Monthly Archives: March 2011

Review: Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey Line

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

“Do the Dew” doesn’t have to mean kicking back a half gallon of fluorescent green goop. It also means enjoying a dram of Tullamore Dew — the nearly ubiquitous Irish whiskey brand.

Tullamore Dew actually comes in four expressions, and while most whiskey fans have only had the “original,” we finally got the chance to try all four varieties. Here’s how they stack up, just in time for celebrating the Irish in you on this St. Patrick’s Day.

All are 80 proof.

Tullamore Dew Original – Simple, but clunky and chunky, it’s a creamy whiskey with notes of malt, honey, heather… and lots of charcoal. Drinkable, but uninspired. B- / $23

Tullamore Dew 10 Year Old Reserve – More complexity in this spirit, aged in Spanish and American oak casks for 10 years. Still light of body, with a distinct maltiness — pie crust to the apple and banana notes present in the nose and on the tongue. The finish turns from pastry to sweetness, giving this more of a dessert quality to it — much more so than standard Tullamore. B+ / $34

Tullamore Dew 12 Year Old Special Reserve – More of that characteristic malt in this expression, and for good reason: It actually uses more malt in the recipe. Altogether Tullamore 12 Year is a richer and more Scotch-like whiskey, aged in Bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks and coming across with some sea spray and very lightly floral notes. None of that really measures up to the bread-like maltiness here, which lasts on the finish for a long while and leaves the palate with a bit of a thud. B / $43

Tullamore Dew 10 Year Old Single Malt - Here we have Tullamore at its most Scotch-like, a single malt matured in four different casks: Bourbon, Oloroso sherry, Port, and Madeira. If you didn’t know any better, this could be a Scotch, though not a particularly great one. Sherry predominates (where are the Port and Madeira?), along with that malt character again. While it fills the mouth, the whiskey is easygoing and (as with most Dew) quite pleasant, but the finish lacks finesse and there’s just not much nuance in the body. B / $40

tullamoredew-usa.com

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Posted in Irish Whiskey, Rated B, Rated B+, Rated B-, Reviews, Whiskey

Review: Murrieta’s Well The Whip 2009 and The Spur 2008

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

This Livermore Valley vineyard has been growing grapes since the 1800s, and while it has labored in obscurity in recent years, recent investments have revitalized the land and the estate wines made there. These two blends are now hitting the market. We tasted both.

2009 Murrieta’s Well The Whip – A nutty white blend: 43% Semillon, 21% Sauvignon Blanc, 21% Viognier, 7% Muscat Canelli, 5% Gewurztraminer, and 3% Orange Muscat. Lemon is immediate on the nose, and a buttery body made me think of Chardonnay, which is actually the only white wine grape not present in The Whip. But the creaminess is at odds with the pungency offered by the Viognier, Gewurz, and Muscats. Interesting and it grows on you, but it’s altogether not very balanced. B / $19

2008 Murrieta’s Well The Spur – A Bordeaux style blend — sort of. 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Petit Verdot, 10% Petite Sirah, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Malbec. Big and burly, and it needs time to open up. With air, The Spur exhibits very dark, black fruit character, wood and leather, and a green finish. Lots of chewiness here, with a tar-like tannins. Heavy. Could have used some Merlot in the mix. B- / $22

murrietaswell.com

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

Review: Bulleit Rye Whiskey

Posted on March 13, 2011 by Christopher Null| 5 Comments

Tom Bulleit‘s “frontier” Bourbon has near-cult status among his admirers, and at long last the man has decided to branch out into a second product.

That product is Bulleit Rye, “the worst kept secret” in the whiskey world and a smashing way for Bulleit to double its shelf space.

Now this isn’t as big a stretch as you might think: Bulleit Bourbon has 28% rye in it already, making it the most rye-rich Bourbon on the market. Bulleit knows rye, so upping the ante to 95% rye (and 5% malted barley) shouldn’t be much of a challenge. Made just across the Kentucky border in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, Bulleit Rye is aged for at least four years before being bottled at 90 proof.

