Review: 2017 Sosie Roussanne Vivio Vineyard Bennett Valley
A hefty slug of anise strikes the palate first when sipping on this Sonoma-grown roussanne, a rarity in the U.S. and particularly unseen in Sonoma, from Sosie. (Only 400 acres of the varietal is grown in all of California.) After the herbal rush, a mix of grapefruit and lemon gives the wine a slight citrus…
The Best Grenadine Roundup – 6 Brands Tasted, 1 Winner
Of all the cocktail ingredients in the world, humble grenadine is probably the one we all remember encountering first, sipping on the stuff as children either in the classic Shirley Temple… or the more decadent Roy Rogers. Grenadine was originally a roughly 50/50 mix of pomegranate juice and sugar syrup — and you can easily…
Review: Flora Springs 2019 Soliloquy and 2017 Merlot
Two summery releases from Napa’s Flora Springs, including a strange vintage of Soliloquy and a not-strange release of the Napa Valley Merlot. 2019 Flora Springs Soliloquy Napa Valley – Soliloquy is named after Flora Springs’ proprietary clone of sauvignon blanc (blended here with chardonnay and malvasia). This 2019 takes the core of the sauvignon blanc…
Review: NV Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Heredad Cava (2020)
Ever feel like you’re paying for a bottle rather than what’s inside? At no time will that be more likely than when you crack open a bottle of Segura Viudas Reserva, one of the most striking bottles of cava on the market. We last encountered the pewter-clad sparkler in 2016, and though this is still…
Review: 10th Street Single Malt STR
Remember 10th Street Single Malt, a peated whisky made in San Jose, California? Now there’s another expression from 10th Street: 10th Street STR. Harcore whiskey nerds will know that STR stands for “Shaved-Toasted-Recharred” a process pioneered by the recently departed Jim Swan which is used to rejuvenate old barrels and take the whiskey in a…
Review: Wines of Landmark Vineyards, 2020 Releases
This trio of new releases was live-tasted with winemaker Greg Stach on Landmark’s Instagram Live channel, which you should check out. If you missed the event (and why would you be here if you didn’t?), here’s what I thought about the wines. 2018 Landmark Vineyards Overlook Chardonnay Sonoma County – Quite a bit less oak-heavy than…
Review: Weller Single Barrel
You don’t have to tell Buffalo Trace when it’s sitting on free money. With the launch of Weller Full Proof and, now, Weller Single Barrel, the distillery is taking one of its greatest assets — the Weller bourbon brand — and pushing it, slowly but surely, up-up-upmarket. Weller Single Barrel is exactly what you think…
Book Review: Sakepedia
In matters of sake, I tend to defer to our sake expert Stephen Allison. If Steve’s not around, author Jeff Cioletti can sub in, with his “Non-Traditional Guide to Japan’s Traditional Beverage” serving as a solid base of instruction for anyone trying to find their way through this complex category. Questions answered go far beyond…
