Tastes like the inside of an oak barrel. Yawn.
(14.5% ABV indicated) Brilliant ruby wine, redolent of oak and spice, bearing not the slightest resemblance to Cab Franc. Good fruit, but generic. (~$40 direct)
We’d visited the sister restaurant, I’O, on a previous trip, so we tried this one this time. The restaurant group has thee properties, all at the same address in a trendy mall in Lahaina. Pacific’o was nice. Decent wine list, though not really adventurous. I started with a ceviche of several local fish and veggies [...]
14.7% ABV indicated, but tastes like 15.7%. Like brushing my teeth with a barrel stave soaked in pure ethanol. Maybe if this were chilled it would tame some of the heat, but the prickly acidity and alcohol burn obstruct the fruit. Normally I like acid, but this is spiky and out of place. I think [...]
Tropical American oak, apricot and spice balanced by decent acid. Not really my style, but competently done. Larry.
13.5% ABV indicated, I think. This wine manages an impressive balancing act – it’s got a very rounded cherry fruit flavor without harsh edges, but with a very refreshing acidity that keeps it feeling fresh. Really very tasty. And not a hint of that overripe, syrupy-nasty, coats-the-throat character that I dread in dry rosé. Larry.
Underneath the heavy barrel smell and flavor, there’s a very interesting, spicy red wine here. It’s got all sorts of dark-brown-to-black flavors like clove, Coca-Cola, chocolate, licorice, and black cherry. As it sits out the oak subsides and it’s actually really nice – aromatic, balanced, with good acid and all sorts of complexity. Why don’t [...]
14.4% ABV and the resulting slightly hot/thick characteristics are my only real beef with what is otherwise a nicely tart, clean Chenin Blanc. While it lacks the complexity of the Loire Chenins that I love, this is a very drinkable California table wine. Screwcap, yay! A Larry. ($13ish, Costco?)
Intense and odd dark spiky chocolate, prune, and alcohol nose. Zin berry spice up front, plus a somewhat vegetal green note and hot alcohol, swimming in a sea of (American?) oak. Enormous plush fruit plus some odd chemical flavors, heavy tannin, and lots of acid. Definitely a Larry Moe, with the big soft fruit just [...]
95% Zinfandel, 5% Petite Sirah. 14.4% ABV indicated. Tons of coconutty oak and blackberry jamminess, which would tend to put me off a wine, but this one also has some black pepper spice and zin-flavored fruit, which saves it from being a bomb. Still not a favorite. A Larry. (Winery, $28)