Month: January 2023

Burning Chair

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Maker: Savage and Cooke, Vallejo, California, USA.

Distillery: Ross & Sqibb, Lawrenceburg, Indiana, USA.

Style: Bourbon whiskey finished in Zinfandel and Grenache (70/30%) barrels.

Age: NAS

Proof: 119 (59.7 ABV)

Barrel: 213

Purchased for $70 (Vine and Table)

Tasted with a little water.

Appearance: Medium copper.

Nose: Big spice, char, cayenne, oak, and sweet red wine.

Palate: Full-bodied with a velvety, sweet opening. Wild cherry Lifesavers, then oak, spice, and burn that slowly grows until it burns the roof of my mouth like a hot slice of pizza.

Finish: Burn and cherry wine. Not quite cough syrup but right on the edge.

Parting words: Savage & Cooke is a restaurant/distillery in Vallejo, California. It was founded and is owned by Dave Phinney, known as “the The Prisoner Guy” in wine circles. It’s another case of a rich guy getting into the micro-distilling business, and also another case of a distillery that seems to be more of a distillery-themed restaurant than what normally passes for a distillery.

As cheesy as all that sounds, this is one of the better finished bourbons I’ve tasted. One of the keys is starting with good, already aged whiskey. Too many producers, large and small, try to use finishes to cover up flaws in the spirit. That almost never works, so I’m glad Savage & Cooke didn’t try. This has a solid whiskey base. The finish is noticeable, but not overwhelming, and well-integrated. It’s everything a wine-finished bourbon should be.

The price, on the other hand, is higher than it should be. I knew $70 was too much when I paid for it, but it is barrel strength, unavailable in the Mitten State, an exclusive retail bottling, and Dave Helt was pouring samples of it at the time. So I paid it, and I haven’t really been disappointed. As a result, Burning Chair (barrel 213) is recommended.

Tempesta, 2016

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Maker: Bel Lago, Cedar, Michigan, USA.

Grapes: Cabernet Franc, Regent, Merlot, Marquette, “and more (?).” Label calls it a “vineyard blend”.

Place of origin: Bel Lago estate, Leelanau Peninsula AVA, Leelanau County, Michigan.

Vintage: 2016

ABV: 13.5% ABV

Notes: Spent 34 months in oak barrels.

Purchased for $44 from Michigan by the Bottle Tasting Room, Royal Oak.

Thanks to Cortney Case for the information on the grapes that went into this wine!

Appearance: Brick red.

Nose: Cherry jam, lightly toasted oak, anise, mace.

Palate: Blackberry jam, mulberry, leather.

Finish: Chewy with a little tang.

Parting words: I bought this wine about a year ago. At the time, I’m sure I took note of what the composition of the wine was, but over the months, that knowledge drifted out of my mind. So in preparation for this review, I emailed friend-of-the-blog Cortney Casey (co-owner of Michigan by the Bottle) and asked if she had any information on the grapes in this wine. She wrote back promptly with the above information but noted that Bel Lago co-founder “Charlie [Edson] is notoriously difficult to get full blend lists out of since a lot of his wines are field blends.” Since that is the case, I’m going to assume the term “vineyard blend” on the label means field blend.

I didn’t have that information at my fingertips when I tasted this wine, though, so I went in assuming this would be a Bordeaux/Meritage style blend like many of the “flagship” red blends in Michigan. I was therefore surprised at the “fruit of the forest” flavors of Tempesta at first taste, but with Regent and Marquette in the mix, it makes a lot more sense. That is not intended as a knock in any way, though. Tempesta is an excellent food wine, pairing well with just about anything except shellfish, which it would overwhelm.

$44 is pretty expensive. Not Bel Lago’s most expensive (that would be the Riesling ice wine), but it is in the top four. I’ve had the second most expensive one, sibling wine Tempesta Cabernet Franc, but I think I actually prefer this over that!

I vacillated between a full and a mild recommendation because of the price, but I’ve settled on full. Even though Regent and Marquette are pretty easy to grow in Northern Michigan, Merlot is not (even in a hot vintage like 2016), and Cab Franc can be a pain from time to time. If it is indeed a field blend, that’s worth a bit more as well. All in all, I feel comfortable recommending 2016 Bel Lago Tempesta.

Great King Street Glasgow Blend

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Maker: Compass Box, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.

Distillers: Undisclosed.

Style: Blended Scotch whisky.

Age: NAS

ABV: 43%

Michigan state minimum: $40.

Appearance: Medium amber (natural color)

Nose: Peat, malt, sherry, rubber.

Palate: Full-bodied and moderately sweet. Toffee, dark chocolate, burn

Finish: Sooty but sweet.

Parting words: Compass Box, known for its blended malts, got into the blended whisky business back in 2011 with their Great King Street Artist’s Blend, named for the Edinburgh street on which their headquarters is located.

What’s the difference between a blended malt and a plain old blended Scotch, you may ask? Well, a blended malt (formerly known as a vatted or pure malt) is a blend of various single malt whiskies. A blended Scotch is single malt blended with grain whisky. Grain whisky is whisky that is made with grains that are not malted barley. It’s usually distilled in a column still (single malts are made in pot still) to a higher ABV than single malts, for less flavor. It’s made to be blended, although it can occasionally be found bottled on its own by independent bottlers. Compass Box actually bottles a grain whisky under the name Hedonism. My review of it is here.

Anyway, Great King Street Glasgow Blend was released in 2014, as a smokier counterpart to Artist’s Blend. It succeeds in that effort. In fact, it was even smokier and peatier than I thought it would be. The result is a blend that is a good, lower cost alternative to smoky Islay Single Malts, for people who enjoy that style. Great King Street Glasgow Blend is recommended.

Bowers Harbor Vineyards Riesling- Medium Dry, 2019

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Maker: Bowers Harbor Vineyards, Lake Leelanau, Michigan, USA

Grape: Riesling (at least 85%)

Place of origin: Old Mission Peninsula AVA, Traverse City, Michigan, USA (at least 85%)

Style: Semi-dry/semi-sweet.

Vintage: 2019.

ABV: 11%

Purchased for $15 at Holiday Market, Royal Oak, Michigan.

Appearance: Very pale gold, almost platinum.

Nose: Pear, wet limestone, papaya.

Palate: Pineapple, tart apple, mandarin, gravel.

Finish: Stone and stone fruit with a bit of acid. Lingers for a while.

Parting words: Bowers Harbor is one of the reigning monarchs of Northern Michigan Riesling and this wine is an excellent example of why. It’s fruit and acid in perfect harmony: at once complex and easy to drink.

It’s hard to believe but the last vintage of this wine I reviewed was 2011. That review is here. I got a lot of orchard fruit in that bottle. Those are definately present in this 2019 bottle, but I tasted more tropical fruit in this. I don’t know if the wine changed or my palate did, but either way, it’s still a very good wine. At $15, it’s a steal if you’re a Riesling lover like me. Bowers Harbor Medium Dry Riesling is recommended.