Monthly Archives: March 2010

Review: Four Roses 2010 Limited Edition Single Barrel Bourbon

Posted on March 18, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Our third single barrel Four Roses review in as many years (see 2008, 2009 here), Four Roses is commemorating its 100th year of operation with this release. Congrats, but we’re the real winners here. With this heady, 110-proof (est.) bourbon, expect a deeper and more sultry Four Roses than you might be accustomed to.

Aged 17 years (last year’s version was just 11 years old), spices like nutmeg and cloves are intense on the nose. The body is silky brown sugar, braced by intense oak wood, with raisin character in the finish. Intense, to be sure, yet enjoyable even without water. Fans of old bourbons like the Van Winkle collection will find this one to be a keeper — and a veritable bargain — if they can find a bottle.

2300 bottles to be released.

A / $75 to $100 / fourroses.us

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Posted in Bourbon, Rated A, Reviews, Whiskey

Review/Preview: Maker’s 46 Bourbon from Maker’s Mark

Posted on March 18, 2010 by Christopher Null| 5 Comments

When people drink bourbon (and they’re not drinking Jack Daniel’s), they turn to Maker’s Mark in droves. Millions of bottles of Maker’s are sold each year, each with the familiar red wax seal.

Now Maker’s is finally realizing that there might be something to the idea of additional expressions of its whiskey, and soon it looks like we’ll have another Maker’s Mark on liquor store shelves everywhere.

I got a sample of this new whiskey — or at least #46 in its line of experimental bourbons — to get a sense of what’s to come. The idea? Take standard Maker’s Mark and finish the aging barrels with additional charred oak staves placed inside the barrel to imbue even more smoke and wood flavor into the spirit after the standard aging is complete.

The result? A bourbon that shares Maker’s DNA but has distinctly more woodiness, which gives it a bracing cinnamon character. Not as sweet as Maker’s, which is legendarily heavy on sugary and vanilla character, it runs a tiny bit hotter, too: 94 proof vs. the standard version’s 90 proof.

When will it actually ship and what will it cost? I’m not sure, nor do I really have a clue as to what it will be called when it does. But I like it a lot –more of a sipping whiskey than red wax MM, with a bit more to talk about after the glass is empty. I give it an A- alongside its big brother.

Check out John Hansell’s blog for more information on this new whiskey.

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Posted in Bourbon, Rated A-, Reviews, Whiskey

Review: Three New Thatcher’s Liqueurs

Posted on March 16, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Thatcher’s is making some of the most interesting liqueurs on the market: All organic, each sold with a little charitable sharing of its profits, and all intensely flavored spirits designed for modern cocktails. (Prior reviews are here and here.)

The company is adding three new flavors to its lineup in the coming weeks. We got samples of each. All are 30 proof.

Thatcher’s Blood Orange Liqueur is surprisingly maroon/red in color, but the flavor is considerably more orange in tone. It’s not overdone, like many a triple sec, which will slap you in its face with its tart citrus character, instead offering a smooth orange and raspberry spirit with a little cherry on the tongue. Easy to drink, and a good choice for a cocktail where you want a little color and nuance along with the orange flavor. A-

Thatcher’s Yumberry Liqueur is made from a new superfruit you’re probably going to start hearing a lot about this year. (Acai is so yesterday.) Hailing from China, it looks like lychee but smells like fruit punch. The taste veers toward mild strawberry, though there’s a touch of cloying cough syrup character in the finish that keeps it from being a masterpiece. Pink in color. Cute. Try it in a Cosmo. B

Thatcher’s Coffeehouse Liqueur you can smell from a mile away, made from a blend of organic coffees selected for balance and character. It’s lighter in color and body than most coffee liqueurs I’ve tried, and considerably sweeter. This makes it extremely easygoing on its own, a liqueur to choose if you want to drop a little natural coffee flavor into your cocktail without overpowering it. B+

each $20 / thatchersorganic.com

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Posted in Liqueurs, Rated A-, Rated B, Rated B+, Reviews

Review: 2008 Donelan Syrah Cuvee Christine North Coast

Posted on March 16, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

A cuvee of syrah grapes picked from four Sonoma vineyards, Donelan’s Cuvee Christine offers a meaty, Burgundian-stylized wine with intense color and an impressive depth of flavor. It’s young today but it contains plenty of fruit, earthy plum with cinnamon notes. Reasonably easy drinking now, but I’d like to try it again in a few years to see how things have developed.

FYI: Donelan was an outgrowth of the renowned Pax family of wines.

A / $45 / donelanwines.com

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Posted in Rated A, Reviews, Wine

Review: 2005 Campo Viejo Reserva Tempranillo

Posted on March 16, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

This 2005 Rioja starts out with a tannic backbone that opens up in short order to reveal a surprisingly easy-drinking wine. Aromas of smoke and charcoal on the nose are mere wisps in the glass, with the body becoming superbly jammy, with fresh raspberry and strawberry fruit on the palate. Low alcohol (13.5% per the label) makes it all go down a bit too easily. Readily available at an absurd price.

