The Stags Leap District in Napa is truly one of the most consistent and alluring Cabernet Sauvignon regions in all of California, and Shafer Vineyards has long helped to keep Cabernet at its rightful prominent in this AVA. Silky and velvety with mild tannic structure, the 2015 iteration of Shafer’s …
A beautiful example of high mountain fruit, the 2014 offers a deep and complex nose that shows the high-quality fruit at its peak flavor. Deep black in color, the fruit shines through with a well-balanced but subtle wine with character. Impressive and balanced tannins, with dark stone fruit, blackberry and …
Though Santa Barbara County is known for Pinot Noir, it is typically from the coastal Santa Rita Hills AVA. This 100% Pinot Noir however comes from its brethren, the inland Los Alamos and Santa Maria valleys, so it presents a different fruit style. Spending nine months in neutral French Oak. …
Chardonnay is the enviable grape that can be so many different things—lean and clean to butter bombs to late harvest and sparkling. The 2016 Prescription is an assertive wine with a docile price tag. This single-appellation chardonnay from Clarksburg is stainless steel fermented but with added oak. Fermenting it this …
Yards Brewing Company Saison. Philadelphia, PA 6.5%. Saison is a broad style and Yards painted it Philly all the way. Bold sweet orange and clove hit you like an uppercut, while the citrusy hops back up the long finish. 95 pts.
Harviestoun Ola Dubh, 16yr Highland Park casks Ale. Clackmannshire, Scotland. 8%. To drink this ale, please don a kilt. Why did someone not think of this sooner? A massive, off the charts complexity. Caramel, smoke, chocolate molasses, stewed plums, and of course the lovely Highland Park whiskey. 97 pts.
It’s been a trendy ride on the I don’t drink Chardonnay wagon for a while, but we’re happily starting to see a little light at the end of the tunnel. A quiet but fierce leader in this noble crusade is the Moorooduc Estate Chardonnay; a relatively unknown name from the eponymous sub-region …
The Allagash Curieux, like many fascinating and delicious discoveries, was a serendipitous mistake. French for “curious,” Curieux came about when Allagash Brewing Company founder Rob Tod had to find a quick solution to avoid wasting a batch of Triple Ale when his order of Belgian bottles got held up in customs. All out of options, he …
Nicolas Feuillatte, a daring and spirited entrepreneur, was once the largest importer of African coffee in the U.S. Tired of New York and its jetsetters, he returned to France, acquired 12 hectares of vines in the Ardre Valley, and applied his skill, palate and finesse to the Champagne world. Faced with competition …
Drink Me Magazine Review 93 /100 “Total precision with a bit of swag, the off-dry wine smugly flaunts aromas of Asian pear, white peach, jasmine, honeysuckle, and petrol. Its lively acidity pairs with intense clementine orange and slate minerality. This wine is the ‘Blue Steel’ of Rieslings.” – JA
Drink Me Magazine Review 94/100 “A love potion of ripe citrus, peach, apricot, jasmine, and mint leaf. Medium sweet with mouthwatering acidity, its smooth green tea texture pulls you in with sweet mandarin, dill, and minerality. Sleek, animated, and just plain delightful. A knockout.” -JA
It provokes wild obsession in some and perplexes others, but the Anchorage Brewing Company Anadromous Black Sour Ale will leave an impression regardless. This Black Sour Ale is triple fermented and aged in Pinot Noir wine barrels where it mingles with Brett, Lacto and Pedio- brewers’ lingo for a concoction …