Review: NV J Vineyards Cuvee 20 Brut Russian River Valley (2020)
We last considered J Vineyards’ flagship sparkler — Cuvee 20 — in 2017, and it remains a top performer in the nonvintage Cali-verse. Historically a blend of 51% chardonnay, 41% pinot noir, and 8% pinot meunier (though that may not be accurate today), this creamy wine offers a thoughtful exploration of the Russian River Valley,…
Review: Sheep Dog Peanut Butter Whiskey
Watch out Skrewball, there’s another peanut butter flavored whiskey on the market: Sheep Dog, a new product from spirits giant Sazerac. There’s not a lot of production information here, but the whiskey is naturally flavored and colored with caramel. Put simply, Sheep Dog makes Skrewball look like a masterpiece. Crack the bottle and vaporized sugar…
Review: Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum and XO Rum (2020)
Mount Gay’s Black Barrel and XO Rum expressions have both been around for some time — Black Barrel is the newbie, released originally in 2013; XO was rebranded from its original “Extra Old” some time around then too — but in 2020 the Barbados-based distillery revamped both of these venerable bottlings. (These were unveiled at…
Review: Ron Rubin 2018 Chardonnay, 2017 Pinot Noir, and 2018 Pam’s Un-oaked Chardonnay
Three wines from industry veteran Ron Rubin, who finally bought his own winery, in the southern part of the Russian River area, in 2011. 2018 Ron Rubin Chardonnay Russian River Valley – This unassuming chardonnay punches above its weight class, blending elements of fresh pears, white figs, and almonds into a gently creamy, lightly buttery…
Review: Mad Bean Hard Coffee – Mocha and Vanilla
By now, you have definitely heard of hard seltzer. But what about hard coffee? Well, it’s a thing now, too. Mad Bean bills their boozy coffee in a can as a unique twist on the traditional Irish coffee. It’s also a naturally caffeinated alternative to the Four Lokos of the world. If your first thought…
Review: Talisker 57 Degrees North
Like most single malt producers, Talisker began introducing more no-age-statement (NAS) offerings into their portfolio in the early 2010s, hedging their bets against a potential global whisky shortage. By most accounts that shortage never really materialized (outside of Japan), perhaps thanks in part to that increase in no-age-stated whiskies. Probably the most well-known NAS Talisker,…
Review: Wines of Clos du Val, 2020 Releases
Here are four new releases from Napa-based Clos du Val, representing their more summery bottlings, made with fruit from the winery’s Carneros-based estate vineyards or its properties in Yountville to the north. 2019 Clos du Val Estate Pinot Noir Rose Carneros – A rather doughy expression, this rose offers fairly muted strawberry notes, with an…
Reviews: Eda Rhyne Amaro Flora and Appalachian Fernet
Eda Rhyne Distilling Company in Asheville has a portfolio that currently consists only of different Italian-style liqueurs (at least one whiskey is in the works). The focus on herbal spirits is a bit strange given that they are located in the heart of moonshining country in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. Such spirits, however,…
