Monthly Archives: April 2010

Review: Rum Jumbie Rums and Liqueur

Posted on April 20, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Rum Jumbie (the name refers to spirits allegedly trapped inside the caves of the Caribbean who would possess the souls of rum drinkers) makes several light, flavored rums plus a rum liqueur.

The flavored rums are all uncolored, are sourced from Panama, and are bottled at a scant 48 proof. Flavors are natural but otherwise unspecified.

Here’s how they stack up.

Rum Jumbie Mango Splash has a delicate mango nose and moderate tropical flavor. A little bite on the finish, but a fine ingredient in a tropical cocktail if you like a rum with a very mild and light body. B+ / $16

Rum Jumbie Pineapple Splash captures the aroma of fresh pineapple, but the flavor is off. Pineapple notes are pushed aside by out-of-place cocoa and vanilla character, with a sort of woody finish. B- / $16

Rum Jumbie Coconut Splash is extremely sweet, with sugariness that drowns out a lot of the coconut character. As with the other Jumbies, it’s heavy on the nose with the prescribed fruit (coconut is a fruit, right?), but the body doesn’t totally pan out. (Try Brinley.) B / $16

Rum Jumbie Vanilla Splash has almost no vanilla aroma and what little vanilla flavor there tastes synthetic. Fortunately it’s so light it doesn’t really taste like much of anything. Not a fan. C / $16

Rum Jumbie Liqueur is a 60 proof concoction of “aged rum and tropical fruit flavors,” and it’s already awesome from the start because of the bottle shaped like a guy playing a bongo drum and wearing a straw hat that serves as the cap. The amber nectar inside however is not quite as cool. It’s got cola and orange notes, apples, and loads of cinnamon and other exotic spices… but it doesn’t really come together. Perhaps it’s the loads of sugar in the blend that makes this hard to put down more than a few sips of. Perhaps it could make an interesting cocktail ingredient… but how? It’s simply too muddy and sweet and leaves a varnish-like coating on your palate that I wanted to scrub off. C / $30

rumjumbie.com

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Posted in Flavored Rum, Liqueurs, Rated B, Rated B+, Rated B-, Rated C, Reviews, Rum

Tasting Report: Vins de Loire, April 2010

Posted on April 20, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

France’s Loire Valley is rarely the first region that comes to mind when people talk about French wine. Located just west of Paris (and on to the coast), the Loire is a long stretch of land where many varieties of grapes and styles of wines are produced. The area, however, is best known for its whites, primarily melon de bourgogne (used mainly in Muscadet), sauvignon blanc (used mainly in Sancerre), chenin blanc (used everywhere else).

On the red side, Loire is more than half planted to cabernet franc, with gamay and other grapes also popular. Red Sancerre wines are typically pinot noir based.

But the Loire is so big that quality can be tricky, and in this tasting of wines mostly unavailable in the U.S. right now, it was all over the map. Of course the whites shined the brightest, with some really lovely, tropical-infused Sancerres from Domaine La Barbotaine, Eric Louis, and Jean-Max Roger. But I also found a soft spot for Laurent et Stephane Gouron’s Domaine Gouron wines, cab franc-based reds with good balance and body, better than you’ll find in many other major wine regions.

On the other hand there were some clear misses, with at least three wines I tasted smelling distinctly of various kinds of cheese. I like to eat my cheese with the wine, not drink it all together. Ugh.

Notes and ratings follow. Remember however that most of these wines are not currently distributed in the U.S.

Tasting Report: Loire Valley Wines, 2010

2007 Domaine FL Le Chinin Anjou Blanc / B+ / crisp, bracing, grassy finish

2007 Domaine FL Le Parc Savennieres / A- / big mineral character, unique

2007 Domaine FL Roche aux Moines Savenniers / B- / green, off finish

2007 Domaine FL Quarts de Chaume / A- / huge dessert style with a dusty edge

2006 Domaine FL Cabernets Anjou / A- / rich, complex berry blend

2008 Domaine La Barbotaine Sancerre / B+

2009 Domaine La Barbotaine Sancerre / A / nice mango and peach tones

2008 Domaine La Barbotaine Sancerre (Red) / B- / simple

2008 Domaine du Clos de L’Epinay Vouvray, Still Medium Dry / B / brie aromas, slighly sweet

2008 Domaine du Clos de L’Epinay Vouvray, Still Moelleux / B- / very sweet

2008 Collegiale des Domaines de Loire Pascal Balland Sancerre / B

2009 Collegiale des Domaines de Loire Dominique Tessier Domaine des Hauts de Sanziers Saumur Blanc / C+ / funky blue cheese character

