Review: 2011 Brancaia Tre Rosso Toscana IGT
Here’s a very simple wine, one of the most gentle Italian reds I’ve ever encountered. This blend of Sangiovese (80%), Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon is named for both the three varietals and the three vineyards it is sourced from. The nose nods at both cherries and milk chocolate, but the body is pure fruit. Almost…
Review: Talisker 27 Years Old Limited Edition 2013
The final whisky in the 2013 Diageo Special Releases series comes from venerable Talisker on the Isle of Skye. It’s a 1985-distilled spirit aged exclusively in American refill casks, so this whisky’s considerable age should be the main focus here rather than any finishing it encounters. Sure enough: This is classic Talisker, a peaty, green-tinted…
Review: The 50 by 50 Pinot Noir and Rose
Are we not men? We are Pinot! (Sorry.) Devo founding member Gerald Casale is the man behind the new wine label The 50 by 50, which is named for a never-built home that doesn’t exist on a property that’s wedged between the Atlas Peak AVA and Wild Horse AVA in Napa County. (How very Devo,…
Review: The Singleton of Dufftown 28 Years Old Limited Edition 2013
Whisky #8 in the Diageo Special Releases series is an installment from The Singleton line, this one from Dufftown. (There have been many whiskies in “The Singleton” line, but only Dufftown is current.) This old fogey is from an actually operational still in Speyside, aged completely in American oak for its 28 years. (It was distilled…
Review: Sierra Nevada Beer Camp West Coast Double IPA (Unreleased)
Who likes beer fests? Sierra Nevada’s got a huge one coming up this summer, a seven-city traveling beer festival that’s called Beer Camp Across America and which will feature more than 700 total breweries in total. As an “invitation” to the festival, we received this 24 oz. monster bottle of Sierra’s Beer Camp West Coast Double IPA. You can’t buy…
Review: Port Ellen 34 Years Old Limited Edition 2013
Whisky #7/9 from the Diageo 2013 Special Release series comes from Port Ellen, Islay’s cult distillery which was shuttered way back in 1983. This spirit was produced in 1978, just five years before the stills were mothballed. Aged in American and European oak, it’s one of the oldest whiskies ever to be bottled from this…
4 Cremant d’Alsace Wines Reviewed, 2014 Releases
This sparkling wine made in the mountains between France and Germany is always a great option when you want high-quality sparkling wine at a reasonable cost. Cremant d’Alsace is made from a variety of grapes — riesling, pinot blanc, pinot noir, pinot gris, auxerrois blanc, and chardonnay are allowed — but pinot blanc and noir are the most…
Review: Oban 21 Years Old Limited Edition 2013
#6 of 9 in the 2013 Diageo Special Release series comes from the classic Oban Distillery, located on the west coast of the Highlands where it’s a bit of an honorary, lesser member of the Islay group. Aged in rejuvenated American oak and second fill sherry casks, it’s the first Oban to come out of…
