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Staff Favorites - Illya Haase
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Reviews
2023 Diatom Santa Barbara County Chardonnay
Review Date: 09-04-2024
Diatom Chardonnay has been one of my go-tos for years. It is one of those bottles that you can even hand to customers that say they hate Chardonnay. Wonderful aromas of tropical fruit and lemon zest. This is un-oaked, non-malo Chardonnay so it deliveries a great intensity but with a nice mid-palate weight. The balance of acidity and weight which makes for complexity is Diatom's hallmark. Thank you Greg Brewer for showing another side of California Chardonnay! I raise a glass to you.
Fortuna Sour Mash Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)
Review Date: 09-22-2022
I love Bourbon! I also learn towards high proof and a high rye mash bill. But, sometimes one comes across my desk and shakes me out of my preference. The Fortuna shattered that preference! One word Balance. Water need not apply. From start to finish for me it's near perfection. It opens up with white honeysuckle just like the kind that we used to pick off the bushes in Kentucky. Fresh cut wood and roasted peanuts. Candy caramel and butterscotch. That is just the nose. First sip is lively and bright with tastes spearmint and baking spice. Mid palate is heavy with wonderful array of creamy caramel and bright cherries. Balanced flavors, where nothing over takes the other. The finish is long with that KY hug right down in the chest. Even though it is not a crazy high proof it has an amazingly lengthy finish. I can hear it now. Well, "it is only a 6 year." Like I say all the time "don't really care how old it is, it has to be good!" And Damn this is Good!
Price:
$84.99
Four Roses "Small Batch Select" Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)
Review Date: 05-09-2019
The Four Roses barrel selection is amazing. This special bottling will be the distillery’s first permanent product-line extension in more than 12 years. And boy, was it worth the wait! It's crafted from six Bourbon recipes OESF, OBSF, OESK, OESV, OBSK, and OBSV, with a 6 to 7 year age statement, and the seldom used F yeast strain. It imparts some very unique fruit and floral components. The candied fruit flavor is poised and balanced on the palate along with the warming spice bursting through from the heavy rye influence. This is a must have for your Bourbon collection.
2010 Fattoria dei Barbi Brunello di Montalcino
Review Date: 08-17-2015
One of the best red wines I have tried all year! Barbi’s “Blue Label” Brunello is the heart of the estate’s production and its flagship bottling. Does not hurt it is a 2010, one of the best vintages in years. 24 months in small-medium size oak barrels for a few months, then the remainder in larger oak barrels; 4 months further refining in bottles. Dark fruit and spice box on the nose. Great earth tones, tannins and a backbone of acidity shows off the amazing structure of the vintage. Approachable now, but do yourself a favor: get a case and put it away for 10 years. Any grilled meats will do this bottle proud.
Carpano Antica Formula Sweet Vermouth (1L)
Review Date: 07-29-2012
One thing I learned in my twenty years of bar tending is. The better the ingredients, the better the drink. So, if you are making a Manhattan or one of those crazy whiskey drinks from your local mixologist. Keep the Carpano on hand. It make's any cocktail, ten thousand times better! You will not find a better vermouth!
2005 Verdignan, Haut-Médoc
Review Date: 05-28-2012
This is my affordable steak wine. Now, while I am not a high roller. If I am going to spend money on a great NY strip. The wine hold's up it's end of the bargain. Great acid and silky tannins. Matches perfectly with the steak.
Scrappy's Grapefruit Bitters (5oz)
Review Date: 04-30-2012
It's citrus time at the Hollywood Farmers Market. There is nothing better on a lazy Sunday than a greyhound! This grapefruit and vodka cocktail is an ideal choice for a summertime brunch. The beauty of this mixed drink is in its simplicity. But, I like to spice mine up with a little Scrappy's Grapefruit bitters. It is that little extra that goes a long way!
Price:
$19.99
Russian River Brewing Co. "Blind Pig" IPA, California (510ml) *NO SHIPPING/TRANSFERS OUTSIDE BAY AREA*
Review Date: 02-27-2012
This may be the best beer ever! But, one is enough: trust me.
Price:
$5.69
| Limit of 12 per customer |
Franck Bonville Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Review Date: 07-29-2010
For me, one of the best finds at our recent Champagne tasting! It's off-dry, with beautiful fruit and a nice toasty nose. All this from third generation winemaking family whose holdings consist of 15 hectares of Grand Cru vineyards. The winemaking here is all about elegance and finesse and allowing the terroir to speak for itself and it shows.