Drinkhacker

SEPTEMBER 3, 2024

Tenuta Perano’s Chianti Classico is a wine we’ve covered in numerous incarnations — including this (standard) version and the Riserva bottling. A- / $28 / frescobaldi.com The post Review: 2021 Frescobaldi Tenuta Perano Chianti Classico DOCG appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking.

Wine 81

Wine Bottling 81

Drinkhacker

AUGUST 28, 2024

With the 2021 Trilogy, the first wines from this transition have now arrived. The skeptic in me assumed there was a healthy amount of viognier in this wine, it’s so flowery and heady, but apparently that’s not the case. Very little here telegraphs sauvignon blanc to me. Never heavy in the slightest — at 14.2%

Wine 81

Wine Bitters 81

Drinkhacker

MAY 10, 2024

2021 Larkmead Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley – The 2020 vintage featured a blend that was 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. The wine is very well-structured on the palate, delivering additional notes of vanilla and mocha to cut through and add even more complexity without becoming too jammy or chaotic.

Wine 87

Wine Bottling 87

Drinkhacker

AUGUST 12, 2024

His 2021 cab-heavy blend is composed of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Petit Verdot, and 6% Cabernet Franc — a heady recipe, to be sure. The wine is aged in new French oak for 18 months before bottling. The Chris in question is Chris Kenefick, the winemaker at Kenefick Ranch. Let’s give it a try.

Wine 80

Wine Bottling 80

Drinkhacker

SEPTEMBER 7, 2024

Papapietro Perry doesn’t just have one of the liveliest company names in Sonoma, it also makes some of its best, under-the-radar wines. 2024’s releases include these two wines, both from the Russian River Valley which Pappietro Perry calls home. A spicy Korean-style burger did the trick for me.

Wine 83

Wine 83

Drinkhacker

AUGUST 25, 2024

Not to be confused with Beaulieu Vineyard’s other wine named Tapestry (a longtime favorite from the brand), the new Tapestry is also made by a winery owned by BV… though it doesn’t carry their name anywhere on the label. It’s a dense and somewhat brooding wine on the whole, but agreeable at this price.

Wine 73

Wine 73

Drinkhacker

AUGUST 27, 2024

So, interesting story behind this wine. The wine is a 100% cabernet sauvignon “sourced from two adjacent vineyards in the heart of the Rutherford AVA in the distinctive soil composition of the valley floor. The tannin has been whipped out of this relatively young wine in short order: It’s ready to drink now.

Wine 83

Wine 83

Drinkhacker

JUNE 18, 2024

Two wines from Etude, which crafts bottlings from all over California — but particularly Napa Valley. 2021 Etude Pinot Gris Carneros – Etude’s pinot gris invariably offers a floral-heavy, slightly austere experience, and this 2021 bottling is no exception.

Wine 101

Wine Bottling 101

Drinkhacker

MARCH 20, 2024

The palate is a bit different: mocha with lovely milk chocolate and cherry cola, and the wine has a big, heavy, enjoyable mouthfeel. It is entirely hidden beneath the fruit, which makes the wine dangerous and dangerously drinkable. Some of this weight is due to the high alcohol content, clocking in again at a brazen 15.9%

Wine 103

Wine Alcohol 103

Drinkhacker

JULY 15, 2024

Jermann’s wines are Italian, not German, though I can understand the confusion: Even the font the company uses is Germanesque in design. Today we analyze two white wines from this Venezia-based winery, which you’ll find just miles away from Italy’s border with Slovenia. Thoughts follow. Thoughts follow.

Bitters 84

Bitters Wine 84

Drinkhacker

JUNE 10, 2024

Tornatore’s Pietrarizzo Etna Bianco is not the same thing as this wine , which is bottled only under its DOC identification of Etna Bianco. Details are a little hard to suss out, this being a Sicilian wine and all — even though the brand is now owned by the American Gallo empire.

Wine 87

Wine Bottling 87

Drinkhacker

MAY 13, 2024

Before bottling, the wine was aged for nine months in French Oak. Trying the wine, I found it surprisingly assertive for a Pinot. The wine has high acidity providing much needed structure that keeps the fruit in check, and its gentle tannins provide a good mouthfeel. I might have guessed this was a Syrah if I tasted it blind.

Wine 106

Wine Bottling 106

Drinkhacker

JUNE 9, 2024

While Daou ‘s lineup is increasingly ubiquitous (we just bought a half bottle of Daou Chardonnay on a recent no-frills Allegiant Airlines flight), it’s still cranking out ultra high-end wines at the top end. Soul of a Lion is its most luxe offering, and we recently sampled the new 2021 vintage release.

