Staff Picks: What to Drink This Week
Things our staff thinks you should drink.
Baker's Bourbon (750ml) - $67.99
Baker's Bourbon is a perfect choice for your holiday weekend. Baker's is a bold, traditional bourbon with notes of oak, vanilla, and caramel. Since it is a single barrel product you are able to experience the differences between different rackhouses and different floors every time you buy a bottle. Baker's is bottled at 107 proof, so the whiskey tastes great neat or on the rocks, but will also stand up in a cocktail. Perfect for sharing with family or keeping for yourself.
-Todd
2008 R Lopez De Heredia Bosconia $38.99
R Lopez De Heredia is a benchmark producer of Rioja, a 4th generation winery currently run by Maria Jose Lopez. This bodegas has a 143 year history, their own cooperage, and an unwavering commitment to producing quality wines that can age for eons. The applauded 2008 vintage of their Bosconia is a stunning wine - and at under $40 it is a must try! The wine is a tempranillo based blend that's aged in barrel for 5 years, fined with egg whites, left unfiltered, and then left to rest until the wine is ready for the consumer - meaning you can enjoy it now or in 50 years, if cellared properly! This structured wine exists where brooding power meets complexity and elegance. It's savory with notes of tobacco, wood smoke, and forest floor - while also offering generous amounts of fruit and minerality. To put it simply, this wine crushes!
-Katrina
Gillmore Mariposa Pais 2019 - $17.99
Pais is a European grape varietal in origin but has been a part of the Chilean wine industry for hundreds of years. It lost its popularity in the 20th century due to Chile vignerons concentration on Bordeaux varietals but has found new life in the last couple decades as winemakers have made a push to save old Pais vineyards. The Mariposa Pais is an excellent way to check out this light to medium bodied red that has the finesse of grapes like Pinot Noir and Gamay. The nose shows pretty aromatics of blood orange and the palate has cherry pomegranate notes. This wine would be great with roasted vegetables dishes or that leftover turkey sandwich from Thanksgiving. Give Pais a chance!
-Rob
Apaluz Mezcal (750ml) - $29.99
Apaluz is distilled in Durango by Antonio Panuco using mature 12-year-old Durangenis agave. The nose on this mezcal hits you right off the bat with a full bodied agave fragrance, light smoke, hints of citrus, and a slight grassiness at the end. Apaluz has great sweet flavors throughout, tame smoke, vanilla, honey, agave, and a light, creamy, cheesy finish. One of the things I love about Apaluz is that the smoke is not overbearing on your palate and doesn't overshadow the other flavors going on in the mezcal or in a cocktail. Speaking of which, this makes an awesome smoky margarita. I'd recommend getting some Apaluz if you're trying to get into mezcal but don't know where to start, or you're looking for an awesome cocktail workhorse. I can't recommend this mezcal enough; this is a great quality spirit with an even greater value.
-Quinn
2020 Union Sacre - Orange Riesling - $22.99
'Sacred Union' is an homage to two individuals collaborating to produce elegant yet robust wines from the central coast of California. Philip Muzzy and Xaxier Arnaudian, an unlikely friendship turned partnership, founded Union Sacre with a vision of producing Alsatian-like wine, particularly using Chardonnay and Riesling grapes. It is out of these two varietals that this unique 'Dry Riesling' was born. The robust nature of California Chardonnay balances out the Riesling and would hold up to Turkey Day dinner and dessert! Your Thanksgiving day guests may take notice when the Chardonnay blend you provided pours out an almost neon orange color. But rest assured, the color is simply from the 30 days of skin contact during fermentation, and only adds a slight, tannic structure to the wine. So this year, don't bring the usual Beaujealous Nouveau but introduce your loved ones to this interesting alternative, that even Grandpa Jack will enjoy.
-Caitlin
Charles Ellner 'Carte Blanche' Brut Champagne - $43.99
Your celebration deserves Champagne. Nothing else lifts moods quite as quickly or consistently. The perfect marriage of grace and exuberance. it gets the party started. Of course, you're expected to pay for this service. We have several wines selling in the low forty dollar range which seems to be the point of entry these days. Of those you'd be well served to choose the Charles Ellner.
It has great length and power with plenty of toast and honeysuckle born of a minimum of 4 years on the lees. It has the complexity of age yet it retains it's freshness due to aging in a combination of stainless steel and bottle and malolactic fermentation is used very judiciously. The only drawback is that you may start craving the Carte Blanche with your breakfast in place of OJ.
-Dave
2018 Kind Stranger, Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington State - $19.99
This offering from wine maker and owner, Andrew Latta consists of 85 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, from the Aquilini vineyard on the shoulder of Red Mountain and 15 percent Malbec from the 30 year old vines of the Weinbau vineyard. Fermentated whole berry with indigenous yeasts, the grapes are finally basket pressed to barrel for 20 months of aging in partially new French oak. The result is a wine wafting with aromas of black fruit and herbs progressing to flavors on the palate of black cherry, bosenberry, currant, and bitter chocolate touched with baking spices of cinnamon and vanilla. Fine grained tannins help the firm and lightly grippy finish. Not only is this a delicious wine to enjoy at a great price, you will be helping Andrew in his mission as a "Kind Stranger" to donate sale proceeds to Mary's Place, in Seattle. Mary's Place provides safe shelter and services for women, children, and families in the Puget Sound area while they work to rebuild their lives.
Cheers, for sure!
-Patrick
