Category Archives: Rated C+

Review: Twist Essence Water

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Is bottled water less heinous if it’s flavored? Twist is lightly sweetened with agave nectar and stevia, and flavored with natural extracts, yet still claims just 0 calories. We tasted two varieties.

Twist Pomegranate Blueberry is vague in its berry allegiance, almost strawberry-like in the way it comes across. Blueberries are a bit in the distance. It’s sweeter than you’d think, but neither cloying nor gummy, the way agave-infused stuff can be. B

Twist West Indies Lime sounds awfully exotic, but the flavor is more reminiscent of Rose’s Lime Juice, a bit saccharine and lightly bitter and herbal on the finish. The lime aroma is nice, but the flavor here doesn’t come across as fully authentic, the way a margarita mix can often be. Harmless enough. C+

about $1.25 per 19 oz. bottle / drinktwist.com

 

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

Tasting the Wines of DiamAndes de Uco

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Argentina’s Bodega DiamAndes is a project born of the Pessac-Leognan based Chateau Malartic Lagraviere. The winery is now releasing three new affordable varietals, which we looked at alongside its even less expensive Perlita bottling.

2010 DiamAndes de Uco Viognier Mendoza – Smells legit with peach and apricot notes, but there’s an overwhelming, vegetal bitterness in the body. Better with food. C / $19

2010 DiamAndes de Uco Chardonnay Mendoza – More body, with a solid buttery character, and some exotic, tropical fruit character in the finish. Avoids woodiness and weediness, mercifully. B+ / $19

2010 DiamAndes de Uco Malbec Mendoza – Thin and a bit weedy, not at all hearty like great Malbecs should be. A little more balance — along with some interesting chocolate and cinnamon notes — comes along with time in the glass, but I am unconvinced it’s worth the wait. C+ / $19

2010 Perlita by DiamAndes Malbec-Syrah Mendoza - A considerable improvement over the Malbec, surprisingly, with bright, jammy flavors and plenty of strawberry fruit. Simple, but easygoing. A fun alternative to Zinfandel. B / $15

diamandes.com

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

Tasting Four Pinot Noirs from Benziger’s de Coelo and Signaterra Labels

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Today’s live tasting with Benziger’s Rodrigo Soto covered two of the winery’s alternate labels, showcasing Pinot Noir from two very different areas: The Russian River Valley and the Sonoma Coast. All wines are from the 2009 vintage. Thoughts follow.

2009 Signaterra Pinot Noir Russian River Valley San Remo Vineyard – Classic Russian River Pinot, with more of a jamminess than the coastal Pinots in this roundup offer. Definitely vibrant and easy-drinking, but not terribly complex. This is a Pinot that wears its fruit on its wine-stained sleeve. The long, juicy finish reveals little else in its playbook. B+ / $34

2009 Signaterra Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Bella Luna Vineyard – More tannin gives this Pinot more depth than the San Remo, but also more of a vegetal note, particularly on the front of the wine. Some tough bramble notes play well with the big cranberry-like character, but it’s more challenging, more interesting, somewhat less “fun” than its neighbor. B+ / $34

2009 de Coelho Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast Terra Neuma Vineyard – While the nose is solid with cherry notes, the body is surprisingly — almost shockingly — thin. Sure, restraint is great, but this is way too pulled back. The finish turns green, unripe and unready. C+ / $69

2009 de Coelho Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast Quintas Vineyard – Still a bit restrained, but it offers more pepper on the nose than the Terra Neuma, and represents a solid improvement. Fruit and body could be deeper, but the herbal notes on the finish give this one depth. In the end, it was my favorite of the bunch. A- / $69

benziger.com

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

Review: Van Gogh Vodka Cool Peach and Rich Dark Chocolate

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Two new flavored vodkas from Van Gogh, both fully in the realm of sanity when it comes to exotic inspirations. Both are naturally infused and are bottled at 70 proof.

