal rosé. This gorgeous rosé offers a captivating salmon-pink color to dazzle the eye, while a pretty set of aromatics entices the nose with citrus, white peach, and faint touches of lavender and wild herbs. In the mouth, the wine’s clean, crisp fruit, juicy acidity, and pinpoint minerality provide complexity and balance that superbly complement the floral aspects of the wine. The 2018 Château Margüi Côteaux Varois en Provence offers great near-term drinking pleasure; however, the best in this wine has yet to come. Unlike most rosé wines whose lifespan ends with the fading warmth of summer, this pearl from Château Margüi is a wine for all seasons, as it is flavorful and complex enough to flesh out in bottle and drink beautifully for several more years.

Completing this month’s Collectors Series is Dustin Pfaff’s exceptional 2015 Bernier Vineyard Petite Sirah. This is a wine that demonstrates how downright dazzling head-pruned and dry-farmed Petite Sirah from Dry Creek Valley can be, especially when grown by Paul Bernier. Emanating from one of the very finest Petite Sirah vineyards in Sonoma County and superbly crafted by Dustin Pfaff at Talty, this exquisite blend of 90% Petite Sirah and 10% Zinfandel is knock-out gorgeous. Only the third release of this wine from a vineyard planted in the 1970s, the 2015 D. Pfaff Bernier Vineyard Petite Sirah combines super rich flavor with smooth, ripe tannins. Intense blackberry and blueberry fruit, hints of vanilla from ageing in American oak, and a wealth of enticing earth and spice tones greet the nose and palate in this bold, beautiful red. To say this is no ordinary Petite Sirah is an understatement as Dustin Pfaff’s 2015 Bernier Vineyard Petite Sirah truly ranks among the finest California can produce. Not only is it delicious and eminently drinkable now, it is capable of ageing gracefully for up to 10 years or more. Enjoy!

In June, The International Wine of the Month Club’s Premier Series will feature an exceptional Côtes-du-Rhône from the outstanding 2018 vintage, Domaine de Cabasse Cuvée Marguerite, also known as Marquerite de Cabasse, and three other superb selections from around the world. Drinking a glass of the 2018 Domaine de Cabasse Cuvée Marguerite Côtes-du-Rhône constitutes a true sensual pleasure. “Sensuous, expressive, harmonious, juicy, and downright charming” describe Benoit Baudry’s gregarious Cuvée Marguerite Côtes-du-Rhône. Steeped with a deep crimson color and ebullient aromatics imbued with scents of cranberry, woodland berries, and hints of garrique and wild Provençal herbs, the 2018 Domaine de Cabasse Cuvée Marguerite Côtes-du-Rhône offers a gracious opening act that flows seamlessly onto the palate. Thanks to the natural methods of viticulture and production practiced at Domaine de Cabasse, the 2018 Cuvée Marguerite offers purity of flavor, subtle charm, vitality, and a natural, crunchy, mouthwatering finish.

Our next Premier Series feature is the 2017 Pedroncelli East Side Vineyards Dry Creek Valley Sauvignon Blanc, a classic rendition from this venerable estate on its 90^th anniversary. Enjoyable upon release, the 2017 East Side Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc offers up a bright sun-splashed color and an attractive set of aromatics replete with soft citrus scents, hints of pineapple, and dried honey. Round and mouth filling, the wine’s aromatic profile re-emerges on the palate, offering a pleasant mélange of tropical fruits with a citrus twist. Comprised of a percentage of the prized Musqué clone of Sauvignon Blanc, Pedroncelli’s East Side Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc is not overly herbaceous; instead, it exhibits a pleasant roundness that complements the grape’s natural acidity.

