This wine starts big and ends even BIGGER! The color is a very dark purple; clear, but so deep you can't see through to the other side of the glass. The bouquet fills my nose, and expands into my brain, with powerful aromas of the earth and black berry fruit. The wine's complexities explode immediately on first tasting. My brain tries to process all the messages it's receiving - the dark/cherry/spice flavors, the astringent dryness of tannin and oak, the visual image of long legs forming languorously down the glass confirming the 15.2% alcohol content, all combined with the lingering memory of the bouquet - and simply has to surrender to the wonderful balance of them all. To drink now, this wine should be decanted to soften the explosion and allow its velvety texture to emerge. Or, wait three to five years.
Rating: 9.2 out of 10.
(Review by Rich)
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Kenwood - Sonoma Valley Chardonnay 2005
The wine begins with a very pleasant, fresh fruity aroma to go along with its clear, light yellow color. Then it surprises you with a rich, buttery texture on the palate with a delightful fruity (pear) flavor well balanced with oak to earn it's Chardonnay label. It is a very pleasant, drinkable wine at $10 – but isn't particularly memorable once drunk. Rating: 5.5 out of 10.
(Review by Rich)
(Review by Rich)
Rosenblum Cellars – Aparicio Vineyards Zinfandel 2005
This is a big, full bodied, deep purple colored wine, true to it's Amador County origin. Rich aromas of an earthy mixture of spice and berry build on the initial visual impression and assertive cherry and currant flavors balanced with tannins complete the resume. The intense flavors complement the 14.9% alcohol, delivering a powerful wine. Decant to drink now, or better still, wait a few years for it to reach maturity. Rating: 8.5 out of 10.
(Review by Rich)
(Review by Rich)
Seghesio Vineyards - 2004 Old Vine Sonoma County Zinfandel
Seghesio Vineyards in Healdsburg produces superb zinfandels. This wine, from century old vines, is one of their best. The wine is crystal clear, with a deep garnet color and intense aromas of berries and fresh earth. The fruit comes forward on the palate and is followed immediately by the astringent tannins and the punch characteristic of a big Zin (15.3% alcohol). An hour or so after decanting, these competing elements blend together to reveal the full-bodied wine within. Rating: 9.0 out of 10.
(Review by Rich)
(Review by Rich)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ChrisDrinks.com?
ChrisDrinks.com is a drink review site. We will be reviewing Wine, Spirits, and Beer.
Will you be reviewing mixed drinks?
We did on the old site but, I am not sure if we are going to do that this time around. There are so many mixed drinks and so many ways to mix them that is is almost overwhelming. We are, however, in talks with another site that is all about mixed drinks and hopefully will be partnering with them.
If I write a review will you post it?
To that I say, maybe. ChrisDrinks.com will take submissions but, a submission does not guarantee it will show up on the site. In order for it to make its way into the site I must:
1. Agree with your finding.
2. Your facts must be correct.
3. The submission is not trying to sell a product. (on the old site we had an issue with some companies, who will remain nameless, submitting reviews to us they had done to be used as a sales pitch).
If your submission fallows those rules you should be fine.
The site looks completely different. Is this the same group as the old ChrisDrinks.com?
Yes, the reviews and the site itself are still run by me (Chris) but the core group has changed. Our old site was lost due to a complete server meltdown, literally. The hard drives were unrecoverable and we lost everything. We are now using Blogger as a back end for the site, though that may change in the future.
So who is still here form the old group and who is new?
Mike and Josh have both moved on to other things. Taking there place we have Dlpanther, who will be doing most of the rum reviews, and Rich and Dylan, who specialize in wine. Both of them are very knowledgeable in their fields and are a welcome asset to the team.
Why are you using Blogger?
It was the fastest way to get the site back up and running.
How frequently will you be posting reviews? It seems like you were doing 1 or more a day and then this last month they have slowed way down.
We are aiming for about 4 a week. September was a slow month for us due to a few real life events getting in the way. Things should pick back up again soon.
(update: Many real life events have slowed us quite a bit. We are hoping to pick up soon).
Do any companies sponsor you?
No, though we do have a "Friends of." The companies who are in that section have either donated to us or we were thrilled with their product to the point where we encourage everyone to buy it. (aka Sebor and 267)
I would like to join you guys, are you accepting others into the main group?
