Review: 2021 One Stone Rose of Pinot Noir Central Coast
This wine’s pinot noir hails from Paso Robles and adjacent areas, and in rose form it’s lots of fun, filled with strawberry, cream, and orange flower water. The exuberantly fruity wine is on the sweet side, but it works well with its notes of coconut, lemon peel, and all those red berry elements. Gentle florals…
Review: Rum Cartavio XO
Ron Cartavio is a Peruvian rum brand that dates back to the late 1920s. Their portfolio is impressively large with no less than seven age-stated offerings, along with several bottlings more geared toward mixing. Our first look at the lineup starts at the very tip top with their oldest XO offering, a blend of 10-…
Review: 2020 Ancient Peaks Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles
This Paso Robles-grown cabernet sauvignon (made with an unusual blend of 78% cab, 7% petit verdot, 6% malbec, 6% petit sirah, and 3% syrah) comes across like many Ancient Peaks reds — heavy with beef and ruddy earth notes, its fruit locked up in slightly astringent, balsamic notes. Notes of spiced plum and licorice give…
Review: Cascade Moon Rye 13 Years Old and Barrel Proof Spirit 15 Years Old
Cascade Moon — the upscale sub-brand of George Dickel — recently dropped two new releases. Also dropped has been the numbering system which came with its first two whiskies, dubbed No. 1 and No. 2. Going forward, Cascade Moon bottlings will be distinguished by unique labels and descriptive naming systems explaining exactly what’s in the…
Review: 2020 Hilmy Cellars Petit Verdot
Hilmy Cellars can be found in Fredericksburg in the Texas High Plains, where just 115 cases of this petit verdot are made. Petit verdot can often be slightly off-putting, and while this wine is initially daunting and aggressive, it soon settles into a groove that lets its floral character shine. Tannins roll the wine from…
Review: Ardnamurchan Small Batch
Adelphi is a well-known independent bottler of other people’s whiskies. After 100 years as a bottler, the company finally decided to get in on the game in earnest by building its own distillery and making its own whisky in the western Highlands of Scotland, operating under the name of Ardnamurchan. The first release, Ardnamurchan Small…
Review: Golden Road Brewing Ride On 10 Hop Hazy and West Coast IPAs
Two new IPAs from Los Angeles-based Golden Road Brewing, both canned under the brand new “Ride On” sub-label, which appears to be devoted to the peculiar culture of surfing and the VW minibus. Let’s drink. Golden Road Brewing Ride On 10 Hop Hazy IPA – Made with 10 types of hops, for Golden Road’s 10…
Review: The ImpEx Collection Secret Japan Single Grain Whisky 17 Years Old
The ImpEx Collection independent bottlings of whiskey and rum launched with much fanfare (at least for us) last year, and now the collection is expanding to offer its first Japanese whisky. This 17 year old grain whisky comes from an undisclosed distillery — hence the name — and is made from koji rice and barley.…
