Reviews of wines and spirits for the curious drinker.
Larsen is one of Cognac’s more distinctive houses—not because it is one of the oldest, but because it combines a Nordic heritage with a very elegant, fruit-driven Cognac style. While houses such as Hennessy, Martell, Rémy Martin, and Courvoisier trace their roots back to the 18th century, Larsen was founded in 1926 by a Norwegian adventurer, making it a relative newcomer with an unusually international identity.
Cognac has been sold under the Ferrand name since the 18th century, spanning 10 generations of producers, beginning with the birth of the first Elie Ferrand in the small town of Segonzac in 1630 (nine more Elies would follow). In 1989, Alexandre Gabriel partnered with Pierre Ferrand, the living heir of the family, to develop a line of Cognacs. Once Pierre Ferrand retired in 1993, Gabriel became sole proprietor.
In short order, Gabriel bought the Logis d’Angeac distillery, built in 1776 and located in the heart of the Grande Champagne region of Cognac. He also purchased the 18th century Chateau de Bonbonnet, once owned by the Martell family, and turned it into his home as well as Ferrand’s state-of-the-art blending facility and offices. The company owns vineyards, restores historic copper pot stills, and performs production largely in-house.
Photo: Alexandre Gabriel
If Cognac represents the pinnacle of French grape brandy, Carlos I Brandy de Jerez is one of Spain’s great answers to it. Produced by Bodegas Osborne, it is arguably the flagship premium Brandy de Jerez, and has done more than almost any other brand to elevate Spanish brandy from an everyday digestif to a world-class sipping spirit.
Founded in 1772, Osborne is one of Spain’s oldest continuously operating wine and spirits companies. It was established in El Puerto de Santa María, in Cádiz province, at the heart of the Sherry Triangle. The company remains family-owned after more than 250 years.
The company traces its roots to Thomas Osborne Mann, an English merchant who settled in Andalusia to trade sherry. During the 18th and 19th centuries, British merchants played an enormous role in developing the export market for Sherry wines, and Osborne became one of the most successful.
Rémy Martin is one of the world’s oldest and best known Cognac brands, with selections that range, at my local liquor store at least, from the $13 St. Remy French brandy to the $9000 Rémy Martin Louis XIII Time Collection: City of Lights – 1900. (I have tried one of these, but not both.)
Rémy Martin was founded in 1724 in the Cognac region of France by Paul-Emile Rémy Martin. He was born in 1695 near Rouillac in southwestern France, the son of a vine grower. At 19, he married the daughter of a local notary, and 10 years later, in 1724, he established a Cognac trading house. On his death in 1773, the business passed to his grandson, also named Rémy, who was also the local tax collector. In time, his son inherited the business, which saw a four-fold increase in the region’s trade between 1810 and the early 1820s. In 1841, Paul-Emile-Rémy Martin (the family gave just about every male heir the same name, apparently) assumed control and oversaw even greater growth. He introduced the innovation of selling in bottles as well as the traditional casks. An early and skillful marketer, he added a logo to the bottles and cases; a centaur after Sagittarius, Martin’s zodiac sign, and registered the firm’s first trademarks in 1874. Following him, as so often happens in dynastic families, the fifth-generation proprietor nearly bankrupted the operation.
Continue reading “St. Rémy Signature French Brandy”
Pizza Marengo
Chicken Marengo was created by Napoleon’s cook, Dundand, at Marengo, a small town in the Piedmont region of Italy. Napoléon had just defeated the Austrians on June 14, 1800, and, so the story goes, was famished. Dundand, however, had very little to work with, the commissary having been left behind because Napoléon was in hot pursuit. So he foraged around and came up with some chicken, tomatoes, garlic , and crayfish–some fried eggs got in the picture somewhere, too.
Well, the contemporary version of chicken (and veal) Marengo does not include either crayfish or eggs but rather onions, mushrooms, and olives. Here it is in pizza form.
Start dough at 4p for dinner between 7p and 8p
1 cup warm water (90 to 110 degrees F.)
2 tsp instant-rise yeast
3-1/4 cup bread flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil (extra virgin not necessary)
Combine ingredients and knead by hand for 10 minutes or machine
for two to five minutes. Coat dough ball in a thin film of olive oil or cooking spray, cover in plastic wrap, and let rise in warm place until doubled in size.
