Grapes for this wine were sourced from Napa Valley’s Oak Knoll district, which includes two family vineyards. The area’s cooler weather, along with crop thinning and gravelly light soil, creates ideal conditions for producing a rich, distinctive Merlot. This wine is lush and supple on the palate, with expansive, dark berry flavors, a fresh earthiness and smooth, leathery tannins.

The 2017 Brunello has certainly enjoyed the benefits of a careful selection in the parcels (including the Millecento vineyard). The wine has a wide nose. It maintains crisp fruit and floral notes. In the mouth it is elegant, complete and supported by an excellent acidity.

Carpineto’s single vineyard Brunello di Montalcino possesses a complex bouquet of nuts and spice, accented by hints of vanilla, cherry, and raspberry. Aged in Slavonian oak barrels for three years and cellared in bottle for 6 months, this wine offers a warm, smooth finish. A wine which will reward extensive cellaring.

Deep ruby in color, Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon expresses aromas of fresh black currants and cherries accompanied by subtle smoky notes and dried spices. On the palate, this lavish powerful wine is layered with juicy blackberry, ripe cherry, vanilla bean, and brown butter. It’s full-bodied and rich, balanced by a touch of bright acidity and firm polished tannins.

Very flavoursome for the strength, if a little two-dimensional. Plenty of esters, with a bold note of green apples and minerality. Cereal grist. Flashes of toffee and maybe ground almonds. A very dry finish, with tannins. Quite a nice texture, too, akin to a blend, which makes it very approachable as an entry-level dram. Classic flavours

Like each batch, this Larceny Barrel Proof is an uncut Small Batch of Bourbon aged six to eight years Bourbon bottled straight from the barrel. Heaven Hill distiller’s wheated Bourbon mashbill of 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley continues to shine in this release.

Light but distinct scents of graham cracker, toasted oak, and marshmallow take shape. Perfect campfire-inspired flavor profile sans the smoke. Exploring further brings forth toffee and light caramel, along with a bold dash of cinnamon that showcases the bourbon’s proof, almost to a fault. Overall it’s a nice smorgasbord of classic scents that with the exception of the bold cinnamon, balance one another nicely, and offers just enough intrigue to draw you in. Sweet cinnamon bursts forward with a tenacity that’s in line with its cask strength designation. Following up behind are vanilla and light oak along with a swirl of gentle wheat grain and honey. While it’s certainly bold, owing to its higher proof, it also finds a way to showcase its more gentle flavors reminding you that this is a wheated bourbon after all. It’s a subtle but nice elevation from the palate of standard Maker’s 46. A flash of heat is followed by cinnamon, honey, and dry oak, resulting in an interesting mingling of sweet and oaky flavors. This flavor combination swirls together for a while before eventually transforming to just a pleasant light oak resting on a bed of heat. It’s a suiting way to end the sip and one that follows the same path as the parts before it: simple yet pleasing.

Batch B521 will appeal to bourbon drinkers seeking a lighter, more straightforward barrel proof pour. It offers a fine drinking experience, but not much more.

Nose: It starts with a pastry profile of vanilla, caramel, almond, apricot, coconut, and caramel, evolving to rose, orange blossom, and nutmeg. Palate: Rich, round and full, the palate follows the nose with a creamy texture reminiscent of white chocolate with baked pear, vanilla, roasted chestnuts, honey, and cinnamon. Finish: Very long and creamy, with notes of figs, plums, bergamot, nutmeg, licorice, and vanilla.

Jefferson’s Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Cognac Casks marries the spice of American Rye with the refinement of cognac. Double barreled for at least 9 months and up to 19 months, it exemplifies Jefferson’s renowned and innovative maturation techniques. The Cognac finish adds complexity and depth to the typical one dimensional character of the spice of rye whiskey. The typical dryness on the finish is replaced with a thick mouth feel and honey and orange. A true sipping rye whiskey.

ulleit Barrel Strength is made from the same high-rye mashbill as its primary expression (roughly 1/3 rye), with no age statement provided. Batches will vary in alcohol content, but will hover around 60% abv.