$14
Light yellow with a citrus nose. Butter , cream lemon and vanilla notes. Tart hard finish. Great for tuna, bread and cheese.
Grape: Chardonnay
Region: Central Coast, California
Maker: Cupcake Vineyards
Alcohol: 13.5%
All posts by Dr. Jim
Red Wine: Sterling Vintners Collection, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2013, California
89 Points – $10-$20
Dark red in color with a waxy oak nose with flavors of blackberry, cherry currant and vanilla spice. Smooth finish.
Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: California
Maker: Sterling Vintners Collection
Alcohol: 13.5%
Red Wine: Trapiche Broquel, Malbec Mendoza, 2013, Argentina
92 Points – $16
Purple ruby red in color with a nose of black fruit, jam and licorice. Flavors of dark smoky fruit, vanilla and chocolate. Long plush finish.
Grape: Malbec
Region: Mendoza Argentina
Maker: Trapiche Broquel
Alcohol: 14.5%
Red Wine: Tintonegro Malbec Mendoza, 2012, Argentina
89 Points – $17
Floral blackfruit nose with a earthy dry blackberry, tobacco and oak flavors. Grown at 4000 foot altitude and aged 9 months in French oak.
Grape: Malbec
Region: Ugo valley, Mendoza Argentina
Alcohol: 14%
Red Wine: Beringer Founders Estate Chardonnay, 2013, California
88 Points – $17
Light golden yellow in color with a nose of vanilla and light oak. Flavors of green apple, pear and citrus fruit. Balanced finish.
Grape: Chardonnay
Region: California
Maker: Beringer Founders Estate
Alcohol: 13.9%
Red Wine: Gnarly Head, Old Vine Zinfandel, 2013, California
90 Points – $17
Dark red with a jammy nose. Flavors of jammy black berry, plum and pepper spice. Spicy finish. Very good under $20 Zinfandel.
Grape: Zinfandel
Region: California
Maker: Gnarly Head
Alcohol: 14.5%
Red Wine: Carnivor Cabernet Sauvignon, 2013, California
88 Points – $16
Dark red with a nose of coffee and blackberry. Mouthful of roasted espresso bean, chocolate, caramel and blackberry.
Hot toasted oak finish. Good Cabernet but young. Could age. I decanted this and it was much better 6 to 24 hours later.
Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: California
Maker: Carnivor Wines
Alcohol: 14%
Red Wine: Menage a Trois Midnight, 2013, California
91 Points – $17
Purple red in color. Black cherry, plum, mocha and spice. Smooth vanilla finish.
Name: Menage a Trois Midnight
Grape: 44% Merlot 42%Cabernet Sauvignon 11%Petite Syrah 3% Petite Verdot
Region: California
Maker: Trinchero Family Estate
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rye: Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye Blended, Canadian Whisky
90 Points – $33
The color of new oak. Nose if oak and clove. Spicy clove, anise, pepper and apricot fruit mouth. Oily and spicy. Best served neat. (Not a mixer). Given 97.5 points by whisky expert Jim Murray in his 13th Annual Whiskey Bible.
Much better than regular Crown Royal which suffers from a harshness from its corn mash origin. This is more like the more expensive XO Crown Royal.
Alcohol: 45% alcohol
90% rye mash whisky
Region: Canada
Red Wine: Tommasi 2013 Valpolicella Ripasso, Italy
92 Points – $27
Ruby red with a nose of cedar and cherry. Raisin, tart cherry and black pepper notes. Spicy finish. Good for red meats and cheese.
Ripasso is the unique re-fermentation of Valpoicella Classico Superiore on the warm dried grape skins from which Tommasi Amarone has been pressed.
Name: Valpolicella Ripasso
Grape: Corvina/Rondinella/Molinara
Region: Veneto, Italy
Maker: Tommasi
Alcohol: 13%