My favorite beer — 10 years ago
Bootleg is the newest Napa label under the Jackson Family umbrella, which also includes Cardinale, Freemark Abbey, Galerie, La Jota, Lokoya, and Mt. Brave. The label pays homage to “the winegrowing rogues, who smuggled vine cuttings from renowned French vineyards and replanted them in California.” Kristy Melton, formerly director of winemaking at Clos du Val, crafts the wines and this blend of 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Petite Sirah, 21% Zinfandel, 12% Merlot, 3% Malbec and 3% Petit Verdot. The fruit is sourced from vineyards on Atlas Peak, Oakville, Mt. Veeder, Rutherford and Spring Mountain. Parker called it “off-the-charts in terms of its hedonistic appeal” and I can’t disagree. Blackberry, kirsch and cassis combine to yield an ultra rich fruit bomb, but it doesn’t stop there, adding Rutherford dust, cocoa powder, licorice, purple flowers, cedar, and crushed rock. I’ve heard several comparisons of this to the wines of Orin Swift, and while both are fruit bomb, high octane wines, I’m more inclined to compare this to something like Andy Erickson’s Leviathan. — 7 years ago
Surprisingly yummy at early age — 7 years ago
From the heart of Belgium, one of the oldest Abby's. — 9 years ago
David Kline
Peruvian salt crystals, brioche, and fittingly: beer. Hints of Egyptian musk. The aromas are constantly changing. Leather and bee pollen with a soap note. Golden and cloudy with a persistently sudsy head. Salinity is evident. Grapefruit, iron, sunflower seed, and a big yeast presence with lingering breaded stuffed clam misted with butter and all wrapped in grape leaf. #valdieu #belgianbeer #abbeyale #trappiste #trappist #monkjunk #cuvee800 #yeastbeast — 7 years ago