Results: Solid, and surprisingly easy-drinking rye whiskey. Most rye is pungent and packed with spice character, giving it a huge bite and a lasting effect on your palate. Bulleit is far more mellow: Compared to similarly artisanal ryes like WhistlePig it is reserved and easy, with a distinct toffee sweetness up front backed by molasses, light wood, and some interesting evergreen notes and a touch of herbal character. It’s a startling departure from Bulleit’s Bourbon, which is, by design, rough around the edges and a bit of a punch in the gut. Bulleit Rye is easy and doesn’t burn in the slightest. Be warned.

Bulleit Rye shows Tom’s feminine side — or perhaps his daughter and partner in crime, Hollis — demure, silky smooth, a little sassy, and, most of all, complicated. An outstanding bargain.

A / $28 / bulleitbourbon.com

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Posted in Rated A, Reviews, Rye, Whiskey

Book Review: The Ultimate Wine Companion

Posted on March 12, 2011 by Christopher Null| 1 Comment

For a book purporting to be the “ultimate” wine companion, this tome is awfully slim. No judgments, really, but anything claiming “ultimate” status always makes me wonder about where a writer’s bar of excellence may lie.

Like the previously reviewed Whiskypedia, The Ultimate Wine Companion is not the work of one writer but rather a compendium of thoughts from a gaggle of experts. If you know anything about wine, the list of authors will dazzle you: Parker, Clarke, Teague, Asimov, Mondavi, Coppola, Rothschild, Lynch, Kramer… the list goes on and on. Even Jay McInerney, a novelist who’s reinventing himself in the wine world, is here. All that’s missing is Null, to be honest.

Edited by veteran wine pro Kevin Zraly, the book’s title is more telling on second glance: It is not The Ultimate Wine Encyclopdia, it is The Ultimate Wine Companion — a friendly little guide designed to pique your interest in wine and perhaps throw a fun fact or two your way. Curious how Gary Vaynerchuk got his start? An excerpt from his latest book is here. There is a bit about the famous Davis test, wherein various wine “experts” failed to identify whether wines served in black glasses were actually red or white. Should a wine be opened well before drinking it? What does one drink with duck?

It’s largely good fun, and there is plenty of wonky wine stuff here too: An in-depth discussion of the Piedmont area, Argentina, and so on. And there are essays that may offer little real value to the kind of person who might buy this book (or, more realistically, to whom this book may be given as a birthday gift). How to order wine (like, literally, how to ask a waiter to bring you wine) is as skippable as the guide to writing your own tasting notes.

The art choices in the book are a bit bizarre: Photos are almost exclusively devoted to wine labels, thrown in haphazardly whenever a specific wine is mentioned. The occasional map, of course, also appears, but the random label spam seems strange.

As is often the case with anthologies, there is good and bad here and a lot in between. The writing is often lively but is sometimes too austere for the leisurely pace that Zraly tries to set. Not a bad try, but after putting it down, I find I’m more in the mood for a cocktail than a Chardonnay.

B- / $14 / [BUY IT HERE]

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Posted in Books, Rated B-, Reviews, Wine

Review: 2008 Foppiano Estate Petite Sirah Russian River Valley

Posted on March 11, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

A notoriously tricky grape that makes often unpalatable wines, Foppiano proves it has the chops for handling Petite Sirah with aplomb. Aplomb to spare, even.

The nose says plum and violets, but the body takes us to the woodshop: Fresh cut lumber, sawdust, and steel, plus underbrush, chocolate, more plums, and a tightly wound core of fruit. The tannin is surprisingly manageable here, and this Petite becomes fairly easy drinking within minutes of opening and aerating.

Petite Sirah can so often be rough and obscenely tannic. Thank God someone knows what they’re doing.

