Akiyoshi Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Clarksburg, CA David Akiyoshi is one of NakedWines.Com’s go-to winemakers in California. So far, I’ve tried his 2013 Sangiovese Rosé, and it placed firmly in my second-best grouping, the Avocados. That’s a 69/100 on the Quini scale. All that means is I expect a pretty good, though probably not exceptional, wine
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Ridge Distillery Absinthe Blanche Kalispell, MT 116 proof This absinthe is completely clear, as I’d imagine the blanche designation indicates. It has few legs to speak of when swirling it in the glass and is a completely blank slate based on appearance. Its particular anise smell reminds me of the thick, black, candy bites of
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Shannon Ridge 2008 Ranch Collection Zinfandel Lake County, CA This red wine has a strong nose of super ripe blackberries and red licorice. Spice rises to the forefront when sipped, wrapped in just enough fruit to tame it. It’s delicious. Anise, mild cinnamon, and a depth to it that I’m calling sandalwood. The fruit combines
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Beringer California Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 Napa Valley, CA Full disclosure: I’ve been drinking some cheap merlot all night, now to be supplanted by a cheap something else. That something else smells like . . . laundry bleach? It smells like dried strawberries rolled in Clorox. I’m not averse to the smell of bleach, but
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VINTJS Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 Napa Valley, CA A pleasant wine with a good amount of flavors mingling together–the spices are in one corner and the fruits in another. Boysenberry, lots of boysenberry, with a little currant to give it a kick. The spice flavors swirl through it like a cinnamon roll, consisting of cinnamon (who
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Novella Zinfandel Paso Robles This wine has everything I love in a zinfandel, especially that dense layer of tobacco beneath the rest of its flavors. There are thick, juicy berries along with some dried currant texture. Honestly, the Novella Zinfandel seems really well done for a zinfandel at this price range, but that might be
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2 shots Two Fingers Gold Tequila 0.5 shot Feeney’s Irish Cream Liquor 4-second pour of Hershey’s Nonfat Chocolate Syrup 4 shots orange juice, heavy pulp  ‘cos that’s how I roll Sprinkle of cinnamon Shake the first four ingredients and pour over crushed ice. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. This cocktail, by all rights, should not be
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