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!
