Ian's Top 10 Wines of September 2022

Here is a list that Ian has created that proves his Top 10 wines of this moment! Each month, Ian takes a look at the wine world to find wines of exceptional values.

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1.

Winemaker Notes
The NV Brut is a gorgeous, deep wine endowed with an attractive core of rich fruit. This is an especially mid-weight, expansive Champagne with commendable balance and a long, finessed finish. Smoke, minerals and earthiness add complexity on the close.

93 Points - Decanter

2.

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
Pinot Grigio from Pinot Grigio grapes, fermented as a white wine. It has an intense straw-yellow colour; its aroma is intense, full and fruity, with excellent persistence. Its taste is dry, velvety, and particularly well-orchestrated for its full body.
To be paired with fish soups, chargrilled seafood and various dishes based on field mushrooms and porcini mushrooms. This wine is wonderful with squid ink lasagnette pasta and crayfish sauce.

92 Points - James Suckling

3.

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
Straw yellow with greenish hues; clean and bright. It is powerful on the nose,
where one can appreciate aromas of ripe apples and other white fruits (pears) and
also white flowers. The whole is subtly underscored by hints of grapefruit. In the
mouth it stands out for its freshness, power and structure. It is very tasty.

98 Points - Ian Blackburn 

4.

The sauvage oil, on the other hand, is made uniquely from an ancient Corsican variety of olive called Sabine that is now largely extinct. It is boldly herbaceous and floral, loaded with the aromas and flavors of the wild maquis growing all over Corsica. This is Corsica’s truest olive oil, and a fitting tribute to this beautifully sauvage island. The best restaurants of Corsica hog most of it.

5.

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
There is no need to pull out a pickax. Savary’s VV bottling is the ultimate introduction to this magical combination: Chardonnay grown in Kimmeridgian limestone and a properly dosed élevage in wood. The electricity and minerality imparted by the soil are balanced by a buttery creaminess that is heavenly.

6.

Winemakers' Tasting Notes
A soft color reminiscent of rose petals. A beautiful nose of English candy, strawberry and raspberry aromas followed by light redcurrant and citrus notes. The delicate and tender palate, marked by the complexity of red and exotic fruit flavors, fully releases all the grape varieties' expression.

92 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

7.

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
For Domaine Chave excellence at a much more approachable price tag, look no further than JL Chave Selections. This epic Jean Louis Chave side hustle unites unmatchable Chave winemaking with a variety of regional fruit. ‘Mon Coeur’ is fruit-forward and peppery, marked by notes of black fruits, game, and briny olives. We mean it when we say that this bottle is a total steal for the price. 

8.

Tasting Notes
Intense ruby red colour. Incense, red berries, citrus marmalade, a full bouquet of distinct aromas that make this wine unique. The tannin weave is very refined and balanced. The acid note, typical of Sangiovese, confers a particular length and vivacity to the taste that is full, sapid and elegant. This wine in its own unique and unmistakable manner, expresses the characteristic salinity, minerality of the terrain. Excellent and unique expression of Sangiovese.

94 Points - James Suckling

9.

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
A blend of the Estate's very best Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Syrah. The Estate’s top-end non-Alicante Bouschet, Ponte Das Canas is aged in a blend of tropical hardwood ‘tonels’ and new oak barriques and bottled 18-24 months after harvest.

93 Points - Wine Enthusiast

10.

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
This 2019 is a beast! A true Cabernet drinkers Cab. The 2019 vintage is like if 2013 and 2016 had a baby – big, powerful, structured, full of energy and impossible not to be consumed immediately. Boasting appealing dark fruit aromas of plum, blackberry and luxardo cherry co-mingled with hints of fresh tobacco, our Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a wonderful expression of the region. Bold yet elegantly structured, it offers tannins and a juicy mid-palate while revealing warming notes of cocoa and baking spice on the long, graceful finish. This character-driven wine can be enjoyed now with 60 minutes in the decanter or put away in your cellar to sleep – this 2019 Alexander Valley will age like a glacier.

97 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate