Search results for: 'monei a top'

If you like Negronis, you probably actually love Negronis. It’s just that kind of drink. Bittersweet and boozy. A high wire balancing act that would only be attempted by three bold ingredients such as these. This red-hued classic is unmistakable, even at a quick glance, and especially once you’ve had your first sip.

Tasting Notes: Bright orange and grapefruit with fresh juniper and a juicy, yet bitter, finish.

Learn More

Quick to satisfy but often overlooked, the Whiskey Sour is a century-old, no-frills crowd-pleaser that has stood the test of time for good reason - it's simply delicious. The perfect balance of sour & sweet complements the bourbon whiskey beautifully. It's a downright democratic cocktail, equally refreshing wherever it's enjoyed. Some folks like egg whites in their whiskey sour but for the benefit of all we chose to leave that out of the can.

Tasting Notes: Caramelized fruits, vanilla, oak, raw sugar, and tart lemon.

Learn More

It’s a drink that needs no introduction. After all, everyone associates something with a margarita, be it the beach, chips and salsa, or “it’s five o’clock somewhere.” Ours sports a simple mix of tequila, lime juice, and orange liqueur. It’s a return to form of sorts, a celebration of the origins of a drink that has traveled far and wide. This proper, post-Prohibition cocktail has landed in the laps of distinguished imbibers for decades—now it’s yours.

Tasting Notes: Salted lime with grassy vegetal notes from tequila, a juicy mouthfeel and a finish of fresh orange rind.

Learn More

Good news: you haven’t traveled back to the ‘90s. Better news: the Espresso Martini is back. Ours is strong and smooth, with a hint of vanilla. It boasts a delicious complexity from our coffee pals at Counter Culture. This is a drink that keeps the party going—or starts one from scratch.

Tasting Notes: Roasted Coffee, Vanilla Bean, Rich and Smooth

Learn More

One sip and you’ll understand why this modern classic has achieved first-class status. Its delight is surely in its paradoxical flavor- it’s light and juicy yet complex and satisfying. The original creator, Sam Ross, describes this balance of flavor as “sherbet”, and we worked with him to get it just right.

Tasting Notes: Tangy sherbet, vanilla, rich baking spices, bright lemon.

Learn More

The Old Fashioned is the original cocktail. It’s as classic as it gets and, when done right, it’s the mark of a master. You want to taste the bourbon, followed by a hint of sweet orangey citrus and rounded out at the finish with the warming spice of bitters.

Tasting Notes: Vanilla, citrus and caramel on the palate going into a stone fruit and spice finish.

Learn More

Long relegated to island getaways, the Mai Tai is a drink clouded by unfortunate misconceptions. The refreshing original recipe concocted by Victor Bergeron (AKA: Trader Vic himself) pops like a colorful flower in the crack of a sidewalk, all citrus wallop and tropical, toasted delight. Join us in unleashing this breezy beverage from its beachy confines.

Tasting Notes: Fresh sugar cane, mandarin, marzipan, toasted almond

Learn More

A Prohibition era standard that deserves wider acclaim, the Bee’s Knees is a classic for a reason. Tart lemon and floral honey balance each other, while the gin’s botanicals give it a crispness that’ll put extra spring in your step. The drink dates back to Paris in the 1920’s, but we think it deserves a proper introduction to a larger swarm of fans.

Tasting Notes: Citrus peel, crisp tart lemon and floral notes of dried lavender.

Learn More

For our money the best 'Pet-Nat' on the planet. 100% Chenin...

Learn More

97 Points! This is so vivid as it brims with pastis-soaked plum, blackberry, black currant and blueberry paste flavors, all carried by a perfectly integrated brambly spine. Tar and ganache notes give the finish an extra kick while everything stays within the mouthwatering roasted apple wood frame. Both regal and rambunctious, this is St.-Julien to a T. - Wine Spectator Learn More

A new 'sku' for the Beckmen team, designed to provide incomparable value for money, and it does! We believe its a combination of estate fruit and 'neighbors', deep, dark, spicy, touch of pepper, it's as complete a Syarh as you'll find from America under $20...and that was the idea.

Learn More

One of the world's most popular blends, and the best-selling Scotch whisky in Scotland. Famous Grouse is a very nicely balanced, malty blend which was first made in 1896, and would go on to be known as The Famous Grouse, with the name registered in 1905. Around eighty years later, the company was awarded a Royal Warrant. The blend represents great value for money, and it also works beautiful in whisky-based cocktails. Delicious.

Learn More

Once & Future proprietor Joel Peterson's homage to his very own 'Vintners Blend Cuvee' from his days at Ravenswood. Though I dare say this one has the volume turned way UP over those wines from the 1990's. Nowadays, this wine is a blend of Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet from Bedrock Vineyard as well as old-vine Mourvedre from Del Barba's vines in Contra Costa and some inky Petite Sirah from Palisades Vineyard in Calistoga. That sound like a $20 wine to you? Yeah, me neither. As was the case with the old Vintner's Blend, this wine completely overdelivers for the money...