A- / $14 / campoviejo.com

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Posted in Rated A-, Reviews, Wine

Upcoming: Toast of the Town San Francisco – April 22, 2010

Posted on March 15, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Food and wine go together like Brad and Angelina — but few wine-focused events do the combination well.

Wine Enthusiast‘s Toast of the Town event is the exception, combining exceptional and eclectic wine choices with a selection of outstanding restaurants in just the right proportions. Last year’s TotT stands as one of the top wine events I attended in 2009.

Toast of the Town 2010 is coming back to San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House on April 22, and my mouth is already watering. Top wineries pouring include Archery Summit, Antinori, Beaulieu, Pine Ridge, Graham’s Port, and Dow’s Port. Restaurants serving small dishes include Farallon, The Girl and the Fig, Cliff House, Rose Pistola, and the inimitable House of Chicken and Waffles.

Event runs from 5pm (VIP tickets, $169) or 7pm (standard tickets, $89) to 10pm on April 22, 2010. Early bird discounts are available on both tickets if you purchase before April 1. Space is limited. The event benefits the San Francisco Food Bank.

Get tickets here, and say hi if you see me on the floor!

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Posted in Upcoming Events, Wine

Review: Hangar One Vodkas

Posted on March 14, 2010 by Christopher Null| 2 Comments

Practically a next-door neighbor to Drinkhacker HQ, California’s own Hangar One has long been a hometown favorite vodka amongst those ’round these parts who can’t handle whiskey. Available in a straight version and three exotic flavors, we’ve been drinking these for years but finally got around to sampling them all “officially” for the site. Created using a combination of column- and pot-distilling methods from U.S. wheat and viognier grapes (not your everyday combo) — and obviously made with considerable care — these are vodkas that deserve their vaunted reputation.

All four varieties are 80 proof.

Hangar One Straight Vodka has a distinct wintergreen character, and the viognier grape notes are easy to pick out. With a real aromatic wine finish, this vodka is perfectly sippable even at room temperature, and it adds complexity to otherwise boring vodka cocktails. A

Hangar One Kaffir Lime Vodka takes the straight vodka base and infuses it with this particular Thai fruit. Kaffir lime isn’t easy to come by: Hangar One says that at one point it owned every commercially available Karrif lime leaf in North America. As Hangar One notes, most lime-flavored spirits can taste like Life Savers (at best), but H1′s spirit is an unabashed victory of the fruit, not just deeply citrus in character but also featuring herbs and pepper. The touches of viogier wine shine through in the finish. A masterpiece. A+

Hangar One Buddha’s Hand Citron Vodka uses the oddball Buddha’s Hand fruit for its flavoring agent. A relative of the lemon, it’s definitely in the lemon arena, with a touch of lime-ness to it and a good dose of jasmine incense in the nose. This one has a little more of an artificial tone (though all of these vodkas are naturally flavored), which gives it a harder edge. Still quite drinkable and one of the better lemon vodkas out there. A-

Hangar One Mandarin Blossom Vodka is the orange member of the family. Orange-flavored vodkas are tricky, though, because there are so many orange-flavored liqueurs — in a variety of styles — that invariably taste better than orange vodka. Of course, Hangar One goes apey in using pounds of Mandarin orange blossoms to flavor its vodka, but the effect is not entirely different from the usual orange affair. It’s quite acidic but perfumy and nicely orange flavored. I’d use it in a pinch, but throwing in a splash of triple sec to a standard vodka does the job considerably better if you need a little orange in there. B+

$35 each / hangarone.com

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Posted in Flavored Vodka, Rated A, Rated A+, Rated A-, Reviews, Vodka

Review: RedEye Texas Style Bloody Mary Mixes

Posted on March 13, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

There’s no shame in using a mix to start your Bloody Mary. The last thing any hangover-inflicted drinker wants to deal with on a Sunday morning is tracking down the various and sometimes esoteric ingredients that go into the typical Bloody recipe. Pick your favorite mix, drop a bottle in the fridge, and don’t worry about it.

RedEye produces six various mixes, all natural with an awful lot of tomato, pepper, and other spices. It’s a good looking mix, with visible spice bits in a thick base. We tried four of the six available varieties. Comments follow.

RedEye Original: Plenty of spice. Thick, big tomato sauce flavor. Good kick, all around solid, with a very traditional, if hot, Bloody Mary flavor. B+

RedEye Outlaw: Perhaps a touch thinner in consistency. Spicier, with red-pepper kick. Maybe 30 percent hotter than the Original if you’re looking for more more spice in your Bloody. The thinner consistency is actually easier to deal with. A-

RedEye Horseradish: You can definitely smell the horseradish, from a distance even. But overall it’s less spicy than the Outlaw version. About the same overall heat as the Original. Return to the thicker consistency. Similar flavor and texture to the Original, with a slight twist. B+

RedEye Habanero: Not nearly as hot as I’d expected it would be based on the promise of the hottest generally-available pepper in the mix, just a general warming as you sip it. Maybe 10 percent hotter than the Original, but the flavor is not as pleasant, with a tinge of bitterness to it. B

each $7 per quart / redeyebrand.com

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Posted in Mixers, Rated A-, Rated B, Rated B+, Reviews

Tasting Report: Alto Adige Wines

Posted on March 11, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Alto Adige? You’re not alone if you’ve never heard of this region, one of the smallest in Italy, a remote area just south of Austria nestled against the Alps.

