Review: 2019 Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder
Hard to believe it’s been 7 vintages since we’ve covered Mt. Brave’s flagship cabernet. This year’s blend is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, and 1% Malbec, not a big twist on prior years which ensure that Cab remains fully in the spotlight. The bold wine benefits from having such…
Review: Watershed Distillery Bottled in Bond Bourbon, Apple Brandy Finished Whiskey, and Old Fashioned
Earlier this year, we tried our first bourbon from Watershed Distillery. Today we step back to the prologue with a few tamer releases — their bonded 4 year old Straight Bourbon Whiskey and an interesting blend of their straight bourbon with bourbon that has been finished in apple brandy casks. Rounding out today’s trio is…
Review: 2021 Beringer Chardonnay Private Reserve
We got a little backwards in our review of Beringer’s chardonnay: Rob already covered the 2022 expression of this wine. Now we’re turning around and looking at the 2021, which you should still be able to find on the market alongside the 2022. For this round, a healthy slug of oak and vanilla up front is…
Review: Hidden Barn Bourbon Finished in French Oak
Master distillers have been the face of numerous American distilleries for quite some time. However, on the world stage, the master blenders and tasters are the stars. Jackie Zykan became a well-known name in the bourbon industry over the past decade. With projects such as The 117 Series and a revamped single barrel program, Zykan…
Review: Wines of Argentina, Summer 2024 Releases
The world of wine is currently seeing some interesting shifts in 2024. Some countries find themselves with a glut of bottles in surplus, while others are pulling their vines due to an overcrowded market and low demand. No country feels immune to change and Argentina is no exception. However, the shift down in South America…
Review: Maker’s Mark The Heart Release 2024 Limited Release
Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series finally gets its (first) 2024 release with The Heart Release, which eschews Maker’s Mark‘s arcane acronymical naming convention for something more poetic. Previous installments, denoted with names like BEP and FAE-02, have offered outstanding quality for the price. Unusually, Maker’s doesn’t provide much information at all about what makes The…
Review: Wines of CV Wines, 2024 Releases
Nested within California’s Paso Robles district along the Central Coast, Continental Vineyards (CV) is a sister label to Broken Earth Winery, releasing only wines sourced from its estate vineyards, produced in highly limited editions and only during exceptional vintage years. Today, we’re taking a closer look at the latest vintages in its portfolio, all released…
Review: Teeling Single Pot Still Virgin Swedish Oak Irish Whiskey
Teeling’s third installment in its Wonders of Wood series — following Chinkapin Oak and Portuguese Oak — is here, and the Irish distillery is turning to its most northern wood source yet: Sweden. WOW #3 is a single pot still whiskey (as usual) that is aged in virgin Swedish white oak. (All three whiskeys in…
