Monthly Archives: April 2011

Tasting Report: Red Wines of Chile

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Recently I had the opportunity to attend a live, online tasting event featuring the red wines of Chile. While Chile is primarily known as Cabernet country, I was surprised to find that it is home to several other widely-planted grapes. Its Pinot Noirs shocked me with their sophistication and quality. Its Syrahs, however, were another story…

Eight wines were tasted. Here’s how they shook out.

2009 Valdivieso Reserva Pinot Noir – A solid Pinot. Bright cherry fruit, tart with good acid. Light body, solid flavor, exactly what a good, new world-style Pinot should be. A- / $17

2009 Vina Casablanca Nimbus Estate Pinot Noir - Bolder, with a fuller body but just as much fruit as the Valdivieso. Some lightly smoky and tobacco notes. Also enjoyable, though the finish is a little too herbal to stand up to the fruit in the wine. B+ / $20

2009 Veramonte Ritual Pinot Noir Casablanca Valley - Similar tone to the Nimbus, perhaps a little smoother and more refined. Balanced, with interesting eucalyptus and evergreen notes in the finish. A- / $20

2008 Cono Sur Ocio Pinot Noir Casablanca Valley – Intense and jammy, rich, Zinfandel-like body combined with tart, black cherry character. Disarming, and imminently drinkable, but the massively tart and slightly bitter finish gives it a rough conclusion. B+ / $65

2009 Tamaya Syrah Limari Valley Reserva – The first miss of the evening, a Syrah with off menthol notes, skunky earth, and burned wood. Off finish. D+ / $18

2006 Loma Larga Syrah Bk-Bl Casablanca Valley – Bitter green pepper notes, overwhelming bitterness in the finish. Earthy to a fault. Unpleasant. D / $29

2009 Underraga T.H. Syrah Leyda Valley - Better, showing a little of what Chilean Syrah can be: Dark black fruit with intense herbal notes. Still, the balance is wrong and the finish is off, but the intensity marks a good effort. C+ / $25

2009 Hacienda Araucano Reserva Syrah Francois Lurton Lolol Valley – Dark chocolate character meats bitter, earth, and meat notes. Tolerable, but far too intense, with a bracing (not in a good way) finish. C- / $13

→ Leave a comment

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

Tasting Report: Roessler Wines

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Sonoma’s Roessler is a hidden gem in the region, but it’s no small fry: The winery bottles nearly 20 wines with fruit sourced from all over California — and Oregon. Specializing in Pinot Noir, the winery employs hands-off winemaking techniques and the results speak for themselves. We tasted seven recent vintages stretching from its southern California vineyards to its Oregon ones.

Tasting Report: Roessler Wines

2006 Roessler Alder Springs Chardonnay Mendocino $38 / B+ / minerals, buttery, fig notes

2008 Roessler Peregrine Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills $34 / A / easygoing but has a firm and solid body

2008 Roessler Gap’s Crown Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast $46 / B+ / tougher, some tannin here

2006 Roessler Brosseau Pinot Noir Chalone $42 / A- / solid

2007 Roessler Ridges “Estate” Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast $60 / B / very tough, big tannins

2008 Roessler La Brisa Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast $32 / B+ / jammier and thick, rich

2008 Roessler Laurelwood Willamette Valley Pinot Noir $34 / A- / huge fruit, quite ripe

→ Leave a comment

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

Review: Jose Cuervo Tradicional Silver Tequila

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Christopher Null| 6 Comments

Some years ago, Jose Cuervo launched a tequila that was unique for its time: 100% agave, affordable, and available everywhere. For a nation that grew up on the cheap mixto that is Cuervo Gold, this was something else.

But Cuervo Tradicional was available only as a reposado. No blanco, no anejo. Just the middle, lightly aged version. Who knew why?

Now Cuervo is back to remedy at least part of the oversight with Cuervo Tradicional Silver.

The style should need no introduction: This is an unaged tequila, clear as a bell.

As a blanco, Cuervo Tradicional is very mild and easygoing. Agave is muted, as is pretty much everything else. This is a blanco tequila with little bite and no real character to it: A touch of honey, vanilla, and lemon, with a mild agave lacing throughout it all.

