Monthly Archives: August 2010

Tasting Report: Family Winemakers of California 2010

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Christopher Null| 2 Comments

As in years past, Family Winemakers of California proves itself to be a vast and nearly unmanageable monster of a wine show. Now in its 20th year, this San Francisco event featured a whopping 340 wineries and thousands of wines being sampled.

While I’m not entirely sure how the likes of Kendall-Jackson, here for the first time, qualify as a “family” winery, there was no shortage of quality to be found. My favorites this year invariably trended toward Cabernets, with excellent expressions being poured by Barnett, Macauley, Ramey, Rocca, and Titus — all from the 2007 vintage. 2007 Napa Cab is already getting rave reports and may be the best vintage for the region since 1999 — snap it up!

Notes on tasted wines follow. Prices for wines poured were unavailable.

Tasting Report – Family Winemakers of California 2010

2009 Barnett Pinot Noir / B+ / chewy

2007 Barnett Cabernet Sauvignon / A / peppery nose, nice balance

2007 D-Cubed Napa Valley Zinfandel / A- / easy, nice and soft

2007 D-Cubed Korte Ranch Zinfandel / B+ / some toughness

2006 D-Cubed Howell Mountain Zinfandel / A / nice cocoa notes

2006 D-Cubed Primitivo / B /

2008 Handley Sauvignon Blanc / B / acidic

2007 Keller Estate Chardonnay Oro de Plata / A- / minimally oaked, tart

2007 Keller Estate Chardonnay La Cruz / A- / tropical notes, intriguing

2007 Keller Estate Pinot Noir La Cruz / A- / big fruit, earthy traditional finish

2008 Kokomo Winery Pinot Noir / B / big jammy notes

2008 Kokomo Winery Cuvee 4791 / B- / out of balance

2008 Landmark Chardonnay Overlook / B+ / classic style

2008 Landmark Syrah / C+ /

2006 Macauley Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley / A / silky and smooth

2007 Macauley Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley / A- / tougher but with great promise

2006 Macauley Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville / A- / big and dark

2007 Macauley Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyard / A / silky, rich with plums and chocolate

2007 Martinelli Pinot Noir / A- / lovely, balanced cherry and earth notes

2006 Merryvale Cabernet Sauvignon / B / extremely big now, tough

2006 Merryvale Profile / B / massively tannic and hard

2006 Mount Eden Cabernet Sauvignon Saratoga Cuvee / B / tannic, tough

2006 Mount Eden Cabernet Sauvignon Estate / B / similar to Saratoga

2007 Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon Annum / A / delightfully smooth, rich and easy drinking

2008 Robert Biale Zinfandel Monte Russo / B- / harsh menthol notes

2007 Rocca Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Grigsby Vineyard / A / very rich and lush

2007 Rocca Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Collinetta Vineyard / A- / similar, but with a lighter body

2007 Saxon Brown Pinot Noir Parmalee Hill / A- / easy, nice and soft

2007 Saxon Brown Pinot Noir Durell Vineyard / A- / very lush

2004 Saxon Brown Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley / B+ / simplistic

2007 Titus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley / A / big body, good balance

2007 Titus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Reserve / A- / not much different, maybe thinner

2007 Villa Creek La Boda / B+ / overpowering

2007 Villa Creek Avenger / B+ / menthol and cocoa, too jammy

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Posted in Reviews, Wine

Extreme Margarita Close-Up

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

It’s just as pretty under a microscope as it is in an oversized, salt-rimmed, cactus-themed cocktail glass.

What Booze Looks Like Under a Microscope

Keep hitting Next. The White Russian is super trippy…

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Posted in Drinking Science

Review: Canadian Mist Black Diamond Whisky

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Canadian Mist is known as a smooth, very simple, and, above all else, extremely cheap Canadian whisky. Now the company is trying to expand, broadening its product range and upgrading its image with more premium bottlings.

Canadian Mist Black Diamond is billed — alongside a gold-etched autograph from the distiller — as “a richer, more robust blended Canadian whisky.” Compared to standard Mist, it certainly is that, but frankly I think this is a step back.