A- / $20 / foppiano.com

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Posted in Rated A-, Reviews, Wine

Review: HelloCello Limoncello and BelloCello

Posted on March 10, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Limoncello is a staple — literally, like bread — in Italy, and every tourist who visits seems to come back with an artisanal bottle or two.

HelloCello is a new company based not in Firenze but here in the U.S., in Sonoma’s wine country, actually, where they make, technically, flavored brandies.

We tried both the lemon and orange versions of the company’s intriguing liqueurs.

HelloCello Limoncello di Sonoma is, of course, a lemon liqueur. Just pouring it into a glass you see the difference: It’s got a creamy opacity to it, almost milk-like, with little bits of pulp visible, a stark contrast to the Gatorade-like transparency of most limoncello. The taste offers traditional limoncello character, with a fairly smooth profile. Pure lemon on the nose, it reveals a very tart character on the tongue — more Meyer lemon, lime even, along with standard lemons — with a long and lasting finish. This is pleasant but turns slightly bitter over time, an effect which makes you, of course, reach for another glass. 62 proof. A- / $24

HelloCello BelloCello di Sonoma is orange-based, but it also features Damiana, reputed to be an aphrodisiac and popular south of the border. (The company says it is the first U.S. spirit to include Damiana in it.) The color is not as inviting as the limoncello, a bit like a funky guava juice. The taste isn’t as appetizing, either — a little grapefruity, sour, and not terribly orange. I like to use the Mexican Damiana Liqueur in cocktails, but I know that a little goes a long way. I would probably use BelloCello in a similar fashion — not for drinking straight like limoncello, but for mixing (in minute quantities) in an exotic cocktail. 62 proof. B- / $27

hellosonoma.com

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

Tasting Report: Wines of the Santa Rita Hills 2011

Posted on March 9, 2011 by Christopher Null| 1 Comment

Made famous by its appearance in the film Sideways, the Santa Rita Hills area near Santa Barbara is still riding high, thanks to a continued focus on quality winemaking, particularly in the realm of its storied Pinot Noirs.

Recently a dozen or so wineries from the Sta. Rita AVA trekked up to San Francisco to show off their wares, giving the Pinot-happy crowd a chance to try wines from a few old favorites and a number of newer wineries. Overall I was quite impressed with the quality on display, particularly with Pinots from D’Alfonso-Curran, Foley, and Zotovich, all showing off that textbook So-Cal character, rich with satiny fruit while exuding real terroir.

Grades and some notes follow.

