In September, The International Wine of the Month Club’s Premier Series is proud to offer four superlative wines from France and Spain. The first in this superb series is the highly aromatic 2020 Castell del Remei Gotim Bru. The 2020 Castell del Remei Gotim Bru is fresh, juicy, and redolent with the scents of raspberry and black cherry as well garrigue, the entrancing floral and herbal scents of the wild natural countryside of Catalonia and nearby Provence. Medium to full bodied and silky smooth in the mouth, this artful Spanish blend displays fleshy berry fruit flavors along with intriguing hints of cedar, thyme, and fragrant incense. Elegant and finely tuned, yet immensely flavorful, the 2020 Castell del Remei Gotim Bru finishes long and vibrant, thanks to the wine’s ripe tannins and juicy acidity. Enjoy!
Our next September Premier Series offering is the 2021 Domaine Houchart Côtes de Provence Blanc, a vivacious white wine made from traditional Provencal grapes. In this rare Provencal white, one can almost taste the Provencal sun, feel the cool sea breeze wafting from the Mediterranean Sea, and smell the scented fragrance of Provence’s magical landscape. It offers an inviting bouquet of citrus, mango, orchard fruits, and pear. In the mouth, the wine’s lovely fruit aromas re-emerge enlivened by crisp acidity and a gentle minerality. Add a touch of salinity from the sea and the 2021 Domaine Houchart Côtes de Provence Blanc finishes with pinpoint precision and mouth-watering vivacity. No smoke or mirrors, oak or butter tones, just one fresh white wine from Provence’s Clairette and Rolle grape varieties. Enjoy!
Our Premier Series continues with the robust and deeply colored 2017 Terramagna Rayen Black Edition Vino de la Tierra de Castilla. This wine captivates the eye with its saturated purple robe from the moment the cork exits the bottle and the wine splashes joyfully into a glass. Once in the glass, ripe black fruits mixed with incense and balsamic notes greet the nose. In the mouth, concentrated blackberry, plum, and anise flavors meld with a touch of vanilla to caress the palate. Concentrated and expansive on the palate, yet quite smooth and with nary an edge, the 2017 Rayen Black Edition provides ample testimony to the glory of Tempranillo and other prime grape varieties throughout ancient Castilla. A tasty blend of equal parts Tempranillo, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Garnacha, the 2017 Rayen Black Edition provides fine drinking. Enjoy!
Rounding out this month’s Premier Series offering is the highly acclaimed 2021 Coco i Fito Aloja Blanc DO Terra Alta, a youthful and fresh white wine that typifies the vivacious mineral-driven style of white wine for which Terra Alta and Montsant are renowned. Made primarily from old vines of Grenache Blanc (30-60 years of age) and a touch of mature Macabeo with considerable lees contact to provide flavor and texture, the 2021 Aloja Blanc DO Terra Alta offers a subtle, yet intriguing bouquet of floral, mineral, and herb tones. In the mouth, the 2021 Aloja Blanc truly expresses its vivacity with acacia flower, green apple, and citrus flavors wed to the region’s racy, thirst quenching minerality. Enjoy!
The International Wine of the Month Club’s Collectors Series is proud to offer three exceptional wines in September, beginning with the delicious, intense, and wonderfully intriguing 2018 Castell del Remei 1780, a wine that merges the best of Spain, Bordeaux, and Napa Valley into one elegant, flavorful, power-packed wine. Black currant and dark cherry aromas meld with spicy notes and a hint of incense to tantalize the nose. Initially intense in the mouth, Castell del Remei’s 1780 opens surreptitiously, revealing concentrated berry fruit flavors and deep spicy tones. With a bit of aeration and a few gentle swirls, the wine’s depth of flavor wells up in the mouth, revealing elderberry, clove, and dark chocolate. Elegance and complexity merge with the wine’s power leading to an explosive finish, ripe with textured tannins. Enjoy the special, still youthful 2018 Castell del Remei 1780 now and over the next decade. Enjoy!
Our next September Collectors Series offering emanates from Chablis and the venerable house of Chartron et Trébuchet. Lively, fresh, and sporting Chablis’ luminous glint, the 2022 Chartron et Trébuchet Chablis presents itself as the quintessential Chablis. Sensuous and intriguing scents of citrus, pear, white flowers, oyster shell, lemon zest, and a faint but beckoning scent of the sea greet the nose. Balanced and precise, Chartron et Trébuchet’s 2022 Chablis fills the mouth with a myriad of flavors drawn from the soil as well as the sea: one can taste the limestone-rich terroir of Chablis poke through the wine’s lively Chardonnay fruit and citrus twists to enliven the mouth. Note the absence of oak! This is authentic Chardonnay, unadorned and reflective of its place of origin, devoid of the preponderance of butter and oak. Moreover, it finishes with a satisfying flourish. Enjoy!
Completing this month’s Collectors Series is the Chariol family’s 2018 Château de Lescours Saint-Émilion Grand Cru. Born of another splendid vintage in Bordeaux, the Chariol family’s 2018 Château de Lescours Saint-Émilion Grand Cru offers a beautiful purple and garnet tinged robe, enticing aromatics, and layers of black currant and berry fruit. Opulent, yet elegant, the concentrated 2018 Château de Lescours Saint-Émilion Grand Cru fills the mouth with juicy plush fruit, underlined with deft touches of dark chocolate, coffee, and forest floor – all of which come nicely cloaked in rich, ripe tannins. This is classic Saint-Émilion; complex, full-bodied, and ready to drink, yet capable of ageing gracefully for up to a decade or more. Enjoy!