Taittinger Prestige Rosé NV
Few Champagne houses combine elegance, history, and consistency as successfully as Taittinger. Among the Grandes Marques, it has long stood apart for one defining reason: its unusually high proportion of Chardonnay, which gives virtually every wine in its portfolio a lighter, finer, and more graceful personality than many competitors. If Bollinger is muscular, Krug profound, and Pol Roger aristocratic, Taittinger is often described as the most elegant and refined of the major houses.
Tattinger was founded in 1932 (although its roots extend to the historic Forest-Fourneaux house estaablished in 1734). It is one of the few major Champagne houses still controlled by the founding family, after being repurchased in 2006. While many famous Champagne houses are owned by luxury conglomerates such as LVMH or Pernod Ricard. Taittinger remains family-directed, allowing it to emphasize long-term vineyard investment over short-term financial returns. Continue reading “Taittinger Prestige Rosé NV”
Roederer Estate Apple Valley Vineyard 2021
Louis Roederer [Road-ur-ur], a distinguished champagne producer situated in Reims, France, traces its origins back to 1776, when it began as Dubois Père & Fils. While its early days were marked by still wine production, the focus soon evolved to embrace the art of crafting fine champagnes. The business underwent a transformation under the stewardship of Louis Roederer in 1833 when he inherited the company and also renamed it for himself. He boldly ventured into international markets, focusing particularly on Russia. This endeavor gained him immense recognition, including from Tsar Nicolas II, who appointed Louis Roederer as the official wine provider to the Imperial Court of Russia.
Walson Holland is a small winery nestled in the Ojai Valley of Southern California. It was founded in 2018 by seasoned winemaker Benjamin (“Benny”) Holland, and Jonas Svensson, an Ojai-based vineyard owner.
Benjamin Holland began his career by interning at Kosta Browne in 2016, then worked harvest in Central Otago’s Amisfield in New Zealand, and later interned at the prestigious cult winery Sine Qua Non in California. There, he honed the meticulous craft and precision that now define Walson Holland’s style.
The first vintage began with modest scale: in 2018 they produced roughly 600 cases in an Oxnard warehouse, sourced from vineyard sites across California’s Central Coast—Sta. Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon, Alisos Canyon, Happy Canyon, the Santa Ynez Valley, and Edna Valley. Production then grew steadily, reaching around 800 to 1500 cases by 2022.
As early as 2021, the Santa Barbara Independent featured them, celebrating their Rhône-style blends, field-blend approach, and urban tasting room.[Now closed, from what I could determine. The wines are currently sold in a handful of California wine shops, and on an allocation basis on their Web site.]
From the start, the winery has specialized in Rhône‑style blends—including both whites and reds—and also single‑varietal Pinot Noir and Grenache. Their wines have garnered attention from critics including California Wine Advisors and The Wine Independent, with glowing early reviews for their 2018 Grenache and later vintages. Continue reading “Walson Holland Mélange Blanc 2020”
Is this one of the best bargains in French brandy? Maybe. Maybe not.
When most spirits enthusiasts hear the name Gran Gala, they immediately think of the popular Italian orange liqueur often compared to Grand Marnier. What many drinkers don’t realize is that Gran Gala also produces an authentic French cognac—a surprisingly affordable bottle. At a time when many well-known cognac brands command prices of $40, $50, or significantly more for their entry-level offerings, Gran Gala VS often sells for less than $25. That price alone makes it worthy of a closer look.
For more than three decades, Patz & Hall has occupied a special place among California’s elite Chardonnay producers. Founded in 1988 by Donald Patz, James Hall, Anne Moses, and Heather Patz, the winery built its reputation not through vast estate holdings, but through long-standing relationships with some of the finest vineyard owners in Sonoma County and beyond. Long before vineyard-designated wines became fashionable, Patz & Hall was showcasing the unique personalities of celebrated sites such as Hyde Vineyard, Durell Vineyard, Gap’s Crown Vineyard, Dutton Ranch, and Zio Tony Ranch.
Eric and Amy Gale are the owners and sole full-time employees of Anchored Roots, founded in 2020 in Door County, Wisconsin.
The couple make an ideal front-of-house/back-of-house duo. Amy grew up in Milwaukee, with hospitality at the forefront of her career path. Her initial focus was event planning, from non-profit fundraisers and catering, to corporate events and weddings. This was followed by experience in tasting room management at Airfield Estates in Prosser, Washington.
Eric was born and raised in Luxemburg, Wisconsin. Perhaps predictably, while he was growing up he worked summers at a neighbor’s 60-head dairy farm. However, his academic bent led him to a Bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry. He then pursued a Masters in Viticulture at Washington State University. After graduation, he landed a job at Chateau Ste. Michelle, Washington state’s oldest winery. His primary responsibility was overseeing the Cold Creek vineyard, Ste. Michelle’s first, originally planted in 1972.
Continue reading “Anchored Roots “The Roots” Estate Red Blend 2024″
If you’re looking at premium blancos in the $40–50 range, Mijenta Blanco has become one of the most respected modern tequilas among agave enthusiasts. It was created by master distiller (maestra tequilera) Ana María Romero Mena, one of the most highly regarded tequila experts in Mexico.
The name “Mijenta” is derived from the Spanish phrase “mi gente” (“my people”), reflecting the brand’s emphasis on Mexican culture, community, and craftsmanship.
Mijenta is traditionally crafted using mature agave from the Highlands of Jalisco, an area known for producing sweeter, fruit-forward tequilas. The agaves are cooked in autoclaves before fermentation and distillation.
What distinguishes Mijenta is that Ana María Romero approaches tequila much like a wine sommelier approaches wine, paying close attention to terroir and agave character. Her special “Maestra Selection” releases have even explored agaves from all five tequila-producing states within Mexico’s denomination of origin.
This Blanco is 100% Blue Weber agave, primarily sourced from the Highlands (Los Altos) region of Jalisco. It is produced without additives according to the company as well as widely recognized additive-free tequila sources. “Additive free” is becoming increasingly more important among tequila connoisseurs.
On the nose, expect cooked agave, citrus zest, floral notes, fresh herbs, minerality. and black pepper. The palate features more of that cooked agave and citrus, plus cantaloupe, honey, cinnamon, and green olive. It all wraps up in a clean, medium long finish.
And after you try it, you will figure the bottle costs twice what you actually paid for it. Bonus! ABV is 40%.
If you try this tequila, let me know what you thought of it in the comments below.
–By Spirits Contributor Todd Mrowice
Back to blog posts: winervana.com/blog/
The Raymond name has been associated with Napa valley since the year Prohibition ended. The Raymond family arrived in Napa Valley in 1933. Roy Raymond married into the Beringer family in 1936. He worked as winemaker for Beringer from 1933 to 1970. The following year, he and his two sons Walter and Roy Jr set out on their own with a 90-acre estate property in Rutherford. They released their first commercial wine under the Raymond Vineyards label in 1974. The estate now comprises 300 acres in Rutherford, St. Helena, and Jameson Canyon. All are are certified organic and biodynamic. The winery is also operated on 100% solar power.
Continue reading “Raymond Coombsville District Cabernet Sauvignon 2019”
Jacob Schram, a German immigrant, bought 200 acres on Mt. Diamond in Napa valley in 1862 and planted 30,000 vines. He had Chinese laborers dig Napa’s first hillside caves for wine aging and storage. His winery, Schramsberg, gained fame after the author Robert Louis Stevenson wrote about it in his 1883 book, The Silverado Squatters. The wine became so popular that the 23rd President of the United States, Benjamin Harrison, served it in the White House at official functions.
Germain-Robin XO Brandy
In the world of fine spirits, few American producers have challenged Old World orthodoxy as boldly—or as successfully—as Germain-Robin. Long before “craft distilling” became a marketing buzzword, Germain-Robin was quietly rewriting the rules of brandy in Northern California, proving that greatness didn’t have to come from Cognac to rival it.
The story begins in 1982 with an unlikely partnership between Ansley Coale, a California rancher and former academic, and Hubert Germain-Robin, a French distiller from a Cognac-producing family dating back to the 18th century. Their meeting—reportedly by chance along a California highway while Germain-Robin was hitchhiking—sparked a shared vision: to apply traditional French distillation techniques to exceptional California wine grapes.
That decision changed everything.