2009 Couillaud et Fils Domaine de la Potardiere Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur Lie / B+ / aromatic with some bite

2010 Couillaud et Fils Domaine de la Potardiere Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur Lie / B / cheesy notes, bigger body

2008 Couillaud et Fils Domaine de la Potardiere Vin de Pays de Val de Loire (red) / B+ / nice aperitif style

2008 Domaine de Cray Touraine / B+

2009 Eric Louis Robert Cantin, Cuvee les Pierblancs, Sancerre / A- / flinty

2008 Eric Louis Robert Cantin, Cuvee les Pierblancs, Sancerre (red) / B+

2008 Eric Louis Robert Cantin, Cuvee Fossiles, Menetou-Salon / B / bigger body, sharp

2009 Eric Louis Robert Cantin, Vin de France / A- / big minerals, flowery

2008 Laurent et Stephane Gouron Domaine Gouron, Cuvee Domaine, Chinon / B+ / far easiergoing than most cab franc

2007 Laurent et Stephane Gouron Domaine Gouron, Cuvee Terroir, Chinon / A- / big body, nice

2008 Guy Saget Le Domaine Saget, Pouilly-Fume / B+ / simplistic

2008 Guy Saget Domaine de la Perriere, Sancerre / B+ / rougher

2008 Guy Saget La Petite Perriere / A- / fresh tart notes, grapefruit

2008 Guy Saget Les Clissages d’Or, Muscadet Sevre et Maine / B / green

2009 Domaine Henri Poiron et Fils Domaine des Quatre Routes, Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur Lie / C+ / a bit fizzy

2009 Domaine Henri Poiron et Fils Chateau des Grandes Noelles, Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur Lie / C / meaty, off

2009 Domaine des Herbauges Collection Plaisir, Muscadet Cotes de Grandlieu sur Lie / B- / cheesy

2009 Jean Aubron Grand Fief de l’Audigere, Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur Lie / C- / tired, difficult

2008 Jean Aubron Grand Fief de l’Audigere, Cuvee Elegance, Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur Lie / B

2003 Jean Aubron Grand Fief de l’Audigere, Cuvee Vieilles Vignes, Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur Lie / B / better balance

2008 Jean-Max Roger Les Caillottes Sancerre / A- / simple, melon notes

2006 Jean-Max Roger Vieilles Vignes, Sancerre / B

2008 Jean-Max Roger Morogues Le Petit Clos, Menetou-Salon / A- / crisp apricot notes

2008 Jean-Max Roger Les Chantes Alouettes, Pouilly-Fume / B+ / thinner

2008 Domaine Laurent Mabileau St Nicolas de Bourgueil / C / tannic

2009 Domaine Laurent Mabileau Bourgueil / C / pruny

2008 Domaine Lecomte Quincy / A- / lush, big bodied

2008 Domaine Lecomte Vieilles Vignes Quincy / A- / similar to standard bottling

2009 Domaine Lecomte Quincy / B- / chewy, 2008 a much better year

2009 Domaine Lecomte Vieilles Vignes Quincy / B+

2009 Prieure la Chaume Prima Donna Vin de Pays Vendee / A- / a “champagne without bubbles” – chardonnay and pinot noir blend

2009 Domaine Raimbault-Pineau Sancerre / B+ / thinner but pleasant

2009 Domaine Raimbault-Pineau Pouilly-Fume / B / edgier

2008 Saumur Champigny Cuvee des 100 / B / hugely herbal

2005 Saumur Champigny Cuvee des 100 / A- / softer

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Posted in Reviews, Wine

Tasting Report: Wines of Portugal 2010

Posted on April 20, 2010 by Christopher Null| 1 Comment

Portuguese table wines are always a mixed bag, with rough-hewn whites and a wild variety of reds to contend with. This year’s Portugal grand tasting event was familiar (see 2008′s event report here), with lesser-known Port vendors vying for attention among makers of vinho verde and other wines amongst a crowded group of wine enthusiasts muscling their way around the room.

This year I found a soft spot in my heart for aragones, a variety of grenache grown here and in Spain, which produced some much more complicated wines than Portugal is typically known for. Several producers had good aragoneses (aragoni?) on tap, with some equally compelling wines made from touriga nacional grapes — a grape usually used to make Port. Would love to experience top producer Esporao’s wines again.

Ratings and a few notes on tasted wines (and one brandy) follow.