Next in this month’s quartet is the exceptional 2016 Château Andron Médoc Bordeaux. Born in an outstanding vintage in Bordeaux, the 2016 Château Andron Médoc provides an exceptional glass of traditional Médoc – rich, savory red wine with bold flavors and nary an edge. Moreover, one can enjoy this wine without having to take out a home equity loan or a serious line of credit. From its deep purple color and its enticing perfume one could easily imagine this to be a Médoc costing two or three times the price. Even costlier, perhaps, once they have tasted the wine. Better still, dark fruit flavors infused with sweet savory notes and a pleasant earthiness coat the mouth and delight the palate. The 2016 Château Andron provides a dense mouthful of wine that is beautifully balanced and ready to enjoy now.

Completing this month’s Premier Series offerings is the delicious 2017 Maison Gilles Noblet St. Véran from one of Burgundy’s consummate winemakers, Gilles Noblet. Unfortunately, so little of this St. Véran is made and demand for it in Europe remains high. Consequently, only a paltry pallet or two make it to our shores each year. However, this year we were able to secure just enough of this special St. Véran to offer it to a limited number of our members. The 2017 Maison Gilles Noblet St. Véran exhibits Noblet’s seductive signature: a delicious white burgundy with a bright sunny color, an intriguing bouquet of acacia blossoms, mountain apples, and soft mineral tones followed by mouthwatering palate appeal. With aeration, Noblet’s St. Véran expands on the palate and caresses the senses with ripe fruit, pinpoint minerality, and laser-like precision. Enjoy!

The International Wine of the Month Club’s Collectors Series is proud to offer three exceptional wines in June from opposite ends of the world, beginning with the stunning 2017 Domaine de Cabasse Gigondas from a winery that consistently over-delivers. The 2017 Domaine de Cabasse Juncunditas Gigondas is a delicious full-bodied Gigondas that is both sensual and complex. A blend of 70% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, and 15% Syrah, this exceptional Gigondas highlights the beauty of the 2017 vintage throughout the Southern Rhône. Black cherry, wild berry, and hints of fennel waft from the glass. Lush and soft upon entering the mouth, the 2017 Juncunditas Gigondas expands in the mouth, spreading its beautiful ripe fruit, subtle dark chocolate tones, and silky tannins like a peacock’s tail across the palate. Sensual, savory, and superbly textured, Domaine de Cabasse’s knockout 2017 Juncunditas Gigondas is hard to resist. Plush and long, yet finely balanced, one could hardly imagine a finer young Gigondas than Domaine de Cabasse’s 2017 Juncunditas.

Our next June Collectors Series offering is the renowned 2015 Fisher Mountain Estate Chardonnay. In the same realm as Hanzell, Kistler, Kongsgaard, and Lewis, the 2015 Fisher Mountain Estate Chardonnay is a wine for the most discriminating Chardonnay drinker and nothing short of a tour de force in winemaking. Bright yellow in color with a glint of the sun, it offers stunning aromatics in the form of daffodil, forsythia, and a whole host of spring flowers infused with gentle spice and vanilla tones from the finest of oak barrels. Soft, silky, and beautifully textured in the mouth, this Chardonnay has it all, offering a seamless stream of pure fruit, subtle spice tones, and a long, nuanced finish that left us begging for more. Sophisticated and crowd-pleasing, it will be hard to top Fisher’s 2015 Mountain Estate Chardonnay.

Completing this month’s Collectors Series is the 2015 Rustenberg Peter Barlow Cabernet Sauvignon, an iconic South African wine that pays tribute to the member of the Barlow family who bought the farm in 1941 and restored the property to its former glory as a world-class wine estate. The Peter Barlow Cabernet Sauvignon emanates from the estate’s oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard of the same name. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is the estate’s most powerful, long-lived wine, a wine of deep color and bold flavors. Blackberry, cassis, and dark cherry scents and flavors infused with a pleasant herbaceousness permeate this sophisticated Bordeaux-style Cabernet Sauvignon, which bears more than a passing resemblance to classified Bordeaux from the prized Saint Julien and Pauillac appellations. Endowed with rich tannins and a pleasant patina of oak from a 24 month hiatus in French oak barrels (of which nearly two thirds were new), this hand-picked, handcrafted wine bears the mark of the outstanding 2015 vintage in Stellenbosch.

Enjoy!