Van Gogh Cool Peach Vodka speaks for itself, evidently desiring to challenge Southern Comfort’s place in the peach-flavored pantheon. The nose is authentic and bright, promising great things within, but the body is sharp and biting. The peach character struggles to get through the raw alcohol notes, and the finish is hard and flat. Van Gogh has much more interesting flavors up its sleeve than this one. C+

Van Gogh Rich Dark Chocolate Vodka is intensely dark in color (thanks in part to caramel coloring added) and again the nose is promising and curious. Chocolate, yes, but lots of coffee character, too. This continues on to the palate. If I didn’t know any better I’d have thought this was a coffee liqueur, not a chocolate one, the flavors are that strong. Yes, chocolate appears here too, and it is clearly bittersweet in comparison to, say, a milk chocolate spirit, with a little wood char coming through in the end. More intense than most chocolate vodkas, for sure. B+

each $30 / vangoghvodka.com

van gogh Rich Dark Chocolate and Cool Peach Review: Van Gogh Vodka Cool Peach and Rich Dark Chocolate

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

Review: Two New Albarinos

Posted on December 24, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Here’s a quick look at a couple of new, relatively inexpensive Albarinos from the Rias Baixas region of Spain.

2010 Serra da Estrela Albarino Rias Baixas – Crisp and tropical, but with a distinct undertone of vegetation. The light body, moderate acid, and lemongrass notes on the finish make it worthwhile. B / $18

2009 Mar de Frades Albarino Rias Baixes – Less enthralling. Again, tropical (think mangoes), but sweeter and more forward. The finish is again sugary, and it clashes a bit with food. C+ / $22

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

Review: 2011 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau

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

I don’t know where the rule is written that Beaujolais Nouveau labels have to be more garish each year, but Duboeuf is doing its best to follow that rule to the letter. 2011′s labels aren’t quite horrific, but they’re getting there. The good news, of course, is that they’ll be gone by the time New Year’s rolls around.

We tasted both of the 2011 releases, which are officially hitting the market tonight.

2011 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau – Exceptionally pruny, with a thin body. The finish is underwhelming, funky. Very similar to the candy-coated 2010. C+ / $10

2011 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau – A modest improvement, with a (very welcome) bigger body and more of a sense of balance. Still, it’s overwhelming in the jammy fruit department. This year it’s more cherry than strawberry, but it still has a ways to go toward hitting true drinkability. That said, it’s fun to try once a year, though. B- / $12

duboeuf.com

Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2011 Bottle Shot Review: 2011 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau

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

Review: Lights Out Relaxation Products

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Christopher Null| 3 Comments

Relaxation mania continues with Lights Out, a whole series of products designed to help you sleep more evenly, fight stress, anxiety, jet lag, and all that other bad stuff.

Lights Out contains chamomile, skullcap, rose hips, valerian root, L-theanine, and GABA, but it’s probably the 5mg of melatonin that really does the trick.

The 2-oz. shot comes in two sucralose-sweetened flavors — tropical and, oddly, cloud berry — and both tastes are fair enough. The cloud berry version is largely innocuous and vaguely citrus and apple in character. The tropical is stronger, primarily redolent of coconut.

Strangely, the product is unique in that it also comes in a solid form: a chocolate brownie and a chocolate chip cookie. Both were exceedingly dry and crumbly, and hardly the delicious dessert confection you might be expecting.

As for the effects, with both the shot and the dessert products, I found myself falling asleep relatively quickly, with vivid and rather intrusive dreams to follow. Both times I woke up around six in the morning and had difficulty getting back to sleep — though the six-hour release time of Lights Out may have something to do with that. Still not sure how effective these are, though I felt fine and productive the following day. That said, I’m not exactly clamoring for another brownie.

