Review: 2015 Louis M. Martini Lot No. 1 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Lot No. 1 is Louis Martini’s top end bottling, with grapes sourced from a variety of parcels in Napa Valley. At a whopping 15.7% alcohol, it can easily be mistaken for fortified wine, so if an unctuous, ink-black experience isn’t what you’re after, give this one a pass. The wine is bursting with fruit —…
Tasting the Wines of Rocca delle Macie, 2019 Releases
Rocca delle Macie is an iconic winery in the Chianti Classico region, established in 1973 by Italo Zingarelli, who had an unexpected route into the wine world. Zingarelli got his start in the movies and rose to prominence as a stuntman in spaghetti westerns before becoming successful enough to try his hand at producing. Zingarelli…
Review: Rhum J.M 110 Proof White Rum
Martinique’s Rhum J.M has a new expression of its iconic rhum agricole on the market, a white rum bottled at 55% abv. Some info: Since 1845, Rhum J.M has been regarded as one of the Caribbean’s most prestigious rum distilleries. The brand’s line of expressions is renowned by some of the finest cocktail bars in…
Understanding Grappa
If you’re apprehensive of grappa, you probably tasted it before and found it to be strong, harsh, and unforgiving. But times have changed, and it is time to give grappa a proper try because, as I recently found, the craft distillate made, mixed, and aged today is not your pappa’s grappa. Grappa’s history explains its…
Review: 2016 Mount Peak Winery Rattlesnake Zinfandel Sonoma County
Napa-based Mount Peak Winery makes just three wines, one of which is this Sonoma County zinfandel. It offers a surprisingly clear note of licorice on the nose, and the palate is thick with notes of plum, cassis, and baking spice. Rich with notes of spiced raisins and chocolate sauce, it drinks a bit closer…
Review: Appleton Estate Rum 21 Years Old
In 2015 we reviewed a handful of bottles from Jamaica’s rum powerhouse, Appleton Estate, with one notable exception, the ultra-premium 21-year-old. Like the Rare Blend 12 Years Old, this is minimum-aged rum, meaning there could be rums far older in this bottle but none less than the U.S. legal drinking age. It’s one of the…
Review: 2015 Seghesio Home Ranch Estate Zinfandel Alexander Valley
Seghesio is a well-known zinfandel shop, but this bottling is unique in that it doesn’t say “Zinfandel” in it’s swirly font but rather “Home Ranch,” Seghesio’s original estate. It’s the winery’s top-end bottling, and it doesn’t disappoint. The jammy fruit notes are restrained (though at 15.3% abv, the alcohol is not), letting a fresher plum…
Review: 2017 Lucienne Pinot Noirs
Lucienne is a sub-label (not really a second label) of the Hahn Family Wines brand, and here we find Lucienne in three acts, all hailing from the Santa Lucia Highlands. Compare to last year’s reviews and, spoiler alert, you’ll find everything’s backwards. 2017 Lucienne Pinot Noir Smith Vineyard – Moderate body, plenty of fruit. Cherries…