Wine 93

Wine Bottling 93

Drinkhacker

MAY 6, 2024

Attems is a winery in Italy’s Friuli-Venezia region with a particular focus on white wines, plus the occasional rose. Today we look at a pair of recently released whites, both from the 2021 vintage. Seafood, too.) Enduring notes of white blossoms on the finish evoke springtime and fresh linens. A / $24 attems.it

Wine 86

Wine 86

Cheers

JUNE 24, 2024

For our latest round of wine reviews, we asked our national wine panel to taste and rate wines priced at under $30. If you’d like to submit wines for review, please do so through our Wine Stars app. Four Stars (91-86): A very good wine and an excellent value. A wine for which customers will keep coming back.

Wine 97

Wine Bottling 97

Drinkhacker

FEBRUARY 20, 2024

This is our first time out with Lovatelli, a producer of both barbera and primitivo wines. This 2021 release is a pretty, clean, and approachable barbera, heavy on the nose with its notes of rosemary and white pepper. Slightly flabby, the wine would benefit from a boost of acidity.

Wine 82

Wine 82

Drinkhacker

JULY 14, 2024

Two wines from Argiano, a historic winery in Tuscany’s Montalcino area that dates back to 1580 (as an olive oil producer) and which is, more recently, the first company in the area to become plastic-free. Graphite and anise provide an ample mineral-earthy quality, while the finish of brewed black tea pours on herbaceous notes.

Wine 81

Wine Bitters 81

Drinkhacker

MARCH 7, 2024

Herdade Do Esporao wines bring only positive words to the Portuguese wine conversation: they are sturdy ambassadors staying within the realm of affordability and are consistent in quality. We review the vineyard’s offerings at a near-annual rate, and today we return to enjoy its two flagship red and white offerings.

Wine 92

Wine Bottling 92

Drinkhacker

MAY 10, 2024

2021 Larkmead Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley – The 2020 vintage featured a blend that was 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. The wine is very well-structured on the palate, delivering additional notes of vanilla and mocha to cut through and add even more complexity without becoming too jammy or chaotic.

Wine 52

Wine Bottling 52

Drinkhacker

AUGUST 1, 2024

McPrice Myers recently launched a new label of (very) affordable wines called Hard Working Wines — all made not with generic Central Valley fruit but rather (for the most part) more prized Paso Robles grapes. And yet prices on all of these wines are kept to just $20 a bottle. Let’s dig in.

Wine 87

Wine Bottling 87

Imbibe Magazine

FEBRUARY 7, 2024

For Jorge Riera , the headline-making, French-heavy wine lists he created for New York City’s Frenchette aren’t especially new—for him. To Jon Bonné, managing editor of Resy and author of The New French Wine (Ten Speed Press, 2023), the return of France as a dominant news peg in the wine world feels a little like a homecoming.

Wine 255

Wine Bar Sommelier Inventory 255

Drinkhacker

MARCH 9, 2024

This wine from Daou — now seemingly everywhere — is a blend of 64% cabernet franc, 36% merlot. A- / $70 / daouvineyards.com [ BUY IT NOW FROM RESERVEBAR ] The post Review: 2021 Daou Seventeen Forty Reserve Paso Robles appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking.

Wine 93

Wine 93

Imbibe Magazine

FEBRUARY 20, 2024

In 2017, she founded the Hue Society to champion inclusivity in the wine industry and was named an Imbibe 75 Person to Watch in 2020. Since then, she’s continued to rack up accolades, such as VinePair ’s 2022 Advocate of the Year and Wine Enthusiast ’s 2023 Social Visionary of the Year. But it just doesn’t happen,” she explains.

Wine 259

Wine Sommelier Beer 259

Drinkhacker

DECEMBER 11, 2023

Etude has earned its reputation for making excellent pinot noirs and we’ve enjoyed them in the past , so it is a pleasure to pour the newly released 2021 vintage of their Carneros Pinot Noir. This wine really shows the brand’s character. I’m a fan.

Wine 81

Wine 81

Drinkhacker

MARCH 17, 2024

The Calling was founded by Jim Nantz and Peter Deutsch, and the brand’s wines are made by veteran winemaker James MacPhail, who primarily makes Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon with grapes sourced from Sonoma, Monterey, and Paso Robles, California. Pouring the wine, bold Paso Robles character jumps out of the glass.

