I was recently sent three samples of Illegal (that's the brand name: pronounced "eeh-lay-gal") Mezcal by the United States importer, Frederick Wildman and Sons, Ltd. My last experience with mezcal was many years ago, and it involved fraternity brothers, a-read more-
Cherries and some cola and caramel show up on the nose, along with a little more burn than you would expect from the 13.7% alcohol reported on the label. On the palate the wood speaks loudest, in vanilla and caramel,-read more-
I like to joke that some really hot Red Zin broke up my marriage with beer. But in the next breath I tell people that now, as a free man, I am having an affair with an aristocratic Italian beauty:-read more-
Norton is the state grape of Missouri, which may sound a little odd for a grape that was first cultivated by Dr. Daniel Norborne Norton of Richmond, Va., in the 1820s. Just short of its 200th birthday, the dark, small-read more-
A lovely Kiwi exemplar of Sauvignon Blanc. Green apples, some pear on the nose. Luscious ripe citrus fruit on the palate, predominantly grapefruit. Not grassy as many others but still has that nice desired touch of minerality. The acids support-read more-
The wine shows straw-pale yellow with consistent small bubbles. On the nose it is very yeasty, with tropical fruits, like banana bread with a pineapple topping. It is more tart on the attack, leading with soft lime and clementines. It-read more-
Unless you are Rip Van Winkle, one of those Old Testament characters who lived for a few hundred years, or a really well made bottle of wine, it probably will not take a long time to reach some level of-read more-
Clear, bright, medium-light straw color. Clean nose with youthful medium intensity aromas of mango, banana, fresh fennel, peach pit, and ginger. Dry on the palate, medium body, with medium-high acidity but a round texture. Flavors of pineapple, sliced yellow apple,-read more-