Wines of Portugal 2010 Complete Report

2008 Casa de Santar Reserva DOC Dao / A- / pineapple-like, charming

2009 Grilos DOC Dao / B+ / perfumy white

2008 Palestra DOC Douro / B+ / thin red

2005 Dona Maria Amantis VR Alentejano / B / coffee notes

2005 Dona Maria Reserva VR Alentejano / B / tight

2007 CARM Reserva DOC Douro / B / tight, vegetal

2008 Carmim Aragones VR Alentejano / A- / licorice, leather notes

2007 Charamba DOC Douro / B- / an oddity, like children’s juice

2008 Esporao Reserva White DOC Alentejo / B+ / perfumed

2007 Esporao Reserva Red DOC Alentejo / B / herbal

2007 Esporao Aragones VR Alentejano / A / great balance, 100% aragones grapes

2007 Esporao Touriga Nacional VR Alentejano / A- / deep, dark chocolate and menthol character

NV Krohn Porto 20 Year Old DOC Porto / A- / woody and good tawny character

NV Krohn Porto 30 Year Old DOC Porto / A / a slight improvement

1968 Krohn Colheita DOC Porto / B+ / somewhat medicinal

1998 Krohn Colheita DOC Porto / B+ / dusty but lighter in style

NV Ferreira Dona Antonia Reserve Tawny Porto DOC Porto / B / 3.5 years aged, simplistic

NV Ferreira Duque de Braganca 20 Years Old Tawny Porto / B+ / vanilla character

NV Ferreira Quinta do Borto 10 Years Old Tawny / B+ / Cognac notes

2000 Ferreira Late Bottled Vintage Porto / B+ / fresh

2007 Ferreira Vintage Porto / B- / very fruity, jellybean like

NV Sandeman 30 Years Old Tawny Porto / A- / nutty with cocoa notes

2007 Sandeman Vintage Porto / B / not near ready for drinking

2000 Quinta do Pego Porto Vintage / B+ / oddly tannic

2007 Quinta do Pego Porto Vintage / B+ / easygoing

2007 Cartuxa DOC Alentejo / A- / very curious, fresh figs and cherry

2006 Cartuxa Reserva DOC Alentejo / A- / more balanced, like the standard bottling

NV Caldas Porto Fine White / A- / nutty with fig notes

2004 Quinta da Gaivosa Late Bottled Vintage Porto / A- / nice balance here

NV Quinta Tamariz VSOP Brandy DOC Vinho Verde / B- / harsh

2008 Patrimonio DOC Torres Vedras / A- / thinner, lighter style

2008 Casa Santos Lima LX VR Lisboa / B- / fruity finish but rough

2005 Brutalis VR Estremadura / B+ / not so brutal

2005 Dona Belmire Beiras VR Beiras / B

1994 Barros Colheita DOC Porto / B / green

1989 Burmester Colheita DOC Porto / B+

1989 Kopke Colheita DOC Porto / A- / good, mellow and muted

1975 Barros Colheita DOC Porto / B

2000 Calem Vintage Porto / B+ / feels young

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Posted in Port & Sherry, Reviews, Wine

Review: Three Olives Rangtang Vodka

Posted on April 19, 2010 by Christopher Null| 1 Comment

Orange and tangerine, that’s what “rangtang” is meant to mean. If you don’t believe me, Google it. Or don’t. You’ll never look at this citrus vodka the same way if you do. (Ad Age explains what I’m talking about here.)

Putting aside the unfortunate denotation, Three Olives’ Rangtang vodka — an orange-tinted vodka ostensibly flavored with oranges and tangerines (though the bottle just says “outrageously juicy oranges”) — is pretty tasty. It’s not the first tangerine-focused vodka ever, but it’s better than Finlandia’s version and more authentic. The aroma really does say tangerine over vague citrus scent, and the flavor is generally on target too. The finish is a little off, vaguely medicinal and rough-hewn, but in a cocktail it’ll do.

70 proof.

A- / $20 / threeolives.com

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

Review: 2009 Quivira Sauvignon Blanc Fig Tree Vineyard

Posted on April 17, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Quivira is a perennial fave at Drinkhacker HQ — check our glowing coverage of the 2008 version of this same wine here — and the 2009 sauvignon blancs are now hitting the market.

This wine isn’t quite the hit that the 2008 was, but it’s still a success. Sharply acidic, but vibrant with apple flavor, it’s undone a bit by a heavy, earthy finish that’s a bit at odds with the rest of the wine. Better with food.

B+ / $18 / quivirawine.com

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Posted in Rated B+, Reviews, Wine

Review: Big House Red and Monthaven Chardonnay 3L Box Wines

Posted on April 17, 2010 by Christopher Null| 4 Comments

Boxed wine continues to tiptoe toward improvement, with the folks at Octavin offering some decent wines in considerably more handsome packaging. These three-liter boxes fit more easily into your fridge but still promise to store your vino without it breaking down for up to six weeks.

