Month: April 2017

Potter’s Farmhouse Cider

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Maker: Potter’s Craft Cider, Free Union, Virginia, USA20170428_091604

Style: Medium dry

ABV: 8.5%

Price: $13.50 (Glen’s Garden Market, Dupont Circle, Washington, DC)

Appearance: Medium gold, moderate carbonation.

Nose: Cut applewood, pear, applesauce, pineapple.

Palate: Medium dry. Mineral, apple blossom honey.

Finish: Clean and crisp.

Parting words: The last time I visited DC to visit my sister and her family, I decided that I wanted to pick up some Virginia wine to take back home and possibly review. I found Glen’s Garden Market (on a recommendation from blogger Obi-Wine Kenobi) in Dupont Circle and decided to stop in there. It’s a cool place with an excellent selection of local products including Virginia wine, but I ended up buying a Maryland red, Long Island rosé and this Virginia cider instead!

Potter’s has a wide and eclectic range of ciders. Farmhouse dry is the flagship. It’s dry without being austere and fruity without tasting like something with Mott’s on the label. The company was founded by a couple of Princeton classmates who stumbled upon the beauty of cider while homebrewing.  This is a very good cider with broad appeal. Good at the table too. Potter’s Farmhouse Cider is recommended.

Knob Creek Limited Edition, 2001

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Maker: Jim Beam, Clermont, Kentucky, USA20170428_091830

Age: 14 y/o (distilled 2001, bottled 2016)

Batch: 1

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Michigan State Minimum: $130

Appearance: Very dark, burnt caramel color. Slow, sticky necklace.

Nose: Classic grassy KC nose. Alcohol, cut grass, woodruff, allspice, dried orange rind.

Palate: Burn, cayenne, vanilla custard, orange, chewy oak.

Finish: Hot & herbal with big oak.

Parting words: Long time readers will know that I  never buy whiskey this expensive and that I whine about value even for bourbons as cheap as $20. So why did I buy this one? I don’t know. It was available for one, and I love Knob Creek for another. It had also been a couple months since I had purchased any spirits so I figured it was in the budget.

Let me start off by saying that Knob Creek 2001 is a good bourbon. It’s certainly the best Knob Creek I’ve every had. It has the big velvety tannins one would expect from a bourbon of this age. It’s firmly within the standard KC profile with pleasant spicy and herbal aromas and flavors. If this were a bottle of the old 9 y/o or of the single barrel KC, I would be very impressed. As a $130 limited edition, I’m underwhelmed. For that kind of cash, there needs to be more going on. More candy, more fruit, more of something. It certainly needs more proof. I’m not sure why this wasn’t released at barrel proof (to enable a broader release, maybe?) but one hundred proof isn’t good enough for a $130 limited edition when the same line has a single barrel at 120 proof at $50. If you have the room in your budget to blow $130 on a good bourbon that isn’t great, then you might like this. If you’re a normal human being and not a tater like me, then you might want to skip this. Reports are that batches 2 & 3 may be better, but this batch isn’t  close enough to a fair price for even a mild recommendation. Knob Creek Limited Edition, 2001 (batch 1) is not recommended.

Christian Drouin Sélection

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Maker: Coeur de Lion distillery, Coudray-Rabut, Lisieux, Calvados, France.20170320_113028.jpg

Age: Under three years.

ABV: 40%

Price: $40 (Binny’s)

Note: Single distilled. Made from a combination of apples and pears.

Appearance: Shining copper with thick legs.

Nose: Celery leaves, dry cider, cut pear, toasted oak.

Palate: Medium sweet. Maple sugar, partially fermented apple cider.

Finish: Herbal and slightly oaky.

Mixed: Performed well in cocktails with lemon like the Deauville cocktail (brandy, apple brandy, triple sec, lemon juice) named for the seaside resort town down the road from Coudray-Rabut. It did poorly in cocktails containing Vermouth, clashing with the other ingredients.

