Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve
$86.39
The Gold Label from the Johnnie Walker line of Blended Scotch has a small but strong following, likely due Clynelish being one of its core components. The likes of Cardhu and Caol Ila also make up the base of this blend which contains a total of 14 to 16 different distilleries in its makeup. Much of the marketing talks about it being best served chilled, but that is entirely up to you. Bottled at 40% ABV.
Tedeschi Monte Olmi
$122.39
Tedeschi boasts a deep bond with the Valpolicella region that has kept it on the path of quality and tradition produced exclusively from grapes grown on hillsides. Since 1630, their family has believed in the extraordinary potential of local wine production, enhancing its value in a modern key with innovative production and environmental management methods with the end result of creating wines that are able to evoke emotion and render homage to the magnificent land.
Monte Olmi is the name of the vineyard, located in Pedemonte di Valpolicella, the heart of the Classic Valpolicella zone. Grown on ancient terraces to ensure water removal in case of abundant rainfall, it is one of the crown jewels of the Tedeschi line. Notes of cherry, raspberry and red currant combined with a hint of Slavonia oak. The taste is elegant and robust. Best consumed within 15-20 years of the vintage date.
Tedeschi San Rocco Ripasso
$33.99
Tedeschi boasts a deep bond with the Valpolicella region that has kept it on the path of quality and tradition, produced exclusively from grapes grown on hillsides. Since 1630, their family has believed in the extraordinary potential of local wine production, enhancing its value in a modern key with innovative production and environmental management methods with the end result of creating wines that are able to evoke emotion and render homage to the magnificent land
Ripasso wine is made using an ancient winemaking technique called "ripasso." (Some call it the poor man's Amarone!) The young Valpolicella wine is fermented with the unpressed but drained skins and lees left over from making Amarone. This adds flavour and intensity, though Ripasso normally has a lighter taste than Amarone wines, which makes it easier to combine with food, and is often less expensive. Fruity, well-balanced and very well structured. Best food matches are: red meat, game and cheeses.
Tedeschi Valpolicella
$24.64
Valpolicella is the famous wine growing region in the north of Italy. Generally three grapes are used in the production of Valpolicella: Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara. The grapes are harvested by hand at the beginning of October and, after fermentation, rest in large oak barrels for a year. The resulting wine is very fresh with clear notes of cherry and currants. This wine is the perfect 1, 2 punch for Pizza or pasta. Complete your Italian meal with this bright beauty.
Delamotte Champagne
$178.49
90 points from Wine Spectator! The review: "This creamy Champagne is light-bodied and subtle, blending pastry, baked apple and smoke flavours with just a touch of butterscotch candy in a well-meshed package. Smoke and graphite notes linger on the juicy finish. Drink now." Delamotte is the sister wine to the legendary Salon, which is not produced every vintage.
Laphroaig 10 Year
$80.09
Laphroaig's peat is principally what makes it different. Harvested in a low-lying part of the island it has layers of salt and seaweed not found in other peat deposits. This gives Laphroaig a medicinal, briny, smoky character distinctly different from all other Islay whiskies as well as any other made elsewhere in the world. Laphroaig is among on 6 distilleries which malt some of their own barley.
Vina Cobos Malbec Felino
$25.49
From one of the top names in North American winemaking these days! Paul Hobbs is American but works across North and South America. He is quickly becoming legendary, and Vina Cobos is one of his myriad projects. It was founded in 1999, a partnership between Hobbs and Andrea Marchiori (daughter of the vineyard's original owner) and Luis Barraud,enologist at Cobos. The Cobos winery may be new, but the vines are not. The Malbec vines are 60 to 80 years which explains the wine's wonderful concentration. Felino is the entry level. Well made and very well priced.
Quinta Do Vale Meandro Douro
$38.24
Vale Meão is a historic Quinta that is now one of the front runners in the Douro table wine revolution. Made from a blend of 38% Touriga Nacional, 30% Touriga Franca, 20% Tinta Roriz and 12% other varieties, it shows a deep lively color. Look for floral scents combined with red fruit aromas. It fills the mouth with intense fruit notes, showing a long, very fresh and complex after taste.
Dalmore 12 Year
$86.24
Matured in American Oak ex-Bourbon the whisky and "finessed in rare and aged oloroso sherry casks." 40%
Dalmore is located in the Northern Highlands of Scotland on the Firth of Cromarty. It gazes accross at the Black Isle, a peninsula with some of the most fertile soil in the UK. Dalmore was converted into a sea-mine factory in WWI by the US Navy who built the long "Yankey Pier" which still juts out into the firth. The distillery is the jewel in the crown of Whyte and MacKay.
Master Blender and Fancy Watch/Tie Aficionado Richard Paterson says: "With its intricate aromas and flavours, The Dalmore 12 is recognised as a whisky with character far beyond its age."