C+ / about $4 per product / lightsoutshot.com

lights out Review: Lights Out Relaxation Products

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Posted in Bar Food, Mixers, Rated C+, Reviews

Tasting Report: White Wines of Australia’s Old Bridge Cellars

Posted on October 22, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Previously we found Australia’s Old Bridge Cellars red wines to be hit and miss, so we turned our attention to its whites, a wide variety of varietals representing white wine’s greatest hits. Still hit and miss, but on the whole a solid improvement over the reds. Thoughts on each — reasonably affordable, every one of them — follow.

2011 d’Arenberg Riesling The Dry Dam McLaren Vale – A tart and easy Riesling, with distinct grapefruit notes. Good balance, some minerals, and a lightly (and lightly pleasant) sour finish. B+ / $15

2010 Plantagenet Hazard Hill Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Western Australia – Also quite tart, with good tropical (pineapple) notes and a very long, lasting, lemon-flecked finish. B+ / $13

2010 Brokenwood Cricket Pitch Sauvignon Blanc Semillon – As simple as this wine looks — both in the bottle and the glass — it unsurprisingly follows through on the palate: refreshing and clean. Lemony, lightly grassy, and with good acid, it isn’t a challenge but it’s quite delightful. A- / $19

2009 d’Arenberg Viognier Last Ditch – Very easy for a Viognier, including lighter nectarine and lightly sour gooseberry character. Unusual. A slightly meaty nose is the only failing here. B / $23

2010 Leeuwin Estate Riesling Art Series Margaret River – Lots of lemon, big mineral character, moderate body, and a good balance. Nice for a Riesling, but nothing fancy. A- / $25

2009 Plantagenet Chardonnay Mount Barker – The sole bomb in this group, a sour and unripe Chardonnay that tries to cover up its grape problems with oak. C+ / $16

oldbridgecellars.com

 

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

Review: Haras Wines

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Haras de Pirque, or just “Haras,” hails from Chile’s Maipo Valley, where it produces a series of very affordable wines, inspired by the winery’s love of horses.

Tasted twice. The first round of wines were clearly damaged by heat in shipping.

2010 Haras Sauvignon Blanc Maipo Valley – Tropical nose, with a touch of lemon character. Slight vegetal finish, but otherwise quite drinkable, particularly at this price. B / $10

2010 Haras Chardonnay Maipo Valley – Simple and inoffensive, with a mild body compared to most Chilean Chardonnays. A bit buttery, and a bit of lemon, but not a lot of nuance or, surprisingly, fruit character beyond that. B / $12

2009 Haras Carmenere Maipo Valley – A big licorice thing, funky on the nose with raisin and prune notes. Incredibly over-jammy, with some black pepper, but not really in balance. C- / $12

2008 Haras Cabernet Sauvignon Maipo Valley -  Similar character, but with a slightly better balance than the Carmenere. Just too much fruit.C / $12

2007 Haras Character Cabernet Sauvignon-Carmenere Maipo Valley (pictured) – A blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Carmenere, 10% Syrah, and 13% Cabernet Franc. Easily the best red in this crowd, but still intense with prune and cooked fruit character. Mildly better balance than either of the prior two wines, but still has room for improvement. C+ / $20

harasdepirque.com

haras character Review: Haras Wines

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

Review: 2010 Budget White Wines from McManis

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

McManis Family Vineyards is a budget outfit with vast vineyard holdings in inland California. A step above ultra-cheap wines, McManis aims to offer quality while keeping prices as low as possible. We sampled three whites from the 2010 vintage, with generally acceptable results.

