Stephen Redenbaugh

9.3

Beautiful full deep medium gold… surprising for such a young white wine. Enticing bright aroma of spring flowers and juicy dripping ripe orchard fruit. Every once in a while you run into a wine that just knocks you back a step.. this is such a wine. Rich, ripe, round, weighted, serious, lip-smacking good, complex, alive, smile-inducing, with a finish that makes you want to pour a glass for everyone you know. We consumed this wine with extremely well-made takeout Indian… Tikka Chicken, warm spicy Chana, and downright hot Lamb Vindaloo… this elixir stood up to the hodge-lodge and made it better. I need to buy this wine by the case. — 4 years ago

Ron R

9.3

A pleasant surprise, albeit showing a hint of maturity on the palate.
Nose displays strawberries with a wisp of mushrooms. Palate is bold and vigorous. This all about energy power. Overall, excellent. I just caught this in its old man phase. Certainly, a producer to watch.
Mo wasn’t feeling it, but I have assumed editorial liberties (and it came from our cellar). — 6 years ago

with Mo, Anne-marie and 1 other

B

8.9

Interesting! A waft of strawberry on a warm tar road, after licking marble. Bright. Not shy on the elixir. — 6 years ago

with Wendy

Shay A

9.4

Wow was this good! I had this pretty soon after it was popped and it was just a powerhouse elixir of flavor. Very “iron fist in a velvet glove”. Up front, blackberry compote, shaved cocoa, and graphite. Velvet like on the palate...glides across picking up blueberry, nutmeg, currant and sweet pipe tobacco. Plenty of fruit and savory balance. I imagine this was even doing better after I left. I need to try this again! — 7 years ago

with Benjamin

Stephen Redenbaugh

9.7

100% Pinot Blanc disgorged April 2016. Elixir of the Angels! Clear, bold, focused...elegance, balance and grace personified with quiet power of ripe orchard fruits. The flavor appears tsunami-like... then “poof”..it’s gone leaving you with a memory that needs another sip of reinforcement. Almost a religious experience. — 8 years ago

Severn G

9.0

Strega is an interesting Italian liqueur...better described below. I only sporadically enjoy it, but it's fun and tasty at each sip.

"Strega is an herbal, saffron-infused liqueur deeply tied to the secret world of witchcraft. Witches are said to convene in Benevento to perform rituals and honor Il Noce, the sacred walnut tree. (The lower part of the logo shows witches dancing with demons around Il Noce.) According to legend, Giuseppe Alberti, son of a grocer, saved a witch from falling out of a tree in the woods. In gratitude, she gave him the recipe for an elixir, which the Alberti family began selling in 1860, perhaps as a curative or restorative.

The liqueur's proprietary recipe is a mix of 70 herbs and spices which include Ceylon cinnamon, Florentine iris, Italian Apennine juniper, Samnite mint, fennel, and saffron. Saffron is the key to Strega's signature yellow color and it shares the spotlight with mint and juniper as the most pronounced flavors within the herbal mixture." — 9 years ago

Andrew Schinder

9.0

Excellent — delicious hints of melon — 4 years ago

Holly Gamblin

9.7

Well this just happened! The secret elixir to my dinner @ The Capital Grille — 5 years ago

Matt

9.4

This was so hedonistic for me, but within the realm of balance. The oak, lees integration, alcohol, and ripe tannin made for elixir that went straight to the pleasure center of my brain. Honey covered and grilled yellow peach, distilled honeysuckle, lavender, candied pear and Rainer cherry, crushed stones, orange peel, marzipan. So ripe and yet the full ML treatment worked so well. The phenolic Viognier bite was so suave and plush. — 6 years ago

Mic Naranjo

9.7

Such a beautiful, balanced elixir! We may have to make the trip back just to get more from the source. — 6 years ago

Ely Cohn

9.2

This incredibly unique semi-carbonated Lambrusco is all about Red Delicious apples. Pretty crimson murky red with a tinge of copper on the brim. It’s completely dry with a bitter note reminiscent of apple skin. Tart cranberries and spiced cherry flavors formulate into a Dr. Pepper and nutmeg elixir. So unusual and so perfect for this time of year.

And more surprises - an odd cone shaped knobless Champagne cork that requires a corkscrew. It comes wrapped in a personal paper note from the winemaker about wine quality. — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.5

Awesome wine from @Benoit Touquette ! My first Jack Quinn wine. Elixir like. Not extracted, but the fruit is highlighted here in all aspects. Very fresh and pure (blackberry, fig, nutmeg) but a gripping finish (blueberries, brown sugar, plum tart). — 8 years ago

with Dan, Mark and 2 others

Ned Gray Creed

9.0

Not sure what the stats are on the 2014 vintage in NZ, but this one touched on elixir for me at first. It tightened up a bit with the Ramen at Kitchen Door, but I would be curious to taste past vintages, and looking forward to future releases. — 9 years ago

Ellen Clifford

9.0

It is a shy violet or rather there are shy notes of violet? It smells of jam and chocolate liqueur and the body…it is like hi alcohol but keep it in mind and the ripeness of blue and black amd also so (little) red so this is heady with balance.
If we could only.
Really though there is a chocolate and MULTI-FRUIT thing happening. So fun. I should add more now but I’m a smidge intoxicated with this elixir — 5 years ago

Matteo Killenberg

9.3

Oh what a wonderful elixir. Golden and ripe. Hints of acid behind creamy texture. Love it! — 6 years ago

Devin B

9.3

A brace of chalk and a hint of kiwi with a bit of apples on the finish. A beautiful summertime elixir. — 6 years ago

Rich Friedland

9.1

100% primitivo — 7 years ago

LM Segal

9.5

When all the drink was drunk and I was sure it couldn’t get any better, John pours a dram of this elixir. Just wow. — 8 years ago

Ted Boydston

9.0

Wow! If you can imagine drinking a mountain side of flowers, pressed for a year, turned Into a wonderful elixir, then this is it. Oh, and it has a surprisingly petrol-herbaceous nose to boot. Almost effervescent in mouthfeel. Definitely worth a spin. — 8 years ago

Simone Kornfeld

9.9

Tastes like incense and roses. Like the elixir of a sorceress. — 9 years ago