Dave

9.4

If someone had never tasted a Napa Valley Cab, I would happily pour this for reference. It's bold and great. I'm enjoying the balance of ripe, dark fruit with tasteful oak additions. There's a hint of eucalyptus, and pleasant leathery tannins. I personally would take this over Silver Oak or Heitz with my ribeye, and that's not just my wallet talking. $50 well spent.
Listening to Arctic Monkeys, again. — 9 months ago

Ross Fulton

9.0

Slip & slide — 5 years ago

Jan A

9.3

Could not resist to try one. Some critics state wait until 2021 till even 2026, others state drink now. So double decanted. Typical heavy merlot nose. Dark fruit, scented wood, gravel, pencil shavings on the palate. Drying tannins that coat the mouth. Upside potential to 94-95 when the tannins from the new oak have settled down. Will try the next bottles after 2023. Now 93+ — 6 years ago

Brian Martin

10

One of the most drinkable wines I have had. Did a "double take" on first taste as was so nice — 7 years ago

with Alison

James Forsyth

9.1

A light version of Other Half. Definitely sessionable, as the name indicates, and hits the spot when wanting something refreshing and a notch up from "simple". — 8 years ago

James Forsyth

10

I think this is probably the best beer I've ever had. It is made in the New England IPA style, namely juicy and cloudy. Perfectly balanced, the Oh... from Other Half is extraordinary. — 9 years ago

Guy Fiore

8.9

Perfectly aged from 1987! Cork was perfect. Double decant. Fully integrated, past peak Im guessing but still good. Secondary flavor profile dominant. Leather. Tobacco. Prune. — 9 years ago

Randy Fillingim

8.9

I am a big Mourvèdre fan. This strange little winery out of the Yakima Valley does a pretty decent job. One of the few bottles I can remember with absolutely no vintage year on it. 🤔 . Whatever. However, it is definitely worth the price point of under $20.  — 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Presented double-blind. The wine pours a deep, ruby color with a near opaque core. Medium+ viscosity with significant signs of sediment. Moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, dark fruits are predominant with some purple flowers, tobacco, subtle pyrazines and a touch of earth and baking spice. On the palate, the fruit set is confirmed. The wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. The finish is very long and savory. I believe a significant amount of new French oak is being used. Based on the aforementioned, possible varieties are Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc or some combination of Bordeaux varieties from either France or California. While the fruit is no-doubt abundant, there is hefty structure and a complexity that makes me lean towards the Old World. And now that my head is there, it’s very hard for me to get outside of Pomerol and I think the fruit is more of a result of the vintage. So I went with it, calling it 2009 Pomerol from a great producer. Welp…I was close and probably a huge compliment to Amuse Bouche since I think this wine is supposed to be their take on Pomerol. A very sexy wine that is drinking very well right now without a decant. — 4 years ago

Aaron Tan

8.9

Surprisingly, I kinda liked this despite my aversion to overly-hopped beers. The nose is a straight up hop-bomb - floral, citrusy, piney. The palate's also full-on, with heaps of hoppy bitterness, but balanced by malty sweetness and tropical fruit notes (passionfruit and mango for me). Finishes crisp and earthy. Not bad, but not my kind of beer (not an IPA fan basically). — 7 years ago

James Forsyth

9.3

Super smooth and creamy. A mango smoothie, perhaps. Classic Other Half. — 7 years ago

Matt Sterr

9.2

Buffalo Trace Bourbon rectified in California. Tobacco and allspice. 300 Barres made. Finished in Napa Chardonnay. — 8 years ago

James Forsyth

9.3

Today is international beer day. I haven't been exploring my beers recently but if ever there were a day to do so, today seems appropriate.

