Monday, March 28, 2016

Bruliam 'Bu' Zinfandel, Rockpile 2012


Bruliam Wines
Bruliam Winery
Great Wines for a Great Cause

Bruliam Wines is a boutique producer of single vineyard wines. Named for our three children, Bruno, Lily and Amelia, we established the winery in 2008 to create world-class wine and donate our profits to charity.

Since then we've garnered both commercial and critical success. Starting with only 25 cases of wine in 2008, we've now grow to 1000 cases. Our premium fruit is sourced from California's top vineyards and today includes our home ranch Torrey Hill, a pinotnoir vineyard in the Russian River valley. Along the way, we've fulfilled our charitable mission by donating to over 70 unique, charitable organizations selected by members of our "Bruliam Brigage" mailing list and our restaurant partners.

Since our inception, Kerith Overstreet has crafted each of our wines. She's a triple threat as mom to three young children, medical doctor, and accomplished female winemaker. Leaving her medical career behind to pursue her passion for winemaking. Kerith completed her enology courses at UC Davis.
Bruliam 'Bu'
Zinfandel, Rockpile 2012
 
A "zin for pinot lovers," the 2012 exhibits a balanced anddelicate nose while still remaining true to its Rockpile pedigree. Brambles and dried dark fruits are the most forward elements on the nose, with warm spices like clove and Asian 5-spice vibrating in perfect harmony. But it's the smooth, full mouth-feel that makes this a truly special zinfandel bottling. Kerith's deft touch and decision to barrel the 2012 in 100% French oak elevates our 2012 Rockpile to a whole new level of deliciousness. Drink now through 2024.

"It is a wonderfully balanced, medium-bodied wine. Full of ripe plum, black currant and spice, it has a long finish with a nice amount of acid and mineral finish. It's perfect for drinking now or keeping for 10 years, so I can enjoy it now with family and friends or keep it for a special occasion."

Costas
Gotham Wines

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Castello Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva 2012


Castello Monsanto Cellar
1962 the First Chianti Classico Cru

Castello Monsanto

Aldo Bianchi, a native of San Gimignano, left Tuscany before the Second World War to seek fortune in the North of Italy. In 1960, he came back to the area for a wedding and was enchanted by the view from the terrace of Castello di Monsanto: all the Vald'Elsa with the inimitable backdrop of the Towers of San Gimignano. It was love at first sight which made him buy the property within a few months. But if Aldo was bewitched by the landscape, Fabrizio, his son, immediately fell in love with the wines he found in the cellar. Thanks to a passion for wine handed down to him by his grandmother, who came from Piedmont, and to an innate entrepreneurial spirit, Fabrizio, together with the untiring help of his wife Giuliana, started to plant new vineyards and convert the numerous farmhouses....and an incredible story of love, passion and joy for wine and everything concerned with it, starts from here.

In 1962, for the first time within the area of the Chianti Classico Denomination, Fabrizio vinified the grapes from the Il Poggio vineyard: the First Chianti Classico Cruwas born.
2012 marks the 50th 
Harvest for Castello Monsanto
Castello Monsanto
Chianti Classico Riserva 2012



Monsanto's 2012 Chianti Classico Riserva 50 Vendemmie is one of the most pedigreed wines of the year. Deep and resonant in the glass, but not at all heavy, the 2012 possesses magnificent complexity to match what I can only describe as a regal expression of Sangiovese. There is a level of purity and nuance to the 2012 that is hard to describe with words but that is very much front and center. Moreover, I can't think of too many wines from any region anywhere in the world that offer this level of quality for the money. Readers will not want to miss this stellar Riserva from Monsanto.

Vinous 93 Points
Drink: 2017-2032

Monday, March 21, 2016

Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013


Mark Beringer_ Chief Winemaker

Mark Beringer, Chief Winemaker

Mark Beringer, great-great-grandson of Beringer Vineyards' founding brother Jacob Beringer, was immersed in wine from the moment he was born in the heart of the Napa Valley. As the direct descendant to Beringer's first winemaker and one of the most iconic family names in Napa Valley wine history, he knew from a young age that he would follow in the footsteps of his ancestors. As a young man he spent many hours working in his family's wine store in St. Helena, expanding his knowledge of wine as well as gaining an appreciation for wines outside of the famous region he has always called home.
Beringer Knights Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley is terrific, although not quite the screaming value it once was. Sweet red cherry, pomegranate, spices, mint and gravel meld into the voluptuous, racy finish. There are plenty of Knights Valley signatures in this succulent, deeply expressive Cabernet from Beringer.