2010 McManis Pinot Grigio California – Extremely tart but overall fairly pleasant. Intense lemon/lime notes. A bit sour on the finish, and better on its own than with food. B / $11

2010 McManis Chardonnay River Junction California – Simplistic, with overly buttery texture and that meat-like finish that mars so many inexpensive Chardonnays. A touch of peaches and lemons somewhere in the mix. Hints of cinnamon on the finish. Basically drinkable. C+ / $11

2010 McManis Viognier California – I love Viognier, but this might as well be Chardonnay, it’s so lacking the peach/apricot character that solid Viognier should have. That said, the more balanced body actually makes it an improvement on the Chardonnay. A good Viognier if you’re not usually a fan of this style. B- / $12

mcmanisfamilyvineyards.com

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

Review: Baileys Mudslide

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Few cocktails in the panopticon of chain restaurant beverages imbue the spirit — the very heart — of panty peeler so thoroughly as the Mudslide. A chocolate, creamy, boozy frozen concoction, this is dessert — and usually drunkenness — in a glass.

Now Baileys brings the Mudslide to ready-made status, or as near as is humanly possible. Just take this 1.75-liter jug of “vodka, chocolate, coffee, and cream liqueurs,” pour into a blender with an equal amount of ice, and pulverize until it’s smooth. You can make it as thick or as thin as you’d like. The more ice you add, the more you cut down the (admittedly weak) 25 proof alcohol level.

When complete (I didn’t even try to taste this unblended and sans ice), it’s a credible beach beverage, but hardly a knockout. The booziness comes off as much harsher than the alcohol level would indicate — more rum-like than vodka-like — and the sweetness is cloying. Chocolate and coffee are almost afterthoughts to the raw sugar notes, and the mass — which separates after about 10 minutes into a creamy tan-and-foam cocktail — is tasty enough in a sorority sister way, but it just doesn’t come together as a composed whole.

Frankly, I think you’d get better results from putting regular Baileys, a squirt of chocolate syrup, and some ice into a blender, and you wouldn’t spend much more, either.

C+ / $16 per 1.75-liter bottle / the-baileys-lounge.baileys.com

Baileys Mudslide Review: Baileys Mudslide

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Posted in Liqueurs, Mixers, Rated C+, Reviews

Review: Hpnotiq Harmonie Liqueur

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

You can put “A refreshing blend of premium French vodka, infused natural fruits, flowers, and a touch of Cognac” on the label, but Hpno is always gonna be Hpno.

An icon of the hip-hop crowd, the electric blue Hpnotiq is an icon of da club. It was only a matter of time before it spawned a sibling… or rather a “stylish BFF,” as the company terms it. Hpnotiq Harmonie, put simply, is a pinkish purple, and if you’re looking for the girliest drink on earth, you have arrived.

The flavor is equally pinkish purple. While Hpnotiq insists that lavender, violets, and berries set it apart from standard Hpno, it’s as overwhelmingly sweet as the original… just, different. Lavender is actually noticeable if you push past the sugar. There’s a sort of floral earthiness on the nose that is intriguing and promising. But a sip reveals Harmonie’s true intentions: To mask a moderate amount of alcohol in a candy-coated glaze. Harmonie is even sweeter than (my memory of, anyway) regular Hpnotiq, which is a shame, because there is some curious flower character under the surface here. It’s just too bad that with that mountain of sweetness what comes across is a thickened version of grape Kool-Aid.

34 proof.

C+ / $25 / hpnotiq.com

Hpnotiq Harmonie Review: Hpnotiq Harmonie Liqueur

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Posted in Liqueurs, Rated C+, Reviews

Review: Hardy Vanille Cognac & Vanilla

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Christopher Null| 1 Comment

Flavored cognac is not exactly a big market, but let’s run with it (particularly since a reader requested coverage of this very spirit): A. Hardy blends authentic, French, 8-year old Hardy VSOP Cognac with natural vanilla (plus caramel color) to come up with, well, a vanilla-flavored Cognac. Bottled at 80 proof, if nothing else it sure does look enticing in its frosted glass.

