Monthly Archives: October 2010

Review: 2008 Michael-David Winery Earthquake Wines

Posted on October 28, 2010 by Christopher Null| 1 Comment

earthquake wine Review: 2008 Michael David Winery Earthquake WinesWe’ve reviewed Michael-David’s wines in the past, with its Incognito line. Earthquake is another of label of wines sourced from Lodi, California.

Quality is all over the place.

2008 Earthquake Zinfandel Lodi is a miss. Very, very young, it’s almost prunelike, syrupy and with chocolate notes — but Russell Stover, not Lindt. Out of balance in almost every way. C- / $19

2008 Earthquake Zinfandel Cabernet Sauvignon is a great improvement over the Zin. There’s no mistaking its youth, but the balance of fruit and wood is much improved here, giving this a distinct (yet inexpensive and easygoing) Cabernet character. Plummy and with more of those cocoa notes, but with a richer and more velvety body. A good value, vs. the overpriced Zinfandel. B / $21

lodivineyards.com

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

Review: Pampero Aniversario Ron Anejo

Posted on October 28, 2010 by Christopher Null| 12 Comments

A pampero, I am told, is a “vicious squall” across the pampas in South America. I’m only saying that because it’s the only the second time on this blog that I’ve been able to legitimately use the word “pampas.”

Pampero Aniversario is a Venezuelan rum, and one of only a handful I’ve ever tried. And like its comrade Santa Teresa 1796, it is examplary.

Chocolate brown in color, the rum exudes nuttiness and dark, bittersweet chocolate on the nose. Fresh sugar coats the tongue as you taste, and Pampero takes you on a trip into desserts galore on the body — chocolate mousse, creme brulee, caramel pudding. The finish keeps going and going. Wood is there, but it’s sedate and stays in the background. The rum may look impossibly dark, but it actually spends only 4 to 6 years in old bourbon barrels. Really quite seductive and delicious, and at a price that’s more than fair for the quality you get.

It also comes in a hard-to-miss leather satchel (it’s not a purse!), which makes it an unmistakable gift. 80 proof.

A / $34 / thebar.com

pampero aniversario rum Review: Pampero Aniversario Ron Anejo

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Posted in Rated A, Reviews, Rum

Review: Stolichnaya Stoli Wild Cherri Vodka

Posted on October 27, 2010 by Christopher Null| 2 Comments

It’s an old story but I’ll tell it again: Cherry is the toughest flavor in the universe to pull off in a spirit.

People keep trying, though, and the latest out of the gate is Stoli, with a “Wild Cherri” vodka.

This naturally-flavored concoction (actually from Latvia, not Russia) starts off OK. It smells pretty good, like fresh, dark cherries. And on first sip, it even seems like it’s going to taste pleasant. Then you swallow and all hell breaks loose. Your instinct is to cough — because cherry is inextricably sewn up in the mind with cough syrup — but while that can be suppressed, the grimace cannot. The bite is moderately harsh, and the promise of sweet cherries fades away as a medicinal character overwhelms the fruit. That’s a combination of earthy, herbal Old World vodka and the sad reality of nearly all cherry-flavored spirits; the flavors just don’t come together in the right way, through no fault of their own.

Think of it as shrimp and peanut butter. I love ‘em both, just not at the same time.

75 proof.

C / $26 / stoli.com

stoli wild cherri Review: Stolichnaya Stoli Wild Cherri Vodka

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Posted in Flavored Vodka, Rated C, Reviews, Vodka

Review: Spike Your Juice Homemade Booze Kit

Posted on October 27, 2010 by Christopher Null| 4 Comments

I’ve seen some weird stuff in my day, but Spike Your Juice is pretty much the strangest of them all.

Put simply, Spike Your Juice is a system for turning ordinary fruit juice into good old-fashioned hooch. Inside the colorful box you’ll find a few little mystery packets. You pour the packets into an off-the-shelf 64-ounce bottle of fruit juice (no artificial sweeteners, no refrigerated juice — essentially that means cranberry or grape juice — and let ‘er rip. You stop up the bottle with an included airlock, and wait 48 hours. Presto, you’ve got booze.

OK, the mystery should be easy to solve. What’s in the little packet is yeast (plus a little extra sugar), and that yeast goes to work on all the sugar in the juice in relatively short order. It takes only a few hours for the juice to start bubbling and blurping a gray/purple scum into the airlock, and it’s clear Spike Your Juice is hard at work. The juice is said to reach a maximum of 14% alcohol, putting it on par with wine. That’s right folks, you’re making homemade pruno, sans the dirty socks and the trash bag.

