Review: 2019 Cameron Hughes 811 Zinfandel Lodi
Cameron Hughes’ 811 Zinfandel is a perennial best-seller for the brand, and given its combination of exuberance and price it’s easy to see why. All told, it’s a rather straightforward bottling of Lodi zin, this bold wine drenched in chocolate sauce, black raspberry, and a layer of dense baking spice. Things get rather prune-heavy as…
Review: The Beverly High Rye
A shiny new whiskey recently hit the glitzy streets of Rodeo Drive. Available initially in the greater Los Angeles area, The Beverly High Rye will also be launching in New York (and nationally via Reservebar). Here are the deets for this new bar cart bling: Founded by Andrew Borenzweig, a Los Angeles entrepreneur and whiskey…
Review: 2020 Zanon Colli Trevigiani IGT
Made with 100% glera grapes from the Prosecco region of northern Italy, this sparkling wine is technically a Prosecco, but whereas most Proseccos get their bubbles by undergoing secondary fermentation in a steel vat before being bottled (the Charmat method), this wine never undergoes secondary fermentation at all. Instead, it is bottled while primary fermentation…
Review: Stellum Black Hunter’s Moon and The Lone Cyprus
Shortly before the holidays Stellum Spirits introduced another pair of Black label “specialty blends” growing their billboard of limited edition offerings at your local liquor store by roughly another square foot. I’ve got to hand it to the Barrell team, they play the brand saturation game just as well as their bigger competitors, maybe better,…
Review: Paquera Mezcal Barril
We previously covered one of Paquera‘s three mezcal expressions in 2019. Now we’re back with another look at its 100% Barril agave-based mezcal. A rather weedy, vegetal mezcal, Paquera’s 100% Barril expression features heavy notes of cooked greenery, turned earth, and underbrush — both on the nose and the palate. There’s a bold sweetness on…
Review: I Bourbon
That headline’s not a typo. The name of the bourbon is “I.” In fact, the I isn’t even on the front of the bottle. It’s embossed into the glass on the back. The front just says “bourbon.” This all seems like a difficult thing to brand and sell, but hey, that’s someone else’s problem, no?…
Reviews: Wines of Elk Cove, 2023 Releases
Oregon’s Elk Cove offers the classic expressions endemic to the region, and today we look at a trio of current releases from the brand. 2019 Elk Cove Chardonnay Goodrich Yamhill-Carlton AVA – Refreshing, with vibrant notes of green apple and quince flavoring a creamy, lemon-infused custard palate. There’s ample vanilla in the mix, but enough…
Review: La Purisma Fiero Habanero Tequila
Boldly staking its claim as “the spiciest infused tequila in the U.S.,” this is 100% agave blanco tequila blended with fresh (not dried) American habanero peppers that are clearly designed to burn you from the inside out. Results? Well, mission accomplished. The scorching experience is closer to sipping hot sauce — roasting every part of…