Initially mild, as the cognac character is at the forefront of the spirit. But give it just a couple of minutes and, wham, the vanilla takes hold. It’s hugely sweet and dessert-like, almost like a big vanilla milkshake. While reasonably authentic in flavor, it’s ultimately just too much. As any baker knows, a little vanilla goes a very long way in a dish, especially in liquid form. Here it completely overpowers the cognac character, especially on the finish, where the vanilla becomes cloying and uninviting. One is not encouraged to take sip after sip but rather to switch to a straight, unflavored brandy in short order. Likely better as a mixer or, come to think of it, as a substitute for vanilla in your favorite baking recipes.

C+ / $22 / ahardyusa.com

hardy vanille Review: Hardy Vanille Cognac & Vanilla

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Posted in Brandy, Cognac, Rated C+, Reviews

Tasting the Shiraz Wines of Australia’s Old Bridge Cellars

Posted on August 6, 2011 by Christopher Null| 1 Comment

Old Bridge Cellars, “The Face of Australian Wine,” is a consortium of sorts spanning more than 20 wineries sprawling across the entire continent of Australia. The focus, of course, is Shiraz, and recently the company sent a range of its offerings — in TastingRoom.com sample bottles — to experience how Shiraz varies from the eastern shores of Oz to the west. Some notes follow.

2007 Brokenwood Shiraz Hunter Valley / $36 / C+ / (Hunter Valley, on the east coast near Sydney) overwhelming, pruny, and a bit astringent; difficult despite a light (13.5%) alcohol level

2007 Innocent Bystander Shiraz Viognier / $20 / B+ / (Victoria region, near Melbourne) a blend of 94% shiraz and 6% viognier; easier and full of life, good acid level, with a touch of herbs on the finish

2007 Plantaganet Great Southern Shiraz / $29 / B / (Western Australia region, near the southern coast) from the far west of Australia, this is a brash and hefty, traditional shiraz; good fruit but a bit like being hit with a 2×4

2006 Kilikanoon Covenant Shiraz / $40 / B- / (Clare Valley, South Australia, inland from Adelaide) 15% alcohol, big and extracted, showing some premature age

2007 d’Arenberg The Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier / $29 / B+ / (McLaren Vale, in South-Central Australia) another “big” wine, with lots of fruit and some pepper notes

2007 John Duval Entity Shiraz / $40 / B / (South Australia, near Adelaide, perhaps Oz’s most reknowned wine region) again a very extracted wine but one with some guts; could use some bottle aging

oldbridgecellars.com

 

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

Review: Tres Agaves Tequila

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

The spawn of some old-school tequila execs (and a spinoff of the Tres Agaves restaurant, now just called Tres), Tres Agaves burst on the scene last year as another producer of high-quality, 100% agave tequilas. The company also makes a very good agave nectar and naturally-flavored margarita mix, with key lime and agave nectar as main ingredients.

We tasted both the blanco and reposado tequilas. Both are 80 proof.

Tres Agaves Blanco Tequila - A very archetypal blanco, with a big agave nose, punchy agave on the palate, then a finish that soothes that beast with a touch of sweet vanilla and lemon. Some lingering bitterness follows. I was a bit curious that this might have actually seen a week or two of barrel time before release as a way to rest the spirit, but that seems not to be the case? All in all, a solid margarita tequila. B / $28

Tres Agaves Reposado Tequila - Aged in ex-Bourbon barrels (a variety of companies’ barrels are used) for 6 to 9 months. This tequila is a total surprise. Very green in character, perhaps more so even than the blanco. Big agave notes remain surprisingly prominent, punctuated with black pepper, lemongrass, and wood. But the sweetness of the blanco is inexplicably gone here, leaving you with a punchy and quite bitter finish. C+ / $33

tresagaves.com

tres agaves tequila Review: Tres Agaves Tequila

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Posted in Rated B, Rated C+, Reviews, Tequila

Review: Jose Cuervo Low-Cal Margarita/No-Cal Margarita Mixes

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Christopher Null| 4 Comments

Pre-bottled margarita mix is certainly one of the biggest scams perpetrated on the American public since the Flowbee. Really, people, how hard is squeezing out some lime juice and adding a little sweetener, if you’re so inclined?