90 Points
Vinous

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Podere Sapaio Volpolo Bolgheri Rosso 2013


Podere Sapaio
Volpolo Bolgheri Rosso 2013

The 2013 Bolgeri Rosso Volpolo is a fresh and tonic expression with a great sense of energy and buoyancy that sets it apart. This is youthful and bright blend (70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 15% Petit Verdot aged in oak for 14 months) from Coastal Tuscany that offers loads of fresh fruit intensity, and plenty of cherry and wild berry at the front. In the mouth, it shows good acidity and a balanced style. If you are looking for a crisper and more focused version of Bolgheri Rosso, this wine is for you.

90 Points
Vinous

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

The Irishman - Why you should drink Irish Whiskey


Traditional Irish Potstill Distillation

Why you should drink Irish Whiskey!

All Irish malt is made from the finest quality malted barley, yeast and water. Indeed distillers prefer to use Irish barley. There is no legal requirement that says it must be Irish but with Irelands long summer days, mild and occasionally wet, give ideal conditions for growing barley. Most distilleries believe that the variety of barley does not have an impact on the flavor, though some do feel that a strain called Golden Promise does impart a different mouth feel to their spirit.
DISTILLATION
1. All traditional Irish potstill whiskey is triple distilled in copper pots. Copper is hugely important in creating a whiskey's flavor as copper holds on to heavy elements, the distillers can either prolong or restrict the length of the 'conversation' between alcohol vapor and the copper, to create their desired character. There are three pot stills all of the same shape and size. The first distillation takes place in one of the wash stills, which is fitted with a refining column to reflux out heavy elements. The spirit is collected between 25%abv for heavy and 38%abv for light, depending on the style. The Yeast that the Irish whiskey industry use is always the same type and it is not considered to impact on the flavor. Japanese distilleries however will use different strains to produce desired flavors in their malt whiskeys.
2. The distillate stream is cut in the intermediate (feints) still. The weaker feints, between 45% and 75%, will be collected to be redistilled into 'heavy' spirit. The stronger feints, between 45% and 85%, will give 'light' spirit.
3. This is a run as normal spirit still with the middle cut being collected. The distillation regime does vary; different fill levels, different cut points in the intermediate and spirit stills.
Maturation
The new-make spirit is then reduced to 63.5%abv and placed in oak casks to mature. These casks have typically been filled with either bourbon or sherry for 1 fill prior to filling with Irish Whiskey. There are three processes happening here:
The Irishman Founder's Reserve


The Founder's Reserve is a unique take on the old Irish Pot Still Whiskey and is the original and signature blend created by founder Bernard Walsh. It is a blend of two styles, Single Malt and Single Pot Still. The proportions used are 70% Single Malt and 30% Single Pot Still. This is unusual in itself, as it is the only Irish blended whiskey to contain 100% whiskey distillates from the copper pot still and 0% Grain or Column still whiskey. This results in a much more flavorsome whiskey. The Founder's Reserve is triple distilled and matured in Bourbon Casks. A Gold Medal Winner at The International Spirits Challenge in London, one of the highest rated Irish Whiskey's in Jim Murray's Whiskey Bible with 93 points - "Quite a Wonderful Blend" and most recently awarded Gold at "The Whiskey Masters" as overall winner in "The Irish Whiskey Category". Quite simply an amazing Whiskey!
Nose: A Zesty Spice, with hints of black pepper, cinnamon and peaches. A slight hint of vanilla too, with a suggestive savor of Green Apple.
Palate: Pot Still Spice, malt, dark chocolate, bourbon oak, and crème caramel
Finish: Everlasting finish with oak and butterscotch. Lingers for what seems like an eternity!
Awards
Gold Medal at International Spirits Challenge London.
Gold Medal at International Spirits Competition San Francisco.
94 Points Beverage Tasting Institute USA.
93 Points Jim Murray Whiskey Bible
Gold Medal at International Spirits Competition San Francisco 2013
.

The Irishman Single Malt


This Irishman Single Malt is one of only a handful of Irish triple distilled single malts on the market. This is a classic Irish Malt, triple distilled and aged in Oak Bourbon and Oloroso Sherry Casks to give exceptional flavor and complexity. Each batch is limited to a maximum of 6,000 bottles. The Irishman Single Malt boasts an impressive medal haul both in Europe and the USA for its outstanding quality. None more so than a Double Gold Medal "The World Spirits Competition" in San Francisco and its Gold Medal in ISW Germany. Each bottle carries a batch number and signature as a mark of the highest quality.
Nose: Ripe and fruity with luscious peach, dried apricot, and tropical fruits. Hints of orange blossom and vanilla fudge.
Palate: Vanilla sweetness, granola, toasted almonds and honey, a little oak, digestive biscuits, apricots, and a hint of coca.
Finish: Long lingering finish with a light maltiness and sweet oak. Not so much a finish, more of an encore.
Awards
Gold Medal at International Spirits Challenge, London
Double Gold at International Spirits Challenge, San Francisco
93 points Beverage Tasting Institute, USA
Gold Medal Winner ISW Awards Germany 2012
Gold Medal Winner at International Spirits Challenge, San Francisco 2013

Monday, March 14, 2016

Paolo Scavino Barbera D'Alba Affinato in Carati 2013


The Barbera Grape

Barbera is a red Italian wine grape variety that, as of 2000, was the third most-planted red grape variety in Italy (after Sangiovese and Montepulciano). It produces good yields and is known for deep color, low tannins and high levels of acid.