What does the end result of Spike Your Juice taste like? It’s surprisingly fizzy on the tongue, and it has a clear alcohol bite. But it’s sweet — at least after the first two days (the company says it will become drier the longer you let it sit). At first, not unpleasant — like a really cheap red wine that’s been bottled by someone with dirty hands — and then the aftertaste gets you. Musty and funky, it’s got a kick that, as my aunt used to say, will bite you back.

I can still taste it.

Rating this one just does not make sense, as I can only see it being attempted out of morbid curiosity, a dare, or both. Supposedly hugely popular in Europe.

$10 for six packets (enough for 3 gallons of hooch) plus airlock / spikeyourjuice.com

spike your juice Review: Spike Your Juice Homemade Booze Kit

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Posted in Hangover, Mixers, Reviews, Wine

Review: 2008 and 2009 Monthaven Boxed Wines

Posted on October 26, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Monthaven’s 2008 Chardonnay didn’t exactly impress us.

Today the company is back to try again with its 2009 release, plus two new reds from the 2008 vintage, all served up in convenient 3 liter boxes.

Yes, that’s 9 liters of wine. No, we did not drink it all. (Not possible.)

2009 Monthaven Chardonnay Central Coast is at least better than the 2008. Young and with minimal oaking, it’s pretty easy-drinking, and not overly imbued with any particular character. Apple notes are light and fruity, with a little hint of pineapple and some wood in the finish. Passable. B-

2008 Monthaven Merlot Central Coast is undistinguished in nearly any way. Watery and thin, it tastes unbelievably young and without any body or character beyond very simple cherry fruit. Harmless. C

2008 Monthaven Cabernet Sauvignon Central Coast is the worst of the lot. Incredibly green, it is embarassingly young, racy with the paradox of both unripe berry and raw raspberry juice notes. Tastes extremely cheap. A hard sell, to say the least. D+

$20 per 3L box / octavinhomewinebar.com

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Posted in Rated B-, Rated C, Rated D/F, Reviews, Wine

Review: Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Maple Wood Finish

Posted on October 25, 2010 by Christopher Null| 6 Comments

Another semi-experimental Bourbon from Woodford Reserve. The spin this time (it’s the company’s 5th installment in the Master’s Collection) is the use of maple wood in the finishing barrels. This is big news because it had been felt, according to Woodford, that maple wood couldn’t be used to make a barrel because of certain characteristics of the wood. But they managed the trick by simply toasting the barrels instead of charring them, traditional for standard oak barrels.

Maple wood is exceptionally high in sugar, so, in theory, this special edition whiskey should be considerably sweeter. If it wasn’t such a woody bruiser — 94.4 proof and burly with wood notes — it might be. Sure enough, cut it with a good splash of water and the sweetness comes out. It may be in my head, but I am sure I get the maple sap notes here — like pancake syrup, with touches of cinnamon and apple pie spice.

Wood is inescapable here, though, and despite the effects of the maple, one wonders if this whiskey didn’t spend just a little too long in the barrel. Savory and unique, to be sure, but what would have happened if Woodford had skipped the oak altogether and gone straight into maple from the start? Discuss amongst yourselves.

A- / $90 / woodfordreserve.com

woodford reserve maple wood finish masters collection Review: Woodford Reserve Masters Collection Maple Wood Finish

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Posted in Bourbon, Rated A-, Reviews, Whiskey

Review: Tranquila Relaxation Shots

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

Tranquila isn’t the first “relaxation” shot on the market, but it is, to my knowledge, the first one without the word “chill” in the name.

The format is familiar: Little plastic vial holding 2 fluid ounces of super-sweet liquid.

Tranquila is available in two varieties, with quite different formulations (but both with zero calories, sweetened with sucralose). We tasted both.

Tranquila Original includes Vitamins B3, B6, B12, Folate, GABA, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, L-Theanine, Rhodiola Rosea Flower Extract, Rhaponticum Carthamoides Extract, and — get ready for this one — Eleutherococcus Senticoccus Root Extract. I have no idea what most of that stuff is, but the idea is to improve overall mood, boost immune system response, and combat stress. The flavor is very tart lemon-lime, quite sweet, and not all that bad. A bit like a flat Mountain Dew with five sugar cubes mixed in. Hard to tell if I felt “calmer” or more immune to anything after consuming the concoction, but it certainly didn’t hurt. C