Yes actually we are looking for 1 more. We would like someone to do reviews for Scotch and Whiskey. If you have a sophisticated pallet and know your stuff please send me a few sample reviews and I would be more than happy to read them over and talk with you. If everything works out you could be part of the core team. :)
Do you have any plans to bring back the forums?
Due to the amount of emails I keep getting about this, yes. Nearly half the emails I get are about bringing back the forums, so we do intend on having them again. Since everything was lost none of your user accounts will be there and everyone will have to re-register. Don't hold your breathe though as the forums are still a way off. But yes we are looking into it. :)
ChrisDrinks.com is a drink review site. We will be reviewing Wine, Spirits, and Beer.
Will you be reviewing mixed drinks?
We did on the old site but, I am not sure if we are going to do that this time around. There are so many mixed drinks and so many ways to mix them that is is almost overwhelming. We are, however, in talks with another site that is all about mixed drinks and hopefully will be partnering with them.
If I write a review will you post it?
To that I say, maybe. ChrisDrinks.com will take submissions but, a submission does not guarantee it will show up on the site. In order for it to make its way into the site I must:
1. Agree with your finding.
2. Your facts must be correct.
3. The submission is not trying to sell a product. (on the old site we had an issue with some companies, who will remain nameless, submitting reviews to us they had done to be used as a sales pitch).
If your submission fallows those rules you should be fine.
The site looks completely different. Is this the same group as the old ChrisDrinks.com?
Yes, the reviews and the site itself are still run by me (Chris) but the core group has changed. Our old site was lost due to a complete server meltdown, literally. The hard drives were unrecoverable and we lost everything. We are now using Blogger as a back end for the site, though that may change in the future.
So who is still here form the old group and who is new?
Mike and Josh have both moved on to other things. Taking there place we have Dlpanther, who will be doing most of the rum reviews, and Rich and Dylan, who specialize in wine. Both of them are very knowledgeable in their fields and are a welcome asset to the team.
Why are you using Blogger?
It was the fastest way to get the site back up and running.
How frequently will you be posting reviews? It seems like you were doing 1 or more a day and then this last month they have slowed way down.
We are aiming for about 4 a week. September was a slow month for us due to a few real life events getting in the way. Things should pick back up again soon.
(update: Many real life events have slowed us quite a bit. We are hoping to pick up soon).
Do any companies sponsor you?
No, though we do have a "Friends of." The companies who are in that section have either donated to us or we were thrilled with their product to the point where we encourage everyone to buy it. (aka Sebor and 267)
I would like to join you guys, are you accepting others into the main group?
Yes actually we are looking for 1 more. We would like someone to do reviews for Scotch and Whiskey. If you have a sophisticated pallet and know your stuff please send me a few sample reviews and I would be more than happy to read them over and talk with you. If everything works out you could be part of the core team. :)
Do you have any plans to bring back the forums?
Due to the amount of emails I keep getting about this, yes. Nearly half the emails I get are about bringing back the forums, so we do intend on having them again. Since everything was lost none of your user accounts will be there and everyone will have to re-register. Don't hold your breathe though as the forums are still a way off. But yes we are looking into it. :)
Thursday, September 13, 2007
360 Vodka
After seeing this at a local Bevmo I went online to their website to check it out. After reading I immediately went back to purchase their product, and I will tell you why. I believe very strongly in recycling and renewable energy sources and helping the environment and so on. 360 vodka believes the same thing, in fact on their site there is a video on the front page that explains that their bottles are 85% recycled, the packaging and labeling is 100% recycled and even more the cap to the bottle is 100% recycled, hell even their website is hosted by an eco oriented hosting company. 360 vodka is really doing their part to help make this world a more 'green' place to live.
360 vodka is 4 times distilled and 5 times filtered putting it in the ultra premium class. At $30 a bottle it isn't cheap and unfortunately isn't nearly as good as I was hoping it would be. Don't get me wrong as it's not bad, it just isn't as good as I had hoped for. 360 mixes fine with citrus and fairly well with sweet, but has virtually no distinguishing characteristics on its own. 360 is fairly new to the market and honestly I don't think they have found their nitch yet. I think given more time and a bit of refinement they will do just fine. As far as mix ability goes 360 does well, but for a premium vodka I prefer it to have a little more to offer as far as character. I do, however, believe strongly in the principles they support.