Parting words: Like most distillers in Calvados, Christian Drouin’s Coeur de Lion distillery makes a range of apple brandies as well as producing cider and perry (poire). The Drouin brandy range includes (in ascending order of age) an unaged apple/pear eau de vie (Blanche de Normandie), Sélection, Réserve, VSOP, XO, Hors d’Age, 25 y/o, and a range of vintage Calvados (dates from 1939 to 1983 are listed on the outdated website).

The Sélection is fine for what it is, a bottom end casual drinking or mixing Calvados. I didn’t know it was made with pears in the mix along with apples. The source material represents itself well, as it should in a young whiskey or brandy. $40 is more than I would pay for a bourbon of this quality but given the inflation of non Cognac French brandy prices, that’s probably fair. I tasted from a 375 ml bottle. If you’re on the fence on this, that might be a good way to dip your toe in the proverbial water. Christian Drouin Sélection is recommended.

 

Pink Satin, 2015

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Maker: Domaine Berrien, Berrien Springs, Michigan, USA

Grape: St. Vincent (per tasting room employee)20170419_171715

Place of origin: Domaine Berrien estate, Lake Michigan Shore AVA, Michigan, USA

Style: Semi-dry rosé

ABV: Unknown.

Purchased for $12 (winery)

Appearance: Dark, almost bloody pink.

Nose: Red currant, allspice, blueberry.

Palate: Mild but full bodied. Semi-dry. Apple, cherry juice, white grape juice.

Finish: Linger tang in cheeks. Raspberry, cranberry juice.

St. Vincent is a grape with a mysterious past. It’s probably a French-American hybrid  but its parentage is unknown (Chambourcin/Pinot Noir has been suggested) and nobody seems to care, frankly. It got its start in Missouri and it’s grown widely accross the Eastern US, but not in great volume. It seems to be best at making fruity, semi-dry reds and rosés. It is also used in still or sparkling blends. It’s one of few hybrids grown at Domaine Berrien.

Domaine Berrien is known for their emphasis on Rhone grape varieties (they were the first in Michigan to grow Syrah) and red Bordeaux varieties. They also have their Satin line, consisting of the white blend White Satin and this wine, Pink Satin, affectionately nicknamed Pink Satan by me. Nothing devilish about this wine, though, other than the color. It’s an easy drinking, unchallenging food friendly rosé. If I have a complaint it’s that it’s too mild, but at $12 one shouldn’t be too picky. This is a solid summer porch sipper or hotdog wine. Domaine Berrien’s 2015 Pink Satin is recommended.

Père Jules Cidre de Normandie, Brut

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Maker: Léon Desfrièches & Fils, Saint-Désir-de-Lisieux, Calvados, France20170325_130447

Varieties: Undisclosed but “no less than 20 varieities” according to the website.

Place of origin: Normandy, France.

Style: Dry

ABV: 5%

Purchased for $12/750 ml (Pour, Royal Oak, Michigan)

Note: Made from 100% apple juice, no sugar added.

Parting words: The Le Père Jules brand was named for the father of Leon Desfrièches who began the family business in 1919 after returning home to Normandy after World War I. Jules began distilling Calvados in 1923. Son Léon joined the business in 1949 and founded the company as it is today, creating the brand. Jules’ grandson Thierry and Thierry’s son Guilliame run the business now and produce Cider, Perry (Poiré), Pommeau and Calvados. The cider is made in brut (dry), demi-sec (semi-dry) and doux (sweet). Unfortunately, only the Brut Cider and Perry are available in the US as far as I can tell.

When it comes to French ciders, I usually prefer Breton to Norman, because all of the Norman ciders I’ve had have been yeasty and brutally tannic. The Breton ciders have been more balanced and not as puckeringly austere. This cider has changed my mind about Normandy. It’s perfectly balanced with the trademark tannins and yeasty funk but with a counterpoint of fruit to bring it together and produce an elegant harmonious whole. This is the best French cider I’ve had and easily in the top five ciders I’ve had from anywhere. Père Jules Brut is highly recommended.

