What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🍷 Portugal is known for its distinctive, affordable wines&mdash;here are some of the <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/alentejo-wine-part-2">best bottles to try now</a> from the Alentejo region.
🥃 <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/louis-xiii-cognac-cellar-master">We spoke to the Louis XIII cellar master</a> about how he creates this luxury cognac, and the future of high-end spirits in today&rsquo;s softening global spirits market.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
TX Whiskey Vino de Naranja ($40)
This is the 15th release in Texas distillery TX Whiskey&rsquo;s Experimental Series. It&rsquo;s a blend of two whiskey components&mdash;five-year-old straight rye whiskey distilled at the Fort Worth facility, and bourbon that was finished in Vino de Naranja wine casks for three years. The final blend has notes of fruit, orange, vanilla, and caramel, and can be sipped neat or mixed into a cocktail.
Dos Maderas Origen Thailand ($83)
Dos Maderas is a brand that sources its rum from Guyana and Barbados and then ships it to Spain to age in sherry casks sourced from Jerez. This is the first release in the brand&rsquo;s Origen series, a Thai rum that spent 12 years aging there before coming to Spain and being finished in 80-year-old sherry casks. The result is a sweet rum with notes of tropical fruit and spice.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
The Macallan Diamonds are Forever 55th Anniversary ($750)
If you&rsquo;re familiar with the Macallan&mdash;and most whisