Review: Oddbird Non-Alcoholic Presence and Addiction
Oddbird is the producer of some of my favorite non-alcoholic wines, and the brand recently sent two new expressions that we hadn’t yet seen, the white blend Presence and the red Addiction. We tasted them on a recent “day off” from the hard sauce. Oddbird Presence – A blend of riesling, gewurztraminer, sylvaner, viognier, and…
Meili Founders Jason Momoa and Blaine Halvorson Think Vodka Is Underestimated (and Far from Flavorless)
At this point, the celebrity spirits market is undeniably crowded, with enough whiskey and agave-based brands to make the average consumer’s head spin. And given the space’s maturity, a giant social media following likely isn’t enough to guarantee success. Some—truly a handful—of A-lister backed brands do manage to stand out on partnerships with major distilleries,…
Review: 2020 Muse Vineyards Petit Verdot Shenandoah Valley
This bottle slipped through the cracks in our most recent roundup of top Virginia wines, so we’re making up for the oversight and covering it solo. Rich and enveloping, this 100% petit verdot pours on some brooding charm with its dense notes of anise, graphite, and dried blackberries — heavy and almost oily at first…
Review: The Calistoga Star California Brandy 7 Years Old
Calistoga Depot Distillery is a new spirits brand from the Boisset Collection, which has of late been making a major push into harder alcohol, most notably tequila. The Calistoga Star is a more expected offering from the notable winemaker — a brandy made from California wine grapes, named in honor of San Francisco’s first newspaper,…
Sicilian Wine Review: 2022 Corvo Irmana Nero d’Avola and 2017 Florio Marsala
An odd little combination for you today: Two wines from Sicily, one table wine and a vintage bottle of Marsala. 2022 Corvo Irmana Nero d’Avola Sicilia DOC – A surprisingly fruit-forward expression of Nero d’Avola, this 2022 features a tart attack of rhubarb and black cherry, fading slowly to sweeter strawberry and raspberry notes. Moderately…
Review: The Gardener Gin
Most gins don’t usually debut at film festivals. Then again, most gins aren’t made in collaboration with Brad Pitt, the elder-hunk movie star and infamous figment of Ed Norton’s imagination (sorry, spoilers). His new gin, The Gardener, walked the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival last year and just recently came to the U.S.…
Review: Wines of Oberon, 2024 Releases
Recently celebrating the 50th harvest of its winemaker Tony Coltrin, the Oberon winery is a longtime Napa operator that has flown under the radar for most of its lifetime. To mark the milestone, Oberon is stretching its arms from Napa into new territory, launching its first wine from the more southernly Paso Robles region, a…
Review: Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B524 (May 2024) and Small Batch PGA Edition
Elijah Craig isn’t sleeping this summer, with two new expressions hitting the market in quick succession. The first is the expected May edition of its Barrel Proof lineup, the other a second golf-inspired limited release that follows up on its recent Ryder Cup edition. Full details and tasting notes follow. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch…
