Jay Kline

9.6

Popped and poured; consumed over six day and best after day four. The 2016 Sottimano Barbaresco, Currá pours a garnet color with a translucent core. Medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, bright red cherry fruit, pomegranate, cranberry, cumin, spiced Middle Eastern meat, tar, roses, oiled leather baseball glove, gun powder (never pulled that before), dried earth, dry green herbs, and some tobacco. On the palate, the wine is dry with extremely high tannin (Day 1 was rip your face off distracting and the most I have experienced from Barbaresco) acid is medium+. Confirming the notes from the nose. Medium+ alcohol. Super duper long, savory mineral finish. A “legend” in the making. Drink from 2026 through 2066+. — 9 months ago

Willem Booij

9.3

Tasting with Eddy Faller: more delicate nose, roses mixed with lychees. Sweet entry in the mouth (res sugar 30gr) it’s goes round and round, smoke comes in the back of the aftertaste. After the tasting my overall opinion is that the wines are pure, salty and silky. The fat around the backbone of all the wines make them quite approachable and less nervous then their opponents from Germany. It’s an other style and that’s good four the cellar 🤣🤔 — 3 years ago

Conrad Green

9.8

I’m not really a bourbon guy, but I’ve tried most of the ‘greats’. This was a very generous gift from a friend. I’ve had it before, and this was just as epic. It’s a stunning bourbon. Screw your Pappy’s, this is the real deal. There’s roses and floral notes at the start. A freshness you really don’t expect given the intensity of the alcohol (waaaay overproof) then an intensity of taste on the midpalate with all the caramel, and depth you’d expect of a great bourbon, but loads of complex secondary stuff. It’s a trip on the palate with a midpalate would be brutal in other hands given the alcohol level, but here it really sings. I’m a wine guy. This is incredible once you get over the shock of the alcohol. If you only splurge on one bourbon, for me, this is the one. — 4 years ago

Kyle Turner

9.2

One of my faves! — 10 months ago

Chris Durall

9.4

New Belgium /Four Roses. Special Release Oakspire Bourbon Barrel Ale. 9% ABV — a year ago

Matt Sterr

9.9

99 POINTS for @Alex Bacon ‘s Christmas 🎅 Beer.Cold brew coffee and honey Stout aged in ex-Barrel Project (Four Roses 7 Year) single Barrell bourbon cask. — 2 years ago

with Vance, Travis and 40 others

KA

9.0

Four Roses made specifically for the Japanese market. Very light in color. Very soft and mild for a bourbon. — 3 years ago

Jay Ivison

9.6

One of the smoothest, most flavorful whiskies I have tried. — 4 years ago

Jay Kline

9.1

The 2020 vintage presented many challenges for wine producers around the world but the fires in California added a layer of complexity that nobody needed. Many of the producers I enjoy didn’t even make red wine and if they did, it was never released. For some, the effects were more catastrophic. Unfortunately for McHenry Vineyard, the situation was the latter. Not only was the entire crop lost to smoke taint in the CZU Lighting Complex Fire but the winery and most of the structures on the property were destroyed. They even lost some of the majestic redwoods that have surrounded the vineyard for centuries. Despite the pandemic and the destruction, Brandon and Annelisa were resolved to rebuild. However, with the crop lost and nowhere to make wine for the foreseeable future, they had to enlist some help. In the near term, Brandon was able to purchase fruit from the Christie Vineyard in Corralitos (the longtime source for Storrs Winery & Vineyard) and John Benedetti of Sante Arcangeli came in the with the assist; just as he had in the production of the 2019 vintage. The fruit from Christie Vineyard is more Dijon heavy than McHenry’s estate vineyard but John did a great job of honoring the McHenry approach and style. The results were remarkable.

Popped and poured and enjoyed over a four hour period, the 2020 McHenry “Christie Vineyard” pours a bright, luminous ruby color with a transparent core. No obvious staining of the tears; medium+ viscosity. On the nose, bright ripened cherries, raspberries, roses, cloves and other spices. The wine is dry with medium tannins and medium+ acid. The finish is long. The overall impression is fresh, juicy and full of life. Like all vintages of McHenry, production is minuscule with only 150 cases produced.

As a sort of epilogue, Mother Earth giveth and taketh away. For all of the gifts that California’s climate brings to the production of wine, they are not immune to the whims of nature and these sorts of stories are becoming more and more common. With that being said, there have been at least two other occasions in McHenry’s past where they have been forced to purchase fruit or choose not release wine due to fire or pests. Unfortunately, this will probably not be their last but as long as they are determined to make beautifully balanced Pinot Noir way up on Bonny Doon Road, I will be drinking them. — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.5

This bottle was the fourth and final bottle part of our Barolo ensemble, generously shared and curated by our friend Tim.

Served blind, like the others, after a lengthy slow-ox. We were all aware that we were drinking Barolo but all other details were hidden from us. This bottle showed no visual signs of age. It was actually quite gorgeous to behold with a deep ruby core and bright disk. The bouquet was powerful; the most powerful of the four we experienced on this night. Cherries, strawberries, raspberries, exotic spices, tar, roses, dried herbs...even a bit of an umami thing was happening...everything was on full display! The finish was long and savory. Almost gave me the feeling of a buzz button which, I have only encountered once before in wine.

Of the four Barolos, on this night and to my palate, this exhibited the most sizzle. I was well and truly smitten. When this was revealed to be the 2012 Cappellano “Pie Rupestris”, it became an Archimedes moment for me...short of running through the town naked. Until now, I had only tried Cappellano’s Barbera d’Alba and Chinato; both extraordinary wines. This fits squarely into my wheelhouse and has become a new benchmark for me; recalling a similar experience to my first Lignier “Clos de la Roche”. A monumental wine that is already drinking so well but has everything necessary to age with grace for decades to come. Scary thing? There remains upside, I’m sure of it. — 3 years ago