Tasting Report: Wines of the Santa Rita Hills

2009 Cargasacchi Pinot Grigio / B+

2007 Cargasacchi Pinot Noir Cargasacchi Vineyard / B- / tobacco notes

2006 D’Alfonso-Curran Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict Vineyard / A-

2006 D’Alfonso-Curran Pinot Noir Rancho Las Hermanas Vineyard / A / intense, very big pinot

2006 D’Alfonso-Curran Pinot Noir Rancho La Vina Vineyard / A-

2006 D’Alfonso-Curran Badge Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills / B-

2009 Dragonette Cellars Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills / B+

2009 Dragonette Cellars Pinot Noir Hilliard Bruce Vineyard / A-

2007 Fiddlehead Cellars Pinot Noir “Lollapalooza” Fiddlestix Vineyard / A-

2007 Fiddlehead Cellars Pinot Noir “Seven Twenty Eight” Fiddlestix Vineyard / B

2005 Fiddlehead Cellars Pinot Noir “Lollapalooza” Fiddlestix Vineyard / A-

2008 Lincourt Pinot Noir Rancho Santa Rosa Vineyard / A-

2008 Foley Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills / A / rich and smooth, vibrant

2009 Gainey Vineyard Chardonnay Gainey Vineyard / B+

2008 Gainey Vineyard Pinot Noir Gainey Vineyard / B

2009 Gypsy Canyon Winery Pinot Noir Gypsy Canyon Vineyard / A-

NV Gypsy Canyon Winery Ancient Vine Angelica Gypsy Canyon Vineyard / B

2006 Hitching Post Wines Pinot Noir Cargasacchi Vineyard / A-

2006 Hitching Post Wines Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard / B

2006 Hitching Post Wines Pinot Noir “Perfect Set” Fiddlestix Vineyard / B

2006 Hitching Post Wines Pinot Noir Santa Rita’s Earth Santa Rita Hills / B+

2007 Ken Brown Wines Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills / A-

2007 Ken Brown Wines Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard / B+ / was with it til the odd finish

2009 Ken Brown Wines Pinot Noir Santa Barbara / A-

2008 Kenneth-Crawford Wines Pinot Noir Babcock Vineyard / B+

2006 Kenneth-Crawford Wines Syrah Lafond Vineyard / B- / rough finish

2006 Kenneth-Crawford Wines Syrah Turner Vineyard / B

2008 Kenneth-Crawford Wines Pinot Noir Turner Vineyard / A-

2008 Pali Wine Company Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard / B+ / jammy

2009 Pali Wine Company Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard / B+

2009 Pali Wine Company Pinot Noir Cargasacchi Vineyard / A- / more pepper

2009 Pali Wine Company Pinot Noir Huntington / B+

2007 Sweeney Canyon Pinot Noir Sweeney Canyon Vineyard / A-

2008 Sweeney Canyon Pinot Noir Sweeney Canyon Vineyard / A-

2007 Zotovich Cellars Extate Pinot Noir Zotovich Family Vineyards / A

2008 Zotovich Cellars Extate Syrah Zotovich Family Vineyards / A-

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Posted in Reviews, Wine

Review: Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Christopher Null| 2 Comments

I’ve never met a tea-flavored vodka I didn’t like, because I don’t think it’s possible to make a bad tea-flavored vodka.

At popular request I sought out a bottle of Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka, which is distinguished by its all natural ingredients, 10-times distillation, and sweetening that uses clover honey instead of high fructose corn syrup.

Does all of that matter? Deep Eddy, straight outta Austin, Texas, is indeed a fine product, but I’m not sure it’s ultimately better than Firefly, Jeremiah Weed, or Plantation River in the taste department.

The big departure here is that — while the nose features, like all of its compatriots, lovely and authentic sweet tea character that exudes real, brewed tea — there’s a distinct cocoa character on the palate that complements the sweetness in the spirit. Is it the honey that’s responsible for it? You really can tell the difference vs. corn syrup — or even sugar — as the honey leaves a slightly earthy, veggie aftertaste in the mouth. The finish, perhaps a touch more bite to it than the competition. Otherwise, you’d have trouble telling this apart from many other sweet tea vodkas, not that that’s a bad thing.

Good stuff. More complex than the rest of the crowd… and very good, though not clearly “better” than the rest of this increasingly crowded category.

70 proof.

A- / $19 / deepeddyvodka.com

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Posted in Rated A-, Reviews, Vodka

Tasting Report: Tre Bicchieri Italian Wines – Chicago 2011

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

This year I bypassed the San Francisco Tre Bicchieri event — a celebration of the best in Italian wines, many of which aren’t available for sale in the U.S., hosted by Gambero Rosso — and took a quick trip to Chicago to experience Italian vino amidst the bitter cold and hospitable people of the midwestern U.S.

Fun trip, and good wine. Lots to like in this year’s crop of semi-random wines, from nonvintage sparklers to ten-year-old Amarones, and, as with many big wine roundups, lots to be a little bored by (though mercifully I seem to have selected better tables this year). A brief grade report (sans my difficult-to-read notes) follows.

For this event, please see our disclosure.

