Review: NV J Vineyards Brut Rose Sparkling Wine (2018)
Nonvintage wines don’t carry a year on the label, but that doesn’t mean they don’t ever change. We last looked at J Vineyards’ Brut Rose sparkling wine in 2011, and the recipe has been altered just a bit. Today, the wine is composed of 66% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay, and 1% Pinot Meunier, and it…
Review: Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey Sherry Cask
The mad geniuses at Colorado’s Stranahan’s have, at last, added a new expression to their “yellow label” single malt: Stranahan’s Sherry Cask. Per the distillery, “This special release is the first of its kind for the Denver-based distillery, fusing the Rocky Mountain whiskey making style with the wine making traditions of Spanish Sherry.” As the…
Tasting the Wines of Crowded House and Catalina Sounds with Winemaker Peter Jackson, 2018 Releases
So here’s New Zealander Peter Jackson. Not the filmmaker. He makes wines under two labels, Catalina Sounds (not the island) and Crowded House. Not the band. Recently he undertook a whirlwind trip to the States to show off his wines, which are trickling to our shores ever so slowly. (Watch for them in mid-2018.) While…
Wine and Beer Touring in California’s Paso Robles, 2017
In 2014, the U.S. TTB finally approved a longstanding plan to split Paso Robles up into 11 AVAs. It was just the latest move that is turning this sleepy region into a top wine destination, with some 300 wineries (plus or minus, depending on who you talk to) cranking out some excellent bottlings. Rhone grapes…
Review: Left Coast Brewing Una Mas, Trestles IPA, and Hop Juice Triple IPA
Left Coast Brewing Company (commonly mis-typed, at least by me, as West Coast Brewing Company) can be found surfside in San Clemente, California, where it’s been putting out craft beers since 2004. Recently expanding into Northern California, it’s definitively a brewery to watch. In honor of its expansion, we checked out three of the brewery’s most…
Review: Belle de Brillet Pear & Cognac Liqueur (2018)
Belle de Brillet has been around for decades, and thanks to its generally good availability, it’s become one of the most iconic Poire Williams — pear brandy made from Williams pears — on the market. In taking a fresh look at Belle de Brillet — our first since 2013 — it’s curious that Poire Williams…
Review: 2015 Chateau de Saint-Amour Beaujolais
Saint-Amour is part of the DuBoeuf empire, and this 100% gamay wine is a credible, if unthrilling, example of the Beaujolais style. A considerable earthiness leads the way to a light body composed of cherry, strawberry, and some spice. The finish slowly winds its way toward a cola character, with hints of cloves. Workable on…
Review: EasyRhino and PinkKitty Liqueurs
When the press release came in I had to read it, I had to know more. I simply had no choice. The idea was simply too wild, too bold, too insane to ignore. The pitch, from an Austin-based company called 2XL Swagger Brands LLC USA, went a little like this: 2XL Swagger Brands Launches “World’s…