And yet the just-add-tequila margarita mix remains and, judging by the vast amount of shelf space these mixes command, it remains a top seller.

Now Cuervo is taking things to an extreme: Ripping the calories out of margarita mix with a no-calorie mix and, if you’re too lazy to dump in your own tequila, by offering a sub-100-calorie pre-mixed “Light Margarita” as well.

It’s not our usual bailiwick, but we took a stab at tasting them both.

Jose Cuervo “Zero Calorie” Margarita Mix isn’t terribly surprising: It’s simply a blend of artificial sweetener and some kind of lime essence (sans calories). The flavor is a bit like a diet Sprite that’s gone flat, which could be worse, and if you’re on an extreme diet, well, you probably shouldn’t be drinking margaritas but, if you can’t stop yourself, then I guess this will do in a pinch. Adding tequila (even 100% agave good stuff) actually doesn’t help things at all: It gives the mix a bitter edge and brings out its artificial character. Bottom line: If you want to save calories, skip the mix altogether and just add lime juice the way you’re supposed to. C- / $7 per 1.75-liter bottle

Jose Cuervo Authentic Light Margarita (pictured) – I’m not sure how Cuervo can put the words “authentic” and “light” right next to each other, considering this product certainly has no actual lime juice and is flavored with the same artificial sweetener as the “zero calorie” mix above. This one works better, probably because there is so little alcohol in it. (Cuervo claims it is composed of Cuervo Gold, triple sec, and “a twist of lime.”) And yet somehow this ends up at just 9.95% alcohol. It’s not awful, with real tequila bite, better and more authentic-tasting citrus character, and only a mildly cloying finish. If you need something for a tailgate party in a plastic bottle and there’s a diabetic in the crowd, well, I suppose it will do.* C+ / $15 per 1.75-liter bottle

cuervo.com

Cuervo Authentic Light Margarita Review: Jose Cuervo Low Cal Margarita/No Cal Margarita Mixes

 

* Drinkhacker does not offer medical advice and has no idea if this stuff is diabetic-friendly.

 

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Posted in Mixers, Rated C+, Rated C-, Reviews, Tequila

Book Review: Oz Clarke’s “Let Me Tell You About Wine”

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

oz clarke let me tell you about wine 264x300 Book Review: Oz Clarke’s “Let Me Tell You About Wine”The venerable – unavoidable, even – Oz Clarke continues to grind out book after book, and this almost-coffee-table-sized tome is designed to make wine accessible to even the most rank novice.

If you know nothing, you’ll probably get sucked in by the pictures of strawberries and chocolate, part of Clarke’s goal to get you thinking about the character of a wine instead of just whether it is “good” or “bad.” I especially enjoyed the book’s “wine wheels,” which put the spectrum of reds and whites each on their own circle, with a range of broad flavors around the circumference and intensity representing the distance from the center. While I doubt many readers will ever wonder where Bulgarian Chardonnay is plotted (light, between “oaky” and “oaky and fruity,” by the by), it’s a helpful way to start thinking about how various styles of wine are made.

But so much of this book is targeted at those oblivious about wine that it’s hard to really savor its lessons. There are sections about how to use a corkscrew, how to order a bottle of wine, and of course lengthy treatises on how wine is made. The book really starts to falter though in its discussion of winemaking regions: The United States is dispatched in 10 pages, one of which is devoted to the wines of Texas. Clarke then gives specific wine recommendations for each region: His list of 30 California wines to try include a hodgepodge ranging from supermarket swill (two Ravenswood bottlings) to cult wines most readers of this book will never encounter (Thackrey, Viader).