In practice, Black Diamond gets its “robust” character from two things: The addition of what seems to be a lot more rye and corn in the mix, and an upgrade in proof level from 80 to 86 proof. Canadian Mist also says the sherry content is upgraded, but I found that altogether absent here.

Black Diamond’s 36-month age statement is the same as its predecessor, and three years just isn’t enough time in barrel for a mash like this. The taste is not especially rye-like but is rather overflowing with brutish corn notes, giving it a young, white dog character that is not altogether pleasant on its own. It’s a fine mixer and still a bargain at $15 a bottle, but I think the original Mist is, ironically, a more polished spirit.

C / $15 / canadianmist.com

Canadian Mist Black Diamond Review: Canadian Mist Black Diamond Whisky

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Posted in Canadian Whisky, Rated C, Reviews, Whiskey

Review: Deschutes Brewery Jubelale 2010 Edition

Posted on August 29, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

I’ve still got Modelo in my fridge but the first winter beer has already arrived: Deschutes’ annual Christmas brew, Jubelale.

Not to be confused with Jubel 2010 (a special, aged version of Jubelale), this year’s Jubelale is as easygoing as the 2009 edition. Sweet on the tongue, it’s balanced with just the right amount of bitterness (60 IBUs). Brewed with dark crystal malt, it’s got distinct caramel notes, and some candied apple fruit, and hints of orange peel. Great balance and a solid, silky body, perfect for the holidays.

6.7% alcohol by volume. On sale beginning September 2010.

A / $8 per six-pack / deschutesbrewery.com

Deschutes Jubelale 2010 Review: Deschutes Brewery Jubelale 2010 Edition

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Posted in Beer, Rated A, Reviews

Review: Brinley Gold Shipwreck Spiced Rum

Posted on August 28, 2010 by Christopher Null| 5 Comments

More spiced rum (check out the chatter on the BlackBeard coverage here, and keep the fun going below) from the folks at Brinley, which makes some very good flavored rums.

Shipwreck hails from St. Kitts and is aged for four years before being juiced up with exotic (and unnamed) spices.

Brinley’s rendition of spiced rum carries a big and flavorful kick. I love the way Shipwreck hits the palate, with sweet rum smoothed out by age and time in the barrel, plus a good shake of cinnamon, orange, woody notes, and a marshmallow-like candiness. It’s not too spicy, with clear sweetness dominating.

But the joy fades as Shipwreck gets toward the finish. A funky kind of skunkiness — that what David Wondrich reminds us is sometimes called “hogo” — that, on its own, isn’t entirely wonderful. For a spiced rum, it may just be too much wood, too much clove — or perhaps not enough alcohol. At 72 proof it’s decidedly light and maybe a touch watery.

It drowns away in Coke, but comparing Shipwreck against a more balanced spiced rum without doctoring, you’ll have no trouble sussing out the superior.

B / $20 / brinleygoldrum.com

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Posted in Rated B, Reviews, Rum, Spiced Rum

Review: ResQwater Peach and Pomegranate

Posted on August 27, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Once a sweetened but otherwise unflavored hangover remedy, ResQwater now comes in flavors.

Much like, say, a bottle of Vitamin Water, the flavoring part is pretty mild, giving the new ResQwater a pale, pastel complexion. The flavoring doesn’t appear to have any basis in actual fruit — aside from “natural flavors” — and, more importantly, the fructose sweetener from the clear version has been jettisoned in favor of sucrose (aka table sugar), giving a full 16 oz. bottle 100 calories.

The taste is somewhat improved over the original — the pomegranate is a little tastier than the somewhat cloying peach — and the consistency is improved. Fructose always lends a gummy texture to beverages, but here the ResQwater is smoother and more refreshing. In other words, if you find yourself stricken with a hangover, you should find the flavored version of ResQwater easier to knock down.