The mountain vineyards up here produce all manner of grapes, including traditional Italian fruit like pinot bianco and pinot grigio, and a whole lot of stuff you’ve probably never tried: kerner and, what you can’t escape in Alto Adige, lagrein (pronounced la-grine) — described as a combination of cabernet franc and merlot. I found it often has a distinct licorice character.

Of the 30 wines I tasted at a recent gathering of Alto Adige producers, quality was mixed. Enjoyed Abbazia di Novacella’s Kerner quite a bit, and found Colterenzio’s (pricey) lineup probably the best overall in the tasting. Are consumers going to spend $60 on sauvignon blanc from an area they’ve never heard of? You be the judge.

Be advised that many of these wines aren’t available in the U.S. and, if they are, in very limited quantities.

Complete notes follow.

Alto Adige Tasting Report

2008 Abbazia di Novacella Valle Isarco Pinot Grigio DOC / $24 / B / odd nose, biscuity

2008 Abbazia di Novacella Valle Isarco Kerner DOC / $24 / A / racy, good acidity

2007 Terlano Suauvignon Blanc Quarz / $55 / B+ / big peach character, but an off finish

2005 Terlano Nova Domus Terlaner Riserva / $55 / B

2008 Cantina Bolzano Pinot Grigio DOC / $18 / A-

2008 Cantina Bolzano Lagrein Perl DOC / $24 / B- / thinner

2007 Cantina Bolzano Lagrein Riserva Prestige / $44 / B

2008 Colterenzio Sauvignon Lafoa / $62 / A- / rocky and tart

2007 Colterenzio Chardonnay Formigar / $58 / A- / light oak, buttery

2008 Colterenzio Lagrein Classic / $18 / B- / licorice is huge

2003 Colterenzio Cornelius / $59 / A- / fresh, new style winemaking

2009 Cortaccia Lagrein Rose DOC / $15 / B+ / enjoyable and easy

2005 Cortaccia Lagrein Freienfeld DOC / $33 / B- / smoky nose, thin body

2006 Alois Lageder Pinot Noir Krafuss / $45 / B+

2007 H. Lun Moscato Giallo Passito Sandbichier / $75 / A / amazing wine

2006 Manincor Chardonnay Sophie / $40 / A- / buttery, nice

2007 Manincor Pinot Noir Mason / $60 / A- / rich and porty

2005 Manincor Merlot Castel Campan / $75 / C- / barnyard overload

2005 Muri-Greis Lagrein Riserva Abtei Muri DOC / $33 / B+ / inky, chocolate

2008 Castel Sallegg Moscato Giallo DOC / $23 / B / traditional

2007 Castel Sallegg Lagrein Riserva DOC / $30 / A- / herbal, nice balance

2008 Tiefenbrunner Sauvignon Kirchleiten / $30 / B+ / Gewurz like

2006 Tiefenbrunner Lagrein Riserva Linticlarus / $30 / A- / herbal

2008 Tramin Pinot Grigio Unterebner DOC / $31 / A- / more Gewurz character

2008 Tramin Gewurztraminer Nussbaumer DOC / $40 / B-

2008 Cantina Valle Isarco Valle Isarco Veitliner Aristos / $25 / A-

2008 Cantina Valle Isarco Valle Isarco Kerner Aristos / $28 / B+

2008 Cantina Valle Isarco Pinot Nero / $22 / C+

2008 Elena Walch Pinot Grigio Selezione DOC / $18 / A- / very tart

2008 Elena Walch Gewurztraminer Selezione DOC / $28 / B

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Posted in Reviews, Wine

Review: Citadelle Reserve Gin 2009 Vintage

Posted on March 10, 2010 by Christopher Null| 2 Comments

Citadelle isn’t just releasing this specially-flavored (with 19 spices) and cognac-barrel aged (5 months) gin — it’s actually going the vintage route, with this 2009 edition recently hitting shelves.

Versus the 2008 version, the only difference in recipe I can tell is one month less in oak: 5 months vs. the 2008 bottling’s 6 months. It’s still a hazy golden hue, with spice and citrus, and a little vanilla finish imparted by the time in cask. Just as good as the 2008 — perhaps a little smoother, even. I like it a lot and recommend it just as highly as last year’s model.

Even better: It can now be found for cheaper than the 2008, about $5 less per bottle. Win.

A / $35 / citadellegin.com