Tranquila PM has a much different makeup: Vitamin B6, Zinc, Magnesium, Phenibut, L-Theanine, and — the kicker — Melatonin. As you might have guessed by the name and the lattermost ingredient, the idea is not just to improve overall mood, boost immune system response, and combat stress, but to put you to sleep too. The taste is better, less sweet than the Original but still quite tart and lemon-lime in essence. Unlike the Original, Tranquila PM’s effects were powerful and rather immediate. I was crashing  to sleep in about 15 minutes. In fact, I had a hell of a time getting up the next morning: It’s unclear how much melatonin is in each vial, but I was dragging for a couple of hours after waking. Maybe that’s a good thing. Your mileage (and opinion about that) may vary. B

$3 per vial / tranquila.com

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Posted in Mixers, Rated B, Rated C, Reviews

Review: Emperor’s Brand Giorgio G XO Limited Edition Cognac

Posted on October 25, 2010 by Christopher Null| 1 Comment

Hardly a household name in America, Emperor’s is slowly stretching its legs into our shores. We had a chance to try the company’s Giorgio G XO cognac, a 35-year-old blend of over 70 eaux de vie from Grande Champagne.

The results are a success. A tabby orange spirit, Giorgio G XO is lush with orange citrus character, perfectly balanced between silky sweet and very lightly bitter. Cocoa notes come in on the finish, making this a perfect after-dinner libation. Think of orange-flavored chocolate candy and you’ve nailed this cognac. But best of all is the XO’s smoothness. There is no heat, no bite at all, as the time in cask has mellowed out the spirit and brought everything into balance.

Amazingly, this is the company’s entry-level cognac: Its additional two expressions are both 50 years old and, I imagine, quite the experience. Bring your billfold. (It isn’t sold at retail, only through auctions, clubs, and private transactions.)

80 proof.

A / $NA / emperorsbrand.biz

Emperors Brand Giorgio G XO Limited Edition Cognac Review: Emperors Brand Giorgio G XO Limited Edition Cognac

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Posted in Brandy, Cognac, Rated A, Reviews

Review: 2007 Anka Pargua II Maipo Valley

Posted on October 24, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

From Chile’s Maipo Valley, Vina Pargua ‘s “Anka Pargua II” is built from an odd blend of 30% Cabernet Franc, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 11% Syrah, 6% Petit Verdot, and 2% Carmenere — all organic. The results are intriguing. Extremely dry at first blush, it opens up after a few minutes in the glass, so don’t count it out without a fight. Revealed are lush red berry fruit notes, some pepper (black and red), and a hint of floral character. While the finish remains bone dry, the wine is ultimately easy-drinking and very food-friendly. Good value, too.

A- / $20 / globalvineyard.com

anka pargua ii Review: 2007 Anka Pargua II Maipo Valley

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Posted in Rated A-, Reviews, Wine

Book Review: Whiskypedia

Posted on October 23, 2010 by Christopher Null| 3 Comments

whiskypedia Book Review: WhiskypediaThe beauty of books about whiskey (vs. books about wine) is that they needn’t be replaced quite so often with new ones. Compared to the wine world, the whiskey world is relatively plodding in speed, and the Black Label you drink today is going to taste and be made an awful lot like the Black Label of 10 years ago.

With Whiskypedia: A Compendium of Scottish Whisky, Charles MacLean takes a different approach than Michael Jackson and Jim Murray, with an emphasis not on rating every whisky under the sun but rather on exploring how they are made.

As the title implies, the book is set up like an encyclopedia, with Scottish distilleries (single malt only) arranged in alphabetical order. Other whiskey regions are not included. Flip to your favorite purveyor and you’re likely to find a brief history of the facilities, its ownership (MacLean spends a lot of time on how distilleries have changed hands over the centuries), and a section of “curiosities”: Trivia about that distillery’s whisky. The entries end with a discussion of the various available expressions, and an in-depth look at the materials the distillery uses: Where its water and malt come from, the size of the plant and the equipment therein, even where barrels are sourced. Not every entry has every scrap of data, but Whiskypedia is amazingly comprehensive on the whole.

What’s lacking is much of a sense of how these whiskys actually taste. MacLean goes into the house style of each of the 134 distilleries he covers here, but that only gets you so far. Even consistent houses will vary dramatically from expression to expression, and MacLean’s coverage of these is relegated to a simple list of what’s on the market — and I’ve found some holes there, too.

If you’re curious what, say. Glen Ord’s eight washbacks are made out of (Oregon pine, by the way), Whiskypedia sure beats the hell out of searching the web.

As a side note, I imagine MacLean is horrified that the publisher chose as the cover art a glass of whisky with ice in it — anathema for any single malt drinker.

B / $12 / [BUY IT HERE]

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Posted in Books, Rated B, Reviews, Whiskey