It’s a tequila that’s about as harmless as they come. In other words, about the opposite of Cuervo Gold.

B / $20 / cuervo.com

jose cuervo tradicional silver Review: Jose Cuervo Tradicional Silver Tequila

→ 6 Comments

Posted in Rated B, Reviews, Tequila

Review: No. 209 and No. 209 Kosher Gin

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Christopher Null| 1 Comment

Passover begins tonight, but those among you who keep kosher during the period may be surprised to find that you can still drink your gin and tonic during the week. No. 209 is one of the only kosher gins in the world (Gordon’s is also on the list) — and it’s the only spirit maker I’ve encountered that makes two versions of the same product, one kosher, and one not.

But that’s not all: Passover, I understand, has special restrictions regarding grains, so even if something is kosher for normal use, it may not be kosher for Passover. 209′s special version of its gin, however, is.

We got a chance to try them both and see how they compare, head to head.

No. 209 is based in San Francisco, having relocated here from Napa. Both gins are 92 proof.

No. 209 Gin – Distilled (five times) from corn spirit, leaving a very neutral spirit as a base, to which Quite forward on citrus, as juniper takes a back seat. 209 doesn’t reveal its botanical list, but it adheres to a mostly straightforward infusion, including bergamot, lemon peel, juniper, cassia, cardamom, and coriander, and others. The character features aggressive lemon and orange oil, with bittersweet citrus peel finishes. Nice, pleasant evergreen character — but not clearly juniper — on the finish, which is clean and refreshing. Definitely a choice gin for the gin drinker who wants an alternative to Tanqueray. A- / $30

No. 209 Kosher-for-Passover Gin (pictured) – It’s hard to tell the difference between No. 209 and its kosher version, aside from the embossed medal on the front. But inside the bottle, the products are quite different. 209 Kosher is distilled from sugar cane instead of grain, again going through the still five times. Bay leaf is added to the infusions, and cardamom is removed. Other changes are kept secret. There are much stronger juniper notes here, to be sure, along with a somewhat creamier, fuller body. It also brings with it a bigger bite and a lingering finish that veers into a somewhat bitter territory. Still very good, but the original version is better. B+ / $38

209 Kosher for Passover gin Review: No. 209 and No. 209 Kosher Gin

→ 1 Comment

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

Review: Forty Creek Barrel Select and Double Barrel Reserve Canadian Whisky

Posted on April 17, 2011 by Christopher Null| 1 Comment

Canadian whisky outfit Forty Creek has been winning awards hand over fist for its high-quality whiskys, available at reasonable prices. We took at look at the company’s two current releases (another is coming soon), to see what all the fuss was about.

Forty Creek Barrel Select Canadian Whisky – A real slow burner. There is honey on the nose, and more on the tongue. It slips down easy, with a touch of bite. Rye? Heavy barrel toast? Finished in sherry casks, these winey notes are muted in favor of that honeyed sweetness and more grain on the finish. It’s an interesting juxtaposition of flavor — the extremely feminine sweetness colliding with rugged, frontier character. Complicated but as unbalanced as the above description would suggest. B+ / $25

Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve Canadian Whisky – Double Barrel’s recipe works like this: Rye, corn, and barley whiskys are distilled and aged separately, then they are married together and aged again in first run ex-Bourbon barrels. The results are night and day vs. Barrel Select, a silky and velvety whisky with big vanilla notes. Barrel Select’s honey character is still in play but now it takes on a more evolved and refined character. A big winner. A / $50

fortycreekwhisky.com

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Rated A, Rated B+, Reviews, Whiskey

Review: Three New Argentina Malbecs

Posted on April 16, 2011 by Christopher Null| 1 Comment

Don’t cry for me, Argentina: These wines are all made using sustainable practices and will be on shelves just in time for both World Malbec Day (4/17) and Earth Day (4/20). Drink up!