All along the way there is a surfeit of photographs of Oz mugging for the camera, glass in hand, and many, many, many stock art selections of grape vines and picnic tables overflowing with full wine glasses. Sure, if you are completely oblivious and need guidance on what wine to pair with “chilli con carne,” well, Clarke will get you there eventually (an Italian red, he would advise), though even that is a bit of a challenge due to the book’s odd organization. All the better for it to sit on the coffee table instead of in the library, I suppose.

C+ / $14 / [BUY IT HERE]

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Posted in Books, Rated C+, Reviews, Wine

Review: Mercer Wines

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

This Washington winery produces a full line of affordable whites and reds. We tasted three of its newest releases. (The photo below isn’t one of the actual wines reviewed but will give you a sense of the label at least.)

2009 Mercer Pinot Gris Yakima Valley – Light and pleasant, and quite fruity for Pinot Gris. Citrus, pineapple, and a touch of chalky mineral on the finish. Very drinkable. B+ / $14

2009 Mercer Sauvignon Blanc Columbia Valley – Intense Sauvignon Blanc, with big mango and pineapple notes. Not much acid, but tons of fruit, making it an easy-drinking wine that works best as an aperitif. B+ / $14

2008 Mercer Merlot Columbia Valley – A big, smoky, somewhat skunky red. Subtle plum fruit is there, but it’s muddy and buried under a lot of funk. That smokiness just taints the whole experience. C+ / $24

mercerwine.com

mercer wines Review: Mercer Wines

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

Review: Alex Elman Wines

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Sometimes the wines we get aren’t our favorites. But we review them anyway, especially when the story behind them is so lovely.

This line of inexpensive whites and reds from Argentina are created by a young, blind winemaker (Alex Elman, of course) and are produced sustainably (and affordably). The inaugural releases arrive this month on U.S. shelves.

2010 Alex Elman Torrontes Mendoza – Nice, lemony nose, but the body is green, weedy, and unripe. C

2010 Alex Elman Chardonnay Mendoza – Overly buttery, which saps the fruit (evident in the nose) from the palate. Some melon and more lemon charms here, but nothing that will bowl you over. C+

2009 Alex Elman Cabernet Sauvignon Mendoza – Thin and a little weedy, lots of meat and smoke character. Not great. D+

2009 Alex Elman Malbec Mendoza – My favorite of the bunch, which is fitting considering Malbec is essentially Argentina’s national grape. This one has real fruit character, plummy and slightly jammy. Easygoing finish and, at last, balanced. B+

$13 each / aewines.com

alex elman collection wine Review: Alex Elman Wines

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

Tasting Report: Discover 2009 Beaujolais – Blanc et Rouge

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Beaujolais is home to more than just Beaujolais Nouveau, it’s also home to more upscale reds and whites, primarily made with the Gamay and Chardonnay grapes. These light, very affordable wines are often served chilled or even with ice — even the reds.

We sat down with the folks at Discover Beaujolais to taste through four 2009 releases of these non-Nouveau wines. Just remember: Don’t call it Burgundy! (“Bojo” is located just to the south of that famed wine region.)

2009 Chateau du Chatelard Beaujolais Blanc – Inviting melon nose, but very green and a little bitter on the palate. Finish is a little meaty. C / $15

2009 Jean-Paul Brun, Terres Dorees, Beaujolais Chardonnay – A much greater success with crisp acidity and lots of fresh fig, pear, and apple fruit. Creamy body coats the mouth as you go, but the acidity loosens it up. A winner. A- / $15

2009 Christophe Pacalet Beaujolais-Villages – Licorice is big on the nose, and the body screams cinnamon, allspice, and exotic Eastern spices. Huge and daunting, and no match whatsoever for the thin body. C+ / $12

2009 Chateau du Chatelard Moulin-a-Vent – Old-vine Gamay, a little rounder than the Pacalet but still full of spice. The body is bigger at least and can hold up to some of the punch here, but it’s still a big of a palate buster. Pruny finish. B- / $19

discover beaujolais Tasting Report: Discover 2009 Beaujolais Blanc et Rouge

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