2008 Monthaven Chardonnay is not a big success. Thin and lightly oaky, it’s chardonnay-lite, with a tepid body, some random tropical fruit character, and a sort of meat-like finish. The Central Coast wine will do in a pinch, but it’s not something to cozy up with alongside your sweetie as you gaze at the sunset. Think party wine. Frat party wine. C-

2008 Big House Red is surprisingly a far bigger hit, actually. A blend of just about everything (see the review of the 2007 Big House Red for a sampling) from all over California, this one comes across far more successfully than its pedigree would imply. Balanced, with mild spiciness, light acid, and a solid core of fruit, it’s even got complexity through smoky wood notes in the mix. Pushing an A-, but still on the upper edge of B+

$22 per 3L box / octavinhomewinebar.com

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Posted in Rated B+, Rated C-, Reviews, Wine

Review: AMP Energy Juice

Posted on April 17, 2010 by Christopher Null| 9 Comments

You’ve undoubtedly heard the radio commercials by now. AMP is billed as “the spark that ignites and kick-starts the day,” 100 percent juice with added caffeine and other pick-me-ups. Basically a way to drink Red Bull in the morning without the embarassment.

AMP comes in two flavors, both featuring 100% juice plus taurine, guarana, caffeine, lycopene, and some of your standard vitamins (C, E, Niacin, B6, B5, and Pantothenic Acid).

AMP Orange is actually a mix of orange and white grape juice and it’s clear from the first sip that it’s not all orange. In fact, it’s pretty watery, and doesn’t really taste very orange-like. It’s not unpleasant, but the effect is more of an “orange drink” than real juice — though at least it’s easy to knock down. B

AMP Mixed Berry may surprise you, as it’s also made up of… orange and white grape juice, plus artificial and natural flavors. It’s tart and saccharine tasting, much less palatable than the orange version — and mixed berry only in the sense that there are vague fruit flavors mixed into the bottle. C-

Your pick-me-up mileage may vary.

about $3 per 12-oz. bottle / ampenergy.com

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Posted in Mixers, Rated B, Rated C-, Reviews

Review: PaQui Silvera Tequila Blanco

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

Cinco de Mayo is nearly upon us, and that means Drinkhacker HQ is now flooded with tequila, so we’re now getting crackin’ on the stuff. Let’s start with a simple, and pretty good, one, a new tequila brand called PaQui.

Fans of smooth tequilas will immediately dig PaQui’s body, at least once they get the cap off (hint: it’s actually a cork-style stopper, not a screwtop). Round and buttery, it has a nice velvety texture that is easy to sip. The flavor has a surprising amount of agave in it, considering how generally easygoing it is. There’s a touch of bite on the finish, but ahead of that it’s got lush notes of green vegetation and pure agave, peppery but not fiery.

All in all it’s a good spirit that veteran and novice tequila drinkers will both be able to fully enjoy — although it is on the expensive side. 100% blue agave, naturally. 80 proof.

A- / $45 / paquitequila.com

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Posted in Rated A-, Reviews, Tequila

Review: Bowmore 15 Years Old “Darkest” Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

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

Less common than the ubiquitous 12 Year Old Bowmore, this 15 Year Old single malt from Islay is darker than many whiskys twice its age (in fact it notes “darkest” right on the label).

This whisky has a wonderful balance of all the elements that make good single malts great. The nose is lightly smoky but on the boozy side, giving only a few hints about what’s going on inside the spirit itself. Take a sip and the ride begins: Burnt brown sugar and caramel interplay with moderate peat and smokiness, with a finish that reminds you of apples and citrus fruit. It’s like the 12 Year but with a much bigger and bolder body, with a nicely warming finish that offers a nod to the sherry casks in which this malt was finished.

Probably my favorite Balmore expression to date.

A- / $70 / bowmore.co.uk

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Posted in Rated A-, Reviews, Scotch, Whiskey

Review: 2004 Ruffino Romitorio di Santedame Toscana

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

Ruffino is a name loaded with history — but most people probably know it from seeing it on the shelves of their local supermarket, where Ruffino is invariably one of the few Chiantis available.

But Ruffino makes some fancier bottlings too, including this Romitorio di Santedame. What is it? It’s a blend of colorino (60%) and merlot (40%) from the Tuscany region. Colorino? It’s a little-known grape that has historically been used to add color to Chianti wines… and rarely in a massive proportion like this.

The nose is distinctly Italian, lightly smoky with big pepper notes. The body screams Chianti. Bell pepper, bracing herbs (rosemary and thyme), but a backbone that keeps it from turning bitter and harsh. Built to stand up to rich dishes, this is a “special occasion” wine that you’ll want to seek out and discover on your own.

A- / $80 / ruffino.com