Last Barrels

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Maker: Corby, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Pernod Ricard)20170407_200835

Distilled: Hiram Walker, Windsor, Ontario, Canada (Pernod Ricard)

Style: Unblended sour mash Canadian whisky

Age: 14 y/o

ABV: 45%

Price: $65, Canadian ($48.50 US; Ontario only)

Thanks to Andrew for helping me acquire this bottle!

Appearance: Medium copper with long clingy legs.

Nose: Sharp young oak, black walnut, old oak, grape soda, alcohol.

Palate: Full bodied and silky. Dark chocolate covered caramels, caramel corn, bubble gum.

Finish: Plum juice, chopped walnuts, alcohol

Parting words: This whisky is weird. It’s made from a bourbon-like recipe of  80% corn , 11% rye and 9% malt (similar proportions to Early Times or Buffalo Trace) all mixed together before fermentation (unusual for a Canadian). Unlike most Canadian whiskies, it was also made with a sour mash like bourbon, but it was soured in an unconventional way. According to Canadian whisky sage Davin de Kergommeaux,  master distiller Jim Stanski placed a carton of milk on the counter in the lab at Hiram Walker and allowed it it to sour. He then poured it into the mash to lower the Ph. The idea seems insane but it’s hard to argue with the results.

This limited run (2,000 cases) whisky is called Last Barrels because it made up of the last barrels filled at Hiram Walker during Jim Stanski’s tenure as master distiller. Fear not, Jim didn’t leave the distillery, he just moved up the corporate ladder. The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) was looking for a special release for Father’s Day 2016 and the folks at Corby thought Jim’s wacky last batch would be a perfect fit.

I was not a fan of the nose at first, but it has mellowed since I first opened (that or my nose got used to it). It is too sharply woody, like craft bourbons aged in small barrels. It’s wonderful on the palate, though. Full bodied and lucious, it’s like cuddling up in a soft blanket with a soft friend on a warm winter night. It’s stupid cheap too, probably too cheap for how few barrels there are. I’m not complaining, though. There are a few still kicking around the LCBO system, but with the limited number of bottles and a strike looming, act fast. Wiser’s Last Barrels is highly recommended.

 

Laurentide Pinot Gris, 2013

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Maker: Laurentide Winery, Lake Leelanau, Michigan, USA

20170406_104815
Accidentally put this bottle into the recycle bin before taking this photo!

Grape: Pinot Gris/Grigio

Place of origin: Leelanau Peninsula AVA, Michigan, USA

Style: Semi-dry Gris.

ABV:

Purchased for $20

Thanks to the Laurentide and the retailer who helped me get a replacement for my original tainted bottle.

Appearance: Pale gold with tiny stationary bubbles.

Nose: Mozzarella cheese, toasted pizza crust.

Palate: Medium dry, full bodied. Underripe peach, minerals, oregano, candied lemon peel.

Finish: Clean, slightly tart, then dry

Parting words: After meeting Laurentide co-owner Bill Braymer and his charming daughter Calla at the opening of Michigan by the Bottle Tasting Room, Auburn Hills, I got excited about opening the one bottle of Laurentide wine I had in my cellar, a bottle of the 2013 Pinot Gris. The moment I uncorked it, I realized there was something wrong. One sip confirmed it. Taint. Luckily I was able to get a replacement from the winery along with an assurance that future vintages will use screw caps.

This one was flawless. No, I wasn’t eating pizza when I took these notes, but I felt like I could have been. Mozzarella, pizza crust and oregano sound weird in a wine, I know, but they were all delicate and delicious in this one. There’s enough sweetness and acid to balance those slightly funky pizza notes and create a harmonious beverage.

Nothing not to love about this wine or the Braymers for that matter. Bill impressed me at that tasting room opening. I remember him taking a sip of another winemaker’s product after a few glasses and saying something like, “Something not right about this one. Picked too soon, maybe? No excuse for that in 2012!” A winemaker who can’t shut the critical winemaking part of his brain off even at an event like that is somebody whose wine I want to drink. 2013 Laurentide Pinot Gris is recommended.