Review: Napa Valley Brandy Co. Solera Gold
Solera Gold is a new brandy from Napa Valley Brandy Co., which in itself is a new entrant into the burgeoning world of California brandy. What, with all the grapes being grown here, they needn’t all end up in table wine, right? The brandy is unusually made from cabernet sauvignon and merlot grapes, harvested from…
Review: 2021 La Crema Pinot Noir Sealift Vineyard
La Crema produces excellent Pinot Noirs from several different regions, but their home base is in Sonoma. Today we are trying one of their higher end expressions, which comes from the Sealift Vineyard, very close to the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Sonoma. Before bottling, the wine was aged for nine months in French…
Review: Broken Barrel Honey Smoke Reserva American Whiskey
We’ve been chronicling the releases of Broken Barrel Whiskey Co. for years — with plenty of winners and losers recorded over that time. This latest limited edition of 1900 bottles is an update to its 2022 Honey Smoke release, a single barrel expression of Kentucky-distilled American whiskey (99% corn, 1% malted barley), aged for 6…
Review: 2022 Domaine Nico Grand Mere and Grand Pere Pinot Noir
Hard as it is to believe, Laura Catena has managed to squeeze in working on the family wines, running a medical clinic, the La Posta and Altaland lines, and who knows what else to establish a line of Pinot Noirs. With a name dedicated to both her daughter and great-grandfather (founder of Catena Zapata), Domaine…
Review: Remy Martin VSOP and Tercet
We’re backfilling some forgotten expressions in the Remy Martin Cognac lineup today, with belated reviews of Remy’s VSOP and Tercet expressions. Details follow, along with some opinions. Remy Martin VSOP – A big blend of eaux de vie from all over Cognac — Grande Champagne, Fine Champagne, and Petite Champagne. A simpler expression of brandy,…
Book Review: The Alchemist Cabinet: Vol. 1: Philosophy
In a modern landscape filled with a seemingly endless supply of large and craft distillers, the title of “master distiller” is a bit murky. We all know who has definitely earned the title of master distiller, but the bigger question is regarding those who claim the title with a questionable or unaccomplished resume. We don’t…
Review: 2XO The Kiawah Blend
Dixon Dedman and his 2XO Icon Series have rapidly become one of those must-watch release stories since launching in 2023. Drinkhacker has kept studious pace from the get-go with each of their three limited release blends to date: The Pheonix Blend, The Innkeeper’s Blend, and The Tribute Blend. The backstory and profile of this new…
Review: Larkmead 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2021 Firebelle
Napa’s Larkmead has been on quite a roll these past few years, garnering high praise from our site as well as others. The venerable winery produces a diverse range of varietals across several unique terroirs, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc which are all complex and distinctive. Today, we have the privilege of enjoying…
