BevX Reviews – Different By Design
Below is a quick look at our latest reviews published at BevX November 29, 2023. Click the links to get the score and the full analysis of each beverage. Every Wednesday we release new stories, introduce our latest reviews, and send our subscribers their weekly, free digital newsletter. (Subscribe here.)
We had another busy week at BevX with new, tasty beverage reviews to share.
We have shifted our reviews format in order to offer more reviews for our review hungry readers. The review pages (links below) will now offer a full tasting note with links to a full detail review for our Featured Beverages.
As always you see all of our reviews here:
Beverage of the Week
Abita Christmas Ale (USA)
The Abita Christmas Ale is a brown ale that is brewed with six types of malted barley and fermented with American Ale yeast. It is brewed with pale malt as well as a combination of Caramel, Biscuit, Munich, and chocolate malts… See the Beverage of the Week feature
Latest Reviews
Wine Reviews
Roccafiore Il Roccafiore Sangiovese IGP Umbria 2020
Brilliant, medium ruby color. The aromatics are intense, offering scents of black plum and elderberry with supporting notes of bramble, tomato leaf, slate, oak, and anise. The palate confirms the nose delivering a red and black fruits-driven core with flavors of black cherry, earth, forest floor, licorice, and cigar box. The finish is long and lingering with silky tannins. Medium to full-bodied and perfectly balanced with an opulent texture. $18 – 5 Stars/97 points
Roccafiore Fiorfiore Grechetto IGP Umbria 2022
Brilliant, light pale straw color. The aromatics are intense, offering scents of guava, green apple, and spring flowers with supporting notes of citrus zest, fresh herbs, and slate. The palate confirms the nose delivering a ripe orchard fruits-driven core with flavors of pear, mineral, blanched almonds, apricot stone, and citrus zest. The finish is long and lingering. Medium-bodied and perfectly balanced with a vibrant texture. $18 – 4.5 Stars/95 points
Spirits Reviews
Christian Drouin Vintage 1964 Calvados Pays d’Auge
Brilliant, deep amber color. The nose is filled with the scents of baked apples, tart cider, roasted nuts, brown baking spices, and oak with hints of fresh baked rye bread. The palate echoes the nose delivering a rich and decadent baked apple-driven core with supporting notes of bitter apple, nutmeg, and dark caramel. Ideally balanced with great length and complexity as the trailing notes become surprisingly vibrant with apple skin tannins. $456 – 5 Stars
Christian Drouin Vintage 1974 Calvados Pays d’Auge
Brilliant, deep copper/amber color. The aromatics are reminiscent of holiday cheer with sweet apple, baking spices, and decadent caramel in the lead with accents of vanilla and cinnamon. The palate is in full agreement with the nose delivering a layered, apple-focused core with waves of allspice, cinnamon, and butter toffee. Perfectly balanced with an incredibly vibrant rush of acidity that gives a youthful edge to this mature vintage Calvados. $360 – 5 Stars
Christian Drouin Vintage 1994 Calvados Pays d’Auge
Brilliant, amber color. The nose is filled with the scents of baked apples that are nearly equaled by red fruit with accents of caramel toasted nuts, cocoa nibs, and nutmeg. The palate echoes the nose delivering an incredibly juicy, sweet apple-driven core with waves of French apple cake, butter toffee, and hints of red cherry. Wonderfully balanced with a silky texture that seamlessly marries the complex flavors. $262 – 4.5 Stars
Christian Drouin Vintage — Foursquare Finish 2004 Calvados Pays d’Auge
Brilliant, deep golden/copper color. The nose is filled with the scents of baked apple with a generous dose of caramel, toffee, and brown baking spices with a lovely honey accent. The palate echoes the nose delivering a caramel and baked apple core with notes of dried pear, nutmeg, candied ginger, and hints of clove. Full-bodied with perfect balance as the spice notes and abundant acidity are the ideal foil to the rich, decadent fruit. $144 – 4.5 Stars
Christian Drouin Tres Pomme Calvados Pays d’Auge
Brilliant, golden straw color. The aromatics deliver a clever balance of youthful cider with apple spirit giving detailing of each part of the fruit from the sweet juice to the rustic skins. The palate echoes the nose delivering a unique spirit that defies categorization as it offers vibrant, raw, sweet fruit with the power of a refined pomace brandy in the best possible way. Ideally balanced with great length and weight. Made in very small batches, aged for three years in old, neutral, large format oak casks. $68.75 – 5 Stars