2010 Bodini Malbec Mendoza – 2010? For real. This screwcap wine offers minimal character, a somewhat watery wine that smells of simple plum and tastes of little more. Not very interesting, but fairly harmless. C+ / $13

2008 Lunta Malbec Mendoza – My favorite of the bunch, a rich and vibrant Malbec with cherry, licorice, and cedar notes. Balanced and easy drinking, but complex and full of body. A- / $20

2008 Susana Balbo Signature Malbec Mendoza – Dusty and dense, this is a big wine that could stand a few years in the cellar. Hugely spicy and powerful, Susana Balbo has massive notes of plum, tobacco, and a jammy, slightly sweet finish. Give it time in the glass or decant and it will show its stuff. A- / $25

→ 1 Comment

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

Review: 2009 Villa Mt. Eden Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

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

This Pinot from Villa Mt. Eden is certainly drinkable, if workmanlike. Dusty and chalky, its earthier characteristics overpower the fruit in the wine, which is on the dark and raisiny side for a Pinot, which should be bright and tart. The finish is moderate, but drying, again overshadowing the fruit in the wine.

B- / $20 / villamteden.com

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Rated B-, Reviews, Wine

Review: Effen Cucumber Vodka

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Christopher Null| 1 Comment

Holland’s Effen expands its line of flavored vodkas — the black cherry version is insanely popular — with this unlikely extension: Cucumber Vodka.

Effen isn’t the first cucumber flavored vodka on the market — Square One makes a good one — but this isn’t half bad. Read the fine print and you’ll see that Effen Cucumber is actually “cucumber and vanilla flavored vodka,” a smart move considering how sharply flavored cucumber can be.

That vanilla gives Effen Cucumber a temperament that it may not otherwise achieve: The cucumber nose and flavor — authentic and crisp — is cut with dessert-like sweetness: The vanilla is distinct but really quite mild, and it’s surprisingly complementary with the cucumber notes.

The finish needs work. It is earthy and bark-like, more evocative of the produce section than I’d like. Certainly worth a try as a mixer — maybe in a Bloody Mary? — as there’s on the whole something worthwhile and charming here.

75 proof.

B+ / $25 / effenvodka.com

effen cucumber vodka Review: Effen Cucumber Vodka

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Flavored Vodka, Rated B+, Reviews, Vodka

Review: Lunazul Anejo Tequila

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Christopher Null| 12 Comments

Lunazul: “When the night calls.” Hmmm.

From rather cheesy beginnings come this workmanlike product, designed to bring 100% agave, anejo-class tequila (aged 18 months in oak) to the masses, with a $22 price tag.

That kind of pricing is completely unheard of in the work of 100% agave anejo tequilas, and Lunazul is proof that maybe it isn’t wholly doable. I’m not saying producer Heaven Hill — best known as a bourbon outfit — is cutting corners, but this tequila just doesn’t measure up to its pricier competition.

It’s all about the body. While I expect anejo to be a smooth, vanilla-infused, whiskey-like experience, Lunazul is muddy. The nose evokes a younger tequila, with green agave notes overwhelming the spirit. The body is similar, with a hard, vegetal edge and a pungent agave body. You’ll find tantalizingly sweet vanilla notes only hinted at, which is frustrating. The finish is overly herbal and hard. It doesn’t have that rotgut burn, mind you, but it has a rocky edge that makes it unthrilling.

I love the idea of an affordable 100% agave tequila — that’s what Cuervo Tradicional was made for — but Lunazul just doesn’t quite cut it.

80 proof.

C+ / $22 / lunazultequila.com

lunazul anejo tequila Review: Lunazul Anejo Tequila

→ 12 Comments

Posted in Rated C+, Reviews, Tequila

Review: No. 3 London Dry Gin

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

This new gin from London’s Berry Bros. & Rudd features a mostly traditional recipe with just six ingredients: Juniper, orange peel, grapefruit peel, angelica root, coriander, and cardamom. No. 3′s little twists are pretty minor, inconsequential, really: This is a juniper-heavy gin, hot with alcohol like “real” London Dry, and bracing with a clean, citrus-fueled finish.

As traditionally-flavored gin goes, this is a winner, very pleasant and refreshing. The juniper is strong and fragrant, but it is short of being overwhelming. The citrus sweetness cuts it in the end just enough that the whole thing just works. Bit expensive, though.

92 proof.

A- / $44 / no3gin.com

no 3 london dry gin Review: No. 3 London Dry Gin

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Gin, Rated A-, Reviews