Complete Tasting Report: Tre Bicchieri – Chicago 2011

2006 Donnafugata Mille una Notte / A

2001 Masi Mazzano Amarone / B

2001 Masi Compolongo di Torbe / B+

2009 Masi Tupungato (Argentina) / B

2003 Masi Serego Alighieri Vaio Amarone / B+

2008 Ornellaia Le Serre Nuove / A-

NV Villa Sandi Prosecco Claxa / A-

NV Villa Sandi Prosecco DOCG Valdobbiadene Extra Dry / A-

NV Villa Sandi Prosecco DOCG Superiore Cartizze Dry / A-

2007 Arnaldo Caprai Montefalco Rosso / B+

2004 Arnaldo Caprai Sagrantno di Montefalco Collepiano / B-

2005 Arnaldo Caprai Sagrantino di Montefalco 25 Anni / B-

2004 Banfi Brunello di Montalcino Poggio all’Oro Riserva / B

2005 Banfi Brunello di Montalcino Poggio alle Mura / A-

2003 Ca’ Del Bosco Franciacorta Cuvee Annamaria Clementi / A-

NV Ca’ Del Bosco Franciacorta Brut Cuvee Prestige / B+

2007 Castello di Bolgheri Blogheri Sup. / B+

2007 Gioacchino Garofoli Conero Grosso Agontano Ris. / A-

2005 Tenimenti Ruffino Brunello di Montalcino Greppone Mazzi / B

2007 Frecciarossa OP Pinot Nero Giorgio Odero / B

2007 Agricola Punica Barrua / A-

2007 Tenuta San Guido Bolgeri Sassicaia / A

2008 Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto / A

2006 Pio Cesare Barolo Ornato / B+

2007 Feudi di San Gregorio Aglianico del Vulture / B-

2009 Planeta Cometa / A-

2007 Marchesi Antinori Solaia / A-

2007 Marchesi Antinori Castel del Monte Aglianico Bocca di Lupo / A

2006 Giampaolo Tabarrini Montefalco Sagrantino Colle Grimaldesco / B

2006 Giampaolo Tabarrini Montefalco Sagrantino Campo alla Cerqua / A-

2006 Giampaolo Tabarrini Montefalco Sagrantino Colle alle Macchieose / B+

2007 Villa Mongalli Montefalco Sagrantino Col Cimino / B+

2008 Cusumano Sagana / A-

2008 Cusumano Noa / A-

2007 Tenuta Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve / A-

2007 Tenuta Fontodi Chianti Cl. V. del Sorbo Ris. / B+

2008 Librandi Gravello / B+

2006 Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici / B+

2004 Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici Riserva / B+

2005 Zenato Amarone della Valpolicella Cl. Sergio Zenato / A

2007 Nino Negri Valtellina Sfursat 5 Stelle / B+

2006 Michele Chiarlo Barolo Cannubi / B

2006 Ettore Germano Barolo Cerretta / A-

2007 Coppo Costebianche / A

2007 Coppo Camp du Rouss / A

2005 Coppo Pomorosso Barbera / A-

2007 Coppo Alter Ego / B+

2005 Coppo Barolo / A-

2010 Coppo Moncalvina / A-

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Posted in Reviews, Wine

Review: Macchu Pisco “La Diablata” Pisco

Posted on March 6, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

A new entry from Macchu Pisco (one of the bigger distributors of this Peruvian brandy worldwide, but whose standard product we’ve never reviewed), La Diablata is an “acholado” style pisco — a blend of three grapes: Quebranta, Moscatel, and Italia — which puts it in the same wheelhouse as Incanto.

La Diablata, as the name implies, is pungent and exotic. A funky nose, with evergreen overtones. The body offers more of that pine needle character, plus leather, and cedar (or at least cedar box) notes. Some stone fruit on the mid-palate… apricots, maybe. But that is fleeting before a traditional, funky pisco finish takes hold, leaving you with thoughts of roots, vines, and the earth.

80 proof.

B / $38 / macchupisco.com