Conclusion: I hate to do this but the fact of the matter is for the price it just isn't worth it. For $30 there are plenty of other vodka's that are better. I do, however, recommend trying it once. Each bottle you buy comes with an envelope, with postage pre paid, that you can send the top of the bottle back to them and they will donate $1.00 to recognized environmental causes. I for one have sent my cap back in. I hope in time 360's vodka will be as good as their cause but for now I can only give them a 6.5 out of 10.
I don't usually link the site unless I was thrilled with the product, but in this case I will gladly make an exception. Please check out www.vodka360.com for more information on their vodka and how to help our environment.
360 vodka is 4 times distilled and 5 times filtered putting it in the ultra premium class. At $30 a bottle it isn't cheap and unfortunately isn't nearly as good as I was hoping it would be. Don't get me wrong as it's not bad, it just isn't as good as I had hoped for. 360 mixes fine with citrus and fairly well with sweet, but has virtually no distinguishing characteristics on its own. 360 is fairly new to the market and honestly I don't think they have found their nitch yet. I think given more time and a bit of refinement they will do just fine. As far as mix ability goes 360 does well, but for a premium vodka I prefer it to have a little more to offer as far as character. I do, however, believe strongly in the principles they support.
Conclusion: I hate to do this but the fact of the matter is for the price it just isn't worth it. For $30 there are plenty of other vodka's that are better. I do, however, recommend trying it once. Each bottle you buy comes with an envelope, with postage pre paid, that you can send the top of the bottle back to them and they will donate $1.00 to recognized environmental causes. I for one have sent my cap back in. I hope in time 360's vodka will be as good as their cause but for now I can only give them a 6.5 out of 10.
I don't usually link the site unless I was thrilled with the product, but in this case I will gladly make an exception. Please check out www.vodka360.com for more information on their vodka and how to help our environment.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Pyramid Broken Rake beer
Pyramid has released a new seasonal beer named Broken Rake. Broken Rake is a nice amber ale that is full bodies with a nice sweet and malty finish. As far as amber ale's go its rather good, not the best, but a nice time to time beer.
Honestly there isn't all that much more to say about the beer.
Conclusion: If you are partial to amber ale's this is a nice one. Broken Rake is enjoyable, easy to drink, flavorful, goes well with a nice meal. A 6.5 out of 10.
Honestly there isn't all that much more to say about the beer.
Conclusion: If you are partial to amber ale's this is a nice one. Broken Rake is enjoyable, easy to drink, flavorful, goes well with a nice meal. A 6.5 out of 10.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Alaskan Summer Ale beer
Alaskan's summer ale is a seasonal brew that is very flavorful and full bodied. It is a kolsch style beer that does a fairly good job of balancing out the hoppy and and malt flavors equally. The beer is refreshing but has a decent amount of lingering flavor.
For a summer ale I normally go for a lighter beer like a blond logger or a nice hefe weizen but, Alaskan's summer ale is a nice change from time to time. The beer is nice on its own but I actually prefer it with steak, specifically London broil. Interestingly enough the flavor seems to change just slightly every year, I enjoyed the previous years more then the 2007 but I don't regret the purchase.
Conclusion: Alaskan summer ale is nice but not something I would get maybe more then once. Give it a try but don't expect to fall in love. A middle of the road 5.5 out of 10.
For a summer ale I normally go for a lighter beer like a blond logger or a nice hefe weizen but, Alaskan's summer ale is a nice change from time to time. The beer is nice on its own but I actually prefer it with steak, specifically London broil. Interestingly enough the flavor seems to change just slightly every year, I enjoyed the previous years more then the 2007 but I don't regret the purchase.
Conclusion: Alaskan summer ale is nice but not something I would get maybe more then once. Give it a try but don't expect to fall in love. A middle of the road 5.5 out of 10.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Great White beer
Great White is a nice light colored beer produced by Lost Coast. Lost Coast makes some amazing beers, in fact I try to keep a 6 pack of at least one of their varieties in my fridge at all times. Great White is a very refreshing beer that has a slight, almost unnoticeable citrus taste to it.
Great White goes well with just about anything. I enjoy it best by itself or with a light meal, it makes a real nice salad and appetizer beer, and also goes nicely with fish (I actually used a little when cooking a fillet of sole in aluminum foil on my grill).
