In March, The International Wine of the Month Club’s Premier Series is proud to offer members four special wines from France and Italy. This month’s Premier Series opens with a Piedmontese classic, Seghesio’s 2021 Barbera d’Alba, a downright juicy, scrumptious wine. Intense ruby in color and redolent with the scents of ripe Bing cherries, wild violets, and aromatic spices, the 2021 Seghesio Barbera d’Alba captivates both the eyes and the nose. In the mouth, the wine’s bright, concentrated fruit flavors burst with vivacity. Juicy ripe cherry, bergamot, and balsamic notes ingratiate the palate. This is a full-bodied gracious Barbera d’Alba that wears its 15% ABV lightly, while providing a delightful, lip-smacking experience from start to finish. Enjoy!
Our next feature this month is the 2022 Sallier de La Tour Inzolia. Produced from Sicily’s autochthonous Inzolia grape variety (aka Insolia), the 2022 Sallier de La Tour Inzolia is a bright, festive wine which sports a slightly golden hue reminiscent of the dazzling Sicilian sun and the formidable light that illuminates the alluring, exotic island of Sicily. Sallier de La Tour’s 2022 Inzolia exudes an airy aromatic perfume, which beautifully reveals the sensual side of Sicilian wine. Fragrant, subtle and faintly spicy, Sallier de La Tour’s 2022 Inzolia first greets the palate with a fresh open smile, but once in the mouth it expresses a deeper layer of fruit, spice and stone – all of which enliven the senses and will make you beg for more. Although neither big nor brawny, buttery nor oaky, this dry white wine captivates the palate and refreshes the senses with a combination of gentle ripe fruit, a hint of cinnamon, and a touch of exotica, the latter affording the wine – as well as the mysterious land of Sicily – a special allure.
This month’s next feature is the exceptional 2019 Château La Gabarre Bordeaux Supérieur, traditional blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The 2019 Château La Gabarre Bordeaux Supérieur is a dense, concentrated Right Bank Bordeaux, which puts it in the company of much pricier wines from nearby Saint Émilion and Lalande de Pomerol. Deeply colored and scented with the fragrances of red currants, wild berries, cacao, and forest woodlands, the bouquet of the 2019 Château La Gabarre Bordeaux Supérieur portends the body and depth of flavor inherent in this well-made red. It offers plenty of flavor throughout and finishes with verve and vigor thanks to a healthy dose of rich tannins. Enjoy!
Rounding out this month’s Premier Series is the 2021 Colpaola Verdicchio di Matelica DOC, a wine that cuts a fine figure in the glass with its brilliant sun-struck color, including Verdicchio’s telltale flash of green. Subtle scents of spring flowers, orchard fruits, dried fruit, and raw almonds waft from the glass to greet the nose. In the mouth, the wine’s fresh fruit flavors mingle with subtle floral tones, an uplifting minerality, and a purity born of organic grapes which leaves the palate fresh and energized. In the 2021 Colpaola Verdicchio di Matelica, you won’t find any flabby overbearing butter or oak tones, or harsh sulfite burn. Instead, the 2021 Colpaola Verdicchio di Matelica exhibits pure natural charm. The mature 2021 Colpaola Verdicchio di Matelica reveals the definition and flavor for which the Verdicchio di Matelica DOC is renowned. Enjoy!
The International Wine of the Month Club’s Collectors Series is proud to deliver this month three truly world-class wines from around the world. Leading this month’s Collectors Series is the highly prized 2018 Seghesio Castelletto Barolo DOCG. If ever there was a Barolo to dispel the myth that “the king of wines” is despotic and unapproachable in its youth or it is somehow undrinkable before its 10th birthday, the 2018 Seghesio Castelletto Barolo is just such a wine. Sporting a deep garnet color and endowed with an elegant and entrancing bouquet, the stylish 2018 Seghesio Castelletto Barolo offers up a complex floral aroma: delicate rose and violet scents mingled with a touch of exotic spice and forest woodlands captivate the nose. The wine’s heavenly scents carry through to the palate, providing plenty of mid-palate appeal and nuanced flavors to savor, all of which culminate in a long, lovely finish Elegant, but by no means lean, the 2018 Seghesio Barolo possesses a healthy dose of velvety, well-integrated tannins undergirding its noble stature, which should assure a decade of exceptional drinking pleasure. Enjoy!
Next up is the exceptional and rare 2022 Taboadella Encruzado Reserva. Although always a vigorous full-bodied white wine, the Taboadella Encruzado Reserva is especially concentrated and vivacious in the 2022 vintage – a wine that truly enlivens the senses. Moreover, the 2022 Taboadella Encruzado Reserva shines with crystalline brilliance. As a beautifully textured wine, it delivers subtle fruit flavors with laser-like precision. The wine’s pear, white peach, and citrus flavors are imbued with a touch of spice and a fine patina from partial oak ageing. Fresh and firm to the finish, the youthful and complex 2022 Taboadella Encruzado Reserva races across the palate to a smashing finish. Enjoy!
Completing this month’s Collectors Series is Domaine Chamfort’s 2021 Vacqueyras. This classic Vacqueyras is a traditional blend of 65% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 15% Mourvèdre from vines in excess of 50 years of age. It is regally colored and concentrated, and truly a wine to ward off the cold and rain. It offers a deep-down aroma of dark fruits, heady Provencal herbs, pepper and spice, all of which re-emerge in the mouth to warm the palate and let the Provencal sun shine in. Polished, pure, and long on flavor, this youthful Vacqueyras captures the essence of Provence – beauty, warmth, and pleasure. Enjoy!