Learn More

95 Points! Power, structure and freshness are united in this stunning, modern Chateauneuf-du-Pape that has stacks of Mediterranean herb and raw meat character. Excellent concentration and energy. The elegantly dry finish is very long and precisely contoured. Sustainable. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! I love the wines from this estate, which always shine for their incredible perfume and complexity. Exotic red and black fruits, lavender, basil, peppery garrigue, and sandalwood notes define the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape, which is based on 58% Grenache, 24% Syrah, and 18% Mourvèdre that was brought up mostly in larger foudre but with a small part in used barrels. With medium to full-bodied richness, a silky, elegant mouthfeel, present tannins, and outstanding length, this beauty is well worth your time and money. - Jeb Dunnuck

Learn More

A ridiculously good value-priced blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay from the Gamble Family Estate in the heart of the Napa Valley!

The (Gamble Family) Mill Keeper White Wine Napa Valley 2021 is a blend of fresh, lively Sauvignon Blanc and round, fruity Chardonnay. As some of you may recall from these pages before, the Gamble Family Sauvignon Blanc is one of the best in the valley. But did you know that Gamble’s Chardonnay fruit is the foundation of the Beringer Reserve Chardonnay program? Crazy, right?

Together, that blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Chardonnay aged in 21% new French Oak for 10 months delivers an easier, rounder hypothetical mash-up of those two wines. The Sauvignon gives vibrancy and focus, and the Chardonnay provides an ample middle. What a ‘white wine’ for the money!

Learn More

92 Points! The aromatics of the 2023 Evodia give justice to the name, which in old Greek means "fragrance," and it has high-lifted aromatics, floral, elegant and ethereal. In 2023, they used 15% full clusters for the fermentation, and the élevage was in concrete, with 20% in used 225-liter barrels and 10% in oak vats, and lasted five months. It has a bright ruby color and an extroverted nose. This is ripe, hedonistic and outspoken, showy and juicy, with very good ripeness and 14.8% alcohol, but it comes through as balanced with a pH of 3.68 and 6.1 grams of acidity. You just want to keep smelling it as it unfurls in the glass. The quality is clearly beyond its price point; it's an amazing value for money. One to buy by the truckload!  - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

Learn More

From the importer: Made of a blend of Nero d’Avola (Frappato 45%, Nero d’Avola 55%), estate-grown in vineyards near Chiaramonte Gulfi, in the Contradas Ponte, Biviere e Fegotto. The soils are a calcareous mixture of clay and sand, at just under 300 meters (1,000 feet) above sea level. The grapes are picked at moderate ripeness (with care to avoid over-ripeness, in other words, in this hot climate) around mid-October; fermentation is carried out with indigenous yeasts, and maceration with the skins lasts for about 3 weeks. After fermentation the wine is aged on the lees in the tank for a further 2 weeks, then racked and aged in a tank for 18 months. 

Nero d’Avola is the best-known Sicilian red wine grape when bottled on its own, but for my money, this blend is better. The Frappato lightens and lifts the meatiness of the Nero d’Avola, giving it juicier aromas and flavors and making it MORE DELICIOUS. See note above about temperature; stick the bottle in the fridge for 30 minutes for best results. Drink with red meats or more substantial pasta dishes. I bet this will age well, but I doubt I’ll have any left to find out.

Learn More

Winemaker Notes:

Coquelicot Vineyard, Santa Ynez Valley - 170 Cases 

PH 3.5 TA 5.4 Alcohol 13% Picked 10-4-2022 Bottled 6-06-2024

Certified CCOF Organic. 100% whole cluster fermentation, native yeast, fermented in a tall steel open top fermenter, foot stomped, free run gravity fed daily, then gravity fed back over the top for a very long slow fermentation over three weeks.

Aged in a large Puncheon on the lees until bottling. This wine is a stunner! Bright fruit, earth and spice.

Learn More

It is no wonder that the Whiskey Advocate placed the Iwai 45 on their Top 20 Whiskies of 2020, just a couple months back. Coming in at number 19 and scoring 91 points, it was one of the most affordable (and obtainable) options on the list.

In the glass the top notes are of cereal grain, vanilla and honey. Poured neat in my glass at 45% abv I am adding no water and on the palate, I am immediately impressed by the round mouthfeel that yields to baked pear and warming spices. Layered through this exciting Japanese offering are notes of lemon peel and hints of marzipan mingling with American Oak.

Learn More

It is no wonder that the Whiskey Advocate placed the Iwai 45 on their Top 20 Whiskies of 2020, just a couple months back. Coming in at number 19 and scoring 91 points, it was one of the most affordable (and obtainable) options on the list.

In the glass the top notes are of cereal grain, vanilla and honey. Poured neat in my glass at 45% abv I am adding no water and on the palate, I am immediately impressed by the round mouthfeel that yields to baked pear and warming spices. Layered through this exciting Japanese offering are notes of lemon peel and hints of marzipan mingling with American Oak.

Learn More