B / $12 for four 16-oz. bottles / resqwater.com

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Posted in Mixers, Rated B, Reviews

Review: 2009 Vina Costeira Ribeiro

Posted on August 27, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

This Spanish white hails from Galicia, and is in fact the best-selling white wine from that region. The wine is a blend of lots of Spanish “heirloom varietal” grapes: Treixadura (which is 70% of the blend), Torrontes (20%), and smaller amounts of Loureira, Godello, and Albarino.

Bright and fresh, any fan of modern Albarino will enjoy Vina Costeira’s creation here. Fruity with modest minerality, it offers fresh apple notes, with a hint of florality in the nose. For a wine made of five different grapes, it feels awfully straightforward — perhaps more an indication of the terroir than variety found in the grapes themselves.

Easy drinking and a good deal at 14 bucks.

B+ / $14 / vinoribeiro.com

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Posted in Rated B+, Reviews, Wine

Review: Kanon Organic Vodka

Posted on August 26, 2010 by Christopher Null| 1 Comment

Kanon combines the old world with the new. Made in Sweden (and heralding 1580 as the distillery’s date of opening and the fact that it was founded by the King of Sweden), it’s old-world tradition meets nouveau chic: It’s organic, distilled from local, organically-grown wheat. Sounds good, but how’s it taste?

Kanon has a distinctively grassy nose, with earthy, menthol, and evergreen notes. These all follow over to the body of the vodka. It is intense and decidedly of the earth, less medicinal than most vodkas but overflowing with richness. I find it on the heavy side for vodka, which ideally is crisp, clean and refreshing. Kanon has weight. It has gravity. It’s a drink for old friends beside a campfire under the stars with wolves waiting just out of reach of the firelight. It’s rather not a vodka, say, for your Appletini.

80 proof. Arrives in the U.S. in January 2011.

B+ / $TBD / kanonvodka.com

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Posted in Rated B+, Reviews, Vodka

Review: 2008 un4seen Red Wine California

Posted on August 25, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

This wine represents the debut of this Lodi-based winery, premiering with an oddball blend of Zinfandel, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Merlot.

un4seen’s debut is intensely raisiny, with serious menthol notes. It’s jammy and more Zinfandel-like in its character (out of the four grapes in this blend) but ultimately it’s decidedly plain, not the complex beast you might hope for from such an exotic meritage. Ultimately this wine really belongs to no particular world except maybe for the easy-drinking, inexpensive, and simple.

Fair enough for the price.

B- / $11 / un4seenwine.com

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Posted in Rated B-, Reviews, Wine

Review: Bossa Nova Juices

Posted on August 25, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Bossa Nova juices are now well entrenched among the Odwallas and Naked Juices of the world. These 80% to 100% juice blends — all heavy on superfruits and antioxidant-laden goodness — come in right-sized, ergonomically-shaped, 10 oz. bottles. Many of the blends are 100% juice, but some are sweetened with agave nectar to improve the palate.

Here’s how the six juices we tasted out of the lineup shake out.

Bossa Nova Acai Original - Tart, and a little gummy. Not a wonderful flavor, sort of like cherry juice mixed with grape. OK in a pinch, but hardly stellar. B

Bossa Nova Acai with Mango - Sounds like a winning combination, but it’s just too sweet. Like the Acerola version, though, it’s on the light side. B

Bossa Nova Acai with Blueberry - At 80% juice, it’s got the most additional stuff of anything in the line, and for good reason — blueberries are great in moderation, but blueberry juice is overpoweringly tart. This is no different; despite the doctoring it’s too tough to drink. B-

Bossa Nova Acerola with Red Peach - Light flavor, with mild peach notes. Also adds (exciting!) red dragonfruit. A-

Bossa Nova Mangosteen with Passionfruit - Tastes like a smoothie and looks like one, too. Also includes guava and red peach juice, giving this an exotic, Hawaiian kick to it. Overall very good and a pleasure to drink. A winner. A

Bossa Nova Mangosteen with Dragonfruit – Has a bit of a fruit punch character to it, probably due to the addition of both sweet and sour cherry juices. The finish is a bit cloying. B-

$3 and up per 10 oz. bottle / bossausa.com