Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/5037
Blue Reviews 88 Bogle Vineyards 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Cali- fornia ($10) Smooth and fresh with juicy fruit, ripe flavors and clean, lively zest; balanced, charming and stylish. 88 Coyote Creek 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, California ($8) Smooth, herbal and bright with ripe plum and juicy berry fruit; fresh, lively and showing good acid struc- ture and balance. ADLER FELS WINERY 88 Happy Camper 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, California ($9) Smooth and lush with ripe cherry and raspberry fruit; vanilla, spice and good acidity; balanced, long and charming. 90 Raymond 2006 R Collec- tion Merlot, California ($15) Lush, velvety and complex with plum, soft herbs and lovely acid structure; sophisticated, balanced, long and quite impressive. BOISSET USA spirits I'm devoting my spirits reviews this month to the 11 stunning new expressions of Diageo's Classic Malts Selection. 96 Brora 30 Year Old Rare ($400) From the now inactive sister dis- tillery of Clynelish, this spectacular whisky is golden in color with intense peat as well as briny seaweed and salt; toasted, rich with "island" flavors and biscu- ity, mustard notes; amazing stuff! 90 Caol Ila Unpeat- ed 10 Year Old Rare ($60) Unusual in that it is not peated; the result is a whisky that could be mistaken for Irish, except that it has an intensity and aromatic profile that is assertively Scottish; pinpoint purity with lovely notes of pear and melon, grass and banana; amazing complexity for a 10-year- old; smooth and creamy; bottled at cask strength. 91 Caol Ila The Distiller's Edition ($80) Smooth and smoky with flesh and sweet oak notes; fresh and elegant with asser- tive flavors and lush texture; long, balanced and charming. 91 Dalwhinnie The Distiller's Edition ($75) A lovely Speyside with hints of peat, malt and sherry; charming toasted notes and some pleasantly surprising sweetness; lush, elegant and very long. 94 Lagavulin 12 Year Old Rare ($75) Smoky and fleshy with sweetness and tea notes; peaty but also elegant and complex, warming and earthy with amaz- ing depth of flavor; toasted vanilla, creamy and one of a kind. 93 Royal Lochna- gar Selected Reserve ($210) This elegant whisky, made in a tiny distillery on the grounds of the British royal family's summer home, is being brought back to the U.S. mar- ket for the first time in many years; silky smooth and creamy with lovely toffee, dried fruit, apple and light peat; balanced, mellow and feminine with a hint of sherry. 92 Oban The Dis- tiller's Edition ($100) Lush, rich and bal- anced with lovely orange zest, caramel and bready notes; salt, seaweed and sweet vanilla with depth and remarkable balance. 95 Port Ellen 30 Year Old Rare ($370) Powerful, smoky and heavily peated with spice, flesh and hints of vanilla and caramel; toasty and rich with a lingering flavor of roasted meat, salt and brine; this cask strength whisky is a complete and masterful expression of the true character of Islay. 92 Lagavulin The Distiller's Edition ($110) Smoky and fleshy with characteristic intensity and meatiness; briny, rich and asser- tive with style, density and notes of sweet toffee and spice. 97 Talisker 25 Year Old Rare ($200) Creamy and sweet with lovely persistent smoke and grilled meat; heather, earth, tart tatin and banana; lush and envelop- ing with a characteristic kiss of hot pepper on the finish. 93 Talisker The Distiller's Edition ($80) Smoky, toasty and showing crème brûlée with a finish of hot pepper; assertive yet balanced with complexity and some sea references; long, intense and exquisite. 32 / the tasting panel / december 2009