Conclusion: This is a great any time beer that goes well with most light meals and stands well on its own 2 feet. I give Great White a 7.8 out 10.
Great White goes well with just about anything. I enjoy it best by itself or with a light meal, it makes a real nice salad and appetizer beer, and also goes nicely with fish (I actually used a little when cooking a fillet of sole in aluminum foil on my grill).
Conclusion: This is a great any time beer that goes well with most light meals and stands well on its own 2 feet. I give Great White a 7.8 out 10.
Rosenblum Cellars - Monte Rosso Reserve Zinfandel 2005
Rosenblum Cellars owns no vineyards and their winery is located on Alameda, but they produce some wonderful, mostly red, wines. The grape for the 2005 Monte Rosso Zinfandel is from a single vineyard in the hills overlooking the Sonoma Valley. The wine has a very deep, almost opaque purple color and creates long slow-forming legs on the glass. It has a rich bouquet full of dark colored berries (to say fruity really misses the mark here) and matching full bodied flavors, blended well with oaks and moderate tannins. At 15.2% alcohol content, this is a robust, heady wine that requires hearty fare such as grilled steaks or lamb as an accompaniment. Although a bit pricey at $45, this is a memorable wine. Rating: 8.5 out of 10.
(Review by Rich)
(Review by Rich)
Monday, September 3, 2007
267 Vodka Orange and Lemon
Now that you know how an infusion is done, let's review one. Today we review 267 vodka, more specifically the orange infusion and lemon infusion. At first glance I was skeptic about how it would be since there was quite a bit of pulp and fruit bits floating around. I found out later that was why these were on sale for $7.99 from $27 (they got a little tossed around in shipping it seemed). The ones I have seen since have little to no pulp floating around and look rather visually pleasing.
To be honest, I expected this vodka to simply be a marketing gimmick and did not think that 267 would take their time to make sure the infusion was done well. I was so very, very, very, wrong. 267 did an amazing job with these infusions, not only was the fruit flavorful and well absorbed into the vodka but, the vodka itself was of great quality! I was running low on collins mix so I did a half collins and half 267 orange mix. It was amazing, and the lemon was equally good.
The taste was of rich and ripe oranges, and the vodka was clean and refreshing with absolutely no harsh burn or after taste. This infusion was done amazingly well, such to the point where it rivals my own. The fruit is in no way over powering and it is quite literally a perfect mix.
Conclusion: 267 is currently the only vodka on the market that is a true fruit infusion in the bottle, and quite frankly I am perfectly fine with that. Don't get me wrong I love competition as it forces the companies to produce better products, but with 267 vodka I honestly don't see how it could be any better. At an average price of near $30 for a 750ml bottle it is expensive but, if you are lucky and a crate got damaged in shipping and they are on sale I would buy every last one of them. In my ratings I have never given a product a perfect 10, even to the products of the company that sponsored the old ChrisDrinks.com site. As 267 has virtualy no competition in its particular market it is hard to give this rating fairly but, quite frankly they deserve this. A first ever 10 out of 10.
For information on 267 vodka check out www.267.com
To be honest, I expected this vodka to simply be a marketing gimmick and did not think that 267 would take their time to make sure the infusion was done well. I was so very, very, very, wrong. 267 did an amazing job with these infusions, not only was the fruit flavorful and well absorbed into the vodka but, the vodka itself was of great quality! I was running low on collins mix so I did a half collins and half 267 orange mix. It was amazing, and the lemon was equally good.
The taste was of rich and ripe oranges, and the vodka was clean and refreshing with absolutely no harsh burn or after taste. This infusion was done amazingly well, such to the point where it rivals my own. The fruit is in no way over powering and it is quite literally a perfect mix.
Conclusion: 267 is currently the only vodka on the market that is a true fruit infusion in the bottle, and quite frankly I am perfectly fine with that. Don't get me wrong I love competition as it forces the companies to produce better products, but with 267 vodka I honestly don't see how it could be any better. At an average price of near $30 for a 750ml bottle it is expensive but, if you are lucky and a crate got damaged in shipping and they are on sale I would buy every last one of them. In my ratings I have never given a product a perfect 10, even to the products of the company that sponsored the old ChrisDrinks.com site. As 267 has virtualy no competition in its particular market it is hard to give this rating fairly but, quite frankly they deserve this. A first ever 10 out of 10.
For information on 267 vodka check out www.267.com
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