This beer is a sexy, fruity, tropical with pineapple and papaya, yet bone dry, complex New England style double dry hopped double IPA. Make good decisions indeed. 👏🙌🎉 ... 🙈🙉🙊

#internationalbeerday — 8 years ago

with Gautham

Jeanette Hrnyak

9.1

With Hillstone recently deciding to A). add a $15 corkage fee to their menu and B). take the Smith-Madrone Spring Mountain Cab Sauv. off their wine list (crime of the century in my opinion!), I wondered if there were any good wine finds left on their menu. I was pleased to find this one and enjoyed it thoroughly with my French Dip! Even better was the cute guy seen sitting across the bar from me! I would have gladly shared! Now, just need to curb my addiction to their creamy horseradish and all will be right in the world-well sorta.... — 9 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.5

This magnum was a gift from co-workers at my old job when I left to take a new one. Nice coworkers! So rich and resolved. This wine reminds me of Neil Young’s Vampire Blues. “I’m a vampire babe. Suckin’ blood from the earth.” Grenache pulled from God’s earth. Incredible intensity and length, but still entirely in balance. Length for days. Iodine, stones, blood. — 2 years ago

with Dan and Angelo

Daniel Bloom

9.5

Oh my! Where do you begin?
N: Go down to the pier and get yourself a bag of salted, buttered, nuts. Saline butterscotch, with mold(good)around the edges.Oranges and flowers, Almonds.
P: Saline, Iodine, brown butter, viscous on the tongue with a long sharp acidic, citrus finish. Marvelous. There’s tobacco and wood when you hold it in your mouth and take in air.
Double fortified to 17°, winter, heavy flor.
Ya! — 5 years ago

David Kline

9.3

Active, perfect yellow amber pushing orange hard. Big bubbled beige-yellow head that dropped expectedly quick, with so much action. Petri-dish lacing with cytoplasm graffiti. Huge pineapple nose of fresh-cut ripe fruit! Grapefruit tattoo, but little else. General lemon creaminess; a memo from mandarin. Pineapple rum entry with caramel and vanilla, baked apple, brandy-pear, classy touch of black pepper, allspice, ginseng, soft ginger slices, dried orange peel, anise, and lime. Heady and thick, cut, wiry, and sinewy, but overall, a calculated, choreographed, disciplined display of restrained power, lithe and evocative, with a smooth finish.

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#stonebrewery #FearMovieLions #fml #FearMovieLionsDoubleipa #dipa #doubleipa #ipa #dankbeer #beer #bier #biere #birra #cerveza #cerveja #stonefml #vabeer #richmondva — 6 years ago

Bonnie Chiles

9.2

This was a gift. Did a Double Take when I read WHITE PINOT NOIR. Very crisp and refreshing; just what I wanted tonight! — 7 years ago

S.S. Mandani

9.1

This wine’s bouquet brings to the fore memories of the sea. Once I take a sip, I picture a tapas restaurant with mahogany paneling, ambience lighting, and linen tablecloths.

At first taste, well-balanced. Perfect rich and tart berry flavors with a hint of natural vanilla and oak. Not too tannic and light & bouncy on the tongue. For me, I would love this with whitefish ceviche, tacos, and/or pasta.

Versatile and affordable.

Reminds me of a platitude I live by in terms of wine (and life), “If it tastes good, drink it.” I can still hear Larry, the spectacled, fourth generational New Yorker yell from behind the counter, bottles stacked on cardboard boxes, of his boutique downtown wine shop on Maiden Lane.

$6.99 — Trader Joe’s — 8 years ago

P A

9.8

Mrs A says that this is the best IPA that she’s ever had. I don’t go that far I just say that this seasonal beer is oh so good. The Fernie Brewing Co calls it “Big, boozy and bold their strongest IPA to date... showcasing citrus and tropical fruit notes. Ends with a long, lingering bitterness that shows the hop complexity and aroma.” I agree and continue that it that is very close to the perfect 10 of IPAs. If you love IPA like I do and can handle the high alcohol 8% alc/vol this one is for you. Cheers 🇨🇦🍻 — 8 years ago