Review: 2008 Donelan Syrah Cuvee Christine North Coast
A cuvee of syrah grapes picked from four Sonoma vineyards, Donelan’s Cuvee Christine offers a meaty, Burgundian-stylized wine with intense color and an impressive depth of flavor. It’s young today but it contains plenty of fruit, earthy plum with cinnamon notes. Reasonably easy drinking now, but I’d like to try it again in a few…
Review: 2005 Campo Viejo Reserva Tempranillo
This 2005 Rioja starts out with a tannic backbone that opens up in short order to reveal a surprisingly easy-drinking wine. Aromas of smoke and charcoal on the nose are mere wisps in the glass, with the body becoming superbly jammy, with fresh raspberry and strawberry fruit on the palate. Low alcohol (13.5% per the…
Review: Hangar One Vodka, Complete Lineup (2010)
Practically a next-door neighbor to Drinkhacker HQ, California’s own Hangar One has long been a hometown favorite vodka amongst those ’round these parts who can’t handle whiskey. Available in a straight version and three exotic flavors, we’ve been drinking these for years but finally got around to sampling them all “officially” for the site. Created…
Review: RedEye Texas Style Bloody Mary Mixes
There’s no shame in using a mix to start your Bloody Mary. The last thing any hangover-inflicted drinker wants to deal with on a Sunday morning is tracking down the various and sometimes esoteric ingredients that go into the typical Bloody recipe. Pick your favorite mix, drop a bottle in the fridge, and don’t worry…
Tasting Report: Alto Adige Wines, 2010 Releases
Alto Adige? You’re not alone if you’ve never heard of this region, one of the smallest in Italy, a remote area just south of Austria nestled against the Alps. The mountain vineyards up here produce all manner of grapes, including traditional Italian fruit like pinot bianco and pinot grigio, and a whole lot of stuff…
Review: Citadelle Reserve Gin 2009 Vintage
Citadelle isn’t just releasing this specially-flavored (with 19 spices) and cognac-barrel aged (5 months) gin — it’s actually going the vintage route, with this 2009 edition recently hitting shelves. Versus the 2008 version, the only difference in recipe I can tell is one month less in oak: 5 months vs. the 2008 bottling’s 6 months.…
Review: 2007 HammerSky Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles “Limited Resource”
HammerSky made just 137 cases of this Paso Robles cabernet, and that’s a shame. It’s a fruit-forward wine, one with lots of character but one which is still easy to drink. Made with 79% cabernet sauvignon, 16% merlot, and 5% cabernet franc, it’s a deeply purple wine, fat with blueberry character, herbal notes, and a…
Review: 2008 Doña Paula Malbec
Doña Paula’s 2008 Malbec hails from the Mendoza region of Argentina. Jammy, with a light herbal finish, it’s easy to see why this wine has won so many accolades of late: It’s great with food or by itself, and it lightens up to reveal more red fruit as it aerates. It’s hard to love many…