Wine 82

Wine Alcohol 82

Drinkhacker

MARCH 2, 2024

We are returning to the wines of Bryn Mawr in the Willamette Valley, Oregon to sample two recent releases we haven’t tried before: a brut rosé and a Dolcetto. For different reasons, both are rather unusual wines. This sparkling wine is not made using secondary fermentation. B / $35 2021 Bryn Mawr Dolcetto Estate – 100% Dolcetto.

Wine 79

Wine Infusions Bottling 79

Drinkhacker

APRIL 10, 2024

It is a collaboration between winemaker Grayson Stewart (from California’s The Wine Group enterprise) and singer/guitarist/wine enthusiast Dave Matthews, a man whose music was doubtless the soundtrack to many awkward make-out sessions and unintended pregnancies during the ’90s and ’00s.

Wine 82

Wine 82

Drinkhacker

FEBRUARY 24, 2024

This Israeli wine keeps its eye on France, offering a definitively Bordelais style wine made from a blend of 55% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, 5% cabernet franc, and 3% petit verdot. A light oakiness gives the finish a savory bent, chewy and mildly tannic with a brambly quality clinging to the experience. Aka Bin Nun, Bin nun.

Wine 84

Wine 84

Drinkhacker

JUNE 8, 2024

Wines by Joe is a second label for Dobbes Family Wines — Joe being Joe Dobbes. These are Oregon-based wines from all over the state — and nothing in the mix priced above 20 bucks. We received a trio of wines from the current vintage for review. Thoughts follow. Thoughts follow. Great value.

Wine 88

Wine 88

Drinkhacker

JUNE 15, 2024

2021 William Hill Estate Cabernet Sauvignon North Coast – Rich with chocolate on the nose, mellowing out with time to present aromas of black currant and baking spice courtesy of oak aging. C+ Surprisingly, William Hill has announced that they will be closing their tasting room and discontinuing their wine club on June 30, 2024.

Club 86

Club Wine Bottling 86

Cheers

MARCH 22, 2024

We asked the our national wine panel to taste and rate Old World wines from this past year. As always, these selections include brief tasting notes, a rating and the wine’s retail price (which can vary from store to store and market to market). Four Stars (91-86): A very good wine and an excellent value.

Wine 108

Wine Bottling Alcohol 108

Drinkhacker

SEPTEMBER 14, 2024

The region is best known for Zinfandel, but the wine makers at Avivo note that it has a climate similar to what we find in the Mediterranean and choose to cultivate grapes that are typically grown in Italy. 2021 Avivo Red – 95% Sangiovese, 5% Syrah. I recommend giving the wine some air before trying it or maybe even using a decanter.

Wine 71

Wine Alcohol Bottling 71

Drinkhacker

JANUARY 13, 2024

Butaud Blanc de Noir – A white wine (with just the barest shade of pink to it) made from 100% mourvedre (red) grapes, 6 barrels made from grapes grown in Desert Willow Vineyards in Seminole, Texas. A- / $48 2021 C.L. Butaud with a look at a pair of newish releases — one white, one red… but both made from red grapes.

Wine 84

Wine Bottling 84

Drinkhacker

DECEMBER 16, 2023

Situated slightly northeast of Rome, Italy’s Abruzzo region has many a delight to offer wine lovers and those looking for an adventure slightly off the tourist-beaten paths. Additional layers unfold on the palate, with black tea and toasted oak providing some dimension between the rich interplay of tannins and acidity.

Wine 90

Wine Bottling 90

VinePair

MARCH 11, 2024

Despite the bleak forecast for much of the global wine industry, Americans still love their red, white, and rosé. In 2021, the U.S. imported a whopping 456 million gallons of wine, accounting for roughly 17 percent of the world’s total wine imports. This region also consumed the least amount of wine per capita at 0.37

Wine 128

Wine Alcohol Beer Bottling 128

Imbibe Magazine

JUNE 11, 2024

When the team behind Oxalis , a Michelin-starred restaurant in Brooklyn, opened Clinton Hill wine bar Place des Fêtes in 2022, beverage director Piper Kristensen knew exactly what he didn’t want to do: re-create the same-old, same-old bistronomy-style French-heavy list. Spanish wine—even great Spanish wine—isn’t new to stateside customers.

Wine 168

Wine Bar Sommelier Club 168

Drinkhacker

MARCH 29, 2024

We aren’t ones to shy away from additional wines from Merry Edwards, with this wintertime release spanning more 2021 pinot noirs, two whites, and the first sparkling wine we’ve tasted from the winery — this one bottled in honor of the upcoming eclipse. Surprisingly straightforward but perfectly drinkable.

Wine 102

Wine Infusions Bitters Bottling 102