Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/17414
BLUE REVIEWS 93 88 Basil Hayden’s Straight Kentucky Bourbon, USA ($37) Sweet toasted vanilla nose; smooth and floral with lovely toasted vanilla oak and spice; elegant, medium weight and showing a long, balanced finish; an exquisite bourbon that should appeal to scotch drinkers. BEAM GLOBAL SPIRITS & WINE Vecchia Romagna Etichetta Nera Brandy, Italy ($36) Smooth vanilla-caramel nose; creamy and lush with medium amber color and mellow flavors of caramel and sweet, ripe tropical fruit; suave and easygoing with balance and restrained style. VIAS IMPORTS 91 Germain-Robin Coast Road Reserve Brandy, USA ($72) The equivalent of an XO, with some brandies dating back to Germain- Robin’s earliest distillations; toasty and ripe with creamy texture and lush flavors of dried fruit, vanilla, oak and spice. CRAFT DISTILLERS Champagne Cognac, France ($50) Fragrant and mellow; smooth and silky with lovely dried fruit and elegant floral notes; lush and yet quite refined in style; richly flavored and very long on the palate. 92 RÉMY COINTREAU USA floral liqueur made from grape flowers; creamy texture and notes of lavender and honey; quite lovely. DOMAINE SELECT 93 Wine Cocktail, South Africa ($24) Café-au-lait color; aromatic mocha nose; creamy and rich with the exotic flavor of marula, milk chocolate, spice and sweet cream; unctuous, long and seductive. CAPE OF GOOD HOPE WINE CO. 92 54 / the tasting panel / october 2010 Nature’s Finest Marula Cream June Esprit de June, France ($30) A smooth, Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal Fine Roth Estate T he northern Sonoma town of Healdsburg is one of California’s wine and food capitals. The Russian River Valley, Dry Creek Valley and Alexander Valley AVAs, three of the most important wine-produc- ing regions in the state, meet within a stone’s throw of a 19th-century plaza in the middle of town. Delicious food abounds at tony Cyrus and eclectic Barn Diva. Comfy lodging is plentiful at the funky h2hotel and luxurious Healdsburg Inn. And A Healdsburg Wunderkind’s Wonderwine Ben Weinberg, a Certified Sommelier, is the Editor- in-Chief of Unfiltered, Unfined and President of Wine On The Road. of course, Healdsburg is the postal address of Roth Estate and their fabulous 2008 Merlot. In the glass, an inky plum-purple hue intimates what a quick sniff fulfils. The taste is all blueberries, blackberries and brown sugar, each vying for attention in an orderly dance of silk and power. The long, lush, muscular finish is a tribute to Jesse Katz, the winery’s young and absurdly talented winemaker, who says that maturing vineyards and a new barrel program allow his bottles to show more of their natural form early in life. Of course the estate’s wines are unfiltered and unfined, which obviously resonates with me. All-in-all, it’s now shockingly clear that Roth is rising, energized by the youthful vigor of Jesse stand- ing steady at the helm. –Ben Weinberg PHOTO: ANDY KATZ