Review: 2010 Van Duzer Pinot Noir Estate Willamette Valley
Oregon’s Van Duzer has been through upheaval of late. A new winemaker came aboard in June 2010, and the winemaking process was overhauled to focus on smaller sites, lower yields, and gentler handling of grapes. The first release from the new era is now upon us. Here’s how the 2010 Estate Pinot Noir shakes out.…
Review: Big Peat Islay Blended Islay Malt Scotch Whisky
It’s called “Big Peat.” And the picture on the label is a drawing of a grimacing guy who looks like he’s been punched in the face. So you know what you’re getting into. A vatting of Islay whiskys from Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Port Ellen, and Bowmore (plus other unspecified whiskies), this is an (obviously) extremely…
Review: Zignum Anejo Mezcal
We last encountered Zignum’s mezcal earlier this year in its reposado incarnation. Now the brand is back, this time with an anejo version. Made from green agave and aged more than a year, this is mezcal with much of the smokiness aged right out of it. You’ll find lots of exotic, tropical, and caramel notes…
Review: Crown Royal Maple
“Finished” has a particular meaning in the world of whisky, normally implying that a whisky has been moved from one type of barrel to another, usually a different type of wood or, more commonly, a barrel that once held another spirit or wine. “Maple finished” has actually been done before: Woodford Reserve made a maple-finished…
Italian Value Wines — Deep Value Wines — for Thanksgiving from Bolla
Thanksgiving on a budget? Six wines from Bolla arrived for our consideration for a spot on your Thanksgiving table, including one infamous classic. Thoughts (and a special video) follow. NV Maschio Prosecco Brut – Surprisingly bland for Prosecco, very light fruit on the nose, and lesser fruit character on the body — predominantly sour apple,…
Blind Wine Tasting with Karl Wente, 2012 Releases
This was a fun little event — an honest to God blind tasting, courtesy of Karl Wente, of the Wente winemaking family, who wanted to see if we could suss out four of his wines… with minimal clues. The only thing he’d let on: That all four of these wines were blended to some degree,…
Review: Loca Linda Wines of Argentina, 2012 Releases
Loca Linda is a new brand of Argentine wines that come to us from semi-professional nomad/wine guru Brian Smith. The focus with these wines is on two unassuming bottles that each hold a full liter (“uno liter”) of wine — yet contain just 30 grams of additional glass vs. the typical 750ml bottle. The wines…
Review: Col. E.H. Taylor Small Batch Bourbon
The Col. Taylor juggernaut continues rolling from Buffalo Trace. For this sixth expression, Taylor plays it comparably simple and unchallenging: a small batch bourbon, made from batching seven-year old barrels from the hallowed sixth floor of Buffalo Trace’s brick warehouse. Like the other Col. Taylor bottlings, it’s bottled in bond at 100 proof. Heavy and…