Century-old vines still exist in many regional vineyards and allow for the production of long-aging, robust red wines with intense fruit and enhanced tannic content. When young, the wines offer a very intense aroma of fresh red and black berries. In the lightest versions notes of cherries, raspberries and blueberries and with notes of blackberry and black cherries in wines made of more ripe grapes. Many producers employ the use of toasted (seared over a fire) oak barrels, which provides for increased complexity, aging potential, and hints of vanilla notes. The lightest versions are generally known for flavors and aromas of fresh fruit and dried fruits, and are not recommended for cellaring. Wines with better balance between acid and fruit, often with the addition of oak and having a high alcohol content are more capable of cellaring; these wines often result from reduced-yield viticulturally methods.
Paolo Scavino
Barbera D'Alba Affinato in Carati 2013
 
The 2013 Barbera d'Alba Affinata in Carati has really shut down post-bottling, but that is not entirely surprising given the personality of the vintage. The interplay of intense, almost unctuous dark fruit and fresher notes from the long season results in a very complete Barbera that should be terrific once it starts to open up. It will be interesting to see if the 2013 regains some of the explosiveness it showed as a barrel sample, or if it develops into a more understated wine..

91+ Points
Vinous

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Famed distiller Fratelli Branca marks its 170th anniversary


Fernet Branca Vintage Poster

Fratelli Branca

"Novare serbando" is the leitmotiv that has guided Fratelli Branca throughout its history. And it is not a short history at all. Founded by Bernardino Branca in 1845 in Milan, over 170 years ago, the business has always been controlled by the Branca family, who has worked through the years to make Fernet Branca one of the most famous bitter liqueurs in the world.

The company, a pioneer in the creation of a bitter liqueur made from herbs and roots from all over the world, has always based its work on innovation, whilst respecting traditions and quality.
Carpano Antica Formula
1000ML.
  


Vanilla, prune, candied cherries, orange zest, dates and raisins; Christmas pudding with a bitter-sweetedge; a magnificent product - perhaps the best sweet vermouth in the world. 
Certainly makes the best Negroni ever.
The Tasting Panel Magazine
.
Carpano Dry Vermouth
1000ML.
  


This classically structure vermouth is crystal clear with a medium-weight, velvety textured body and an enticing bouquet laced with spice, lemon zest and tart green apples. Its aromatics signature alone makes this vermouth an impressive achievement. The entry is initially semisweet and gentle as it's bathes the palate with flavors of succulent pears, tropical fruit and fresh citrus. The lingering finish is fruity and slightly bitter.
The Tasting Panel Magazine
.

Punt e Mes
750ML
  


The venerable vermouth brand has a deep, reddish brown color, around, voluptuous body and a wafting bouquet of herbs, anise, cloves, sarsaparilla and zesty orange. It's bittersweet aromas are perfectly intriguing. On the palate, Punt e Mes initially presents the semisweet side of its persona with citrus, red fruit, caramel, vanilla, anise and spice flavors. Its finish is dry, remarkably long and singularly bitter.
The Tasting Panel Magazine
.

Fernet Branca
750ML
  


It has a satiny, aloe-enhanced body and a generous bouquet laced with spicy, floral and herbaceous aromas. The cool entry quickly expands filling the mouth with a mélange of flavor, a dry expansive offering. It's a distinct pleasure from start to lingering finish.
The Tasting Panel Magazine
.

Friday, March 4, 2016

Glenfiddich 14Y Bourbon Barrel Reserve




Glenfiddich

In a class of its own, the Glenfiddich Bourbon Barrel Reserve 14 Year Old uniquely delivers a bourbon heart with the soul of single malt.

Our Malt Master, Brian Kinsman patiently waits for 14 years as the whisky matures in ex-bourbon American Oak casks, and then finishes the whisky in deep charred new American Oak barrels supplied by The Kelvin Cooperage in Louisville, Kentucky. 
The result: a rich, sweet and vibrant single malt. It's a whisky that delivers beautifully complex flavors of woody spices combined with ripe summer fruit, resulting from the spirit's interaction with the casks.
Glenfiddich 14Y Bourbon Barrel Reserve
ABV 43%, 750ML.
 US EXCLUSIVE. CERTIFIED KOSHER

Smooth, lush and sweet with ripe toast and showing notes of banana and treacle; rich, generous and seductive with hints of chocolate; it's no wonder that this the world's most popular single malt; deep and stunning.

93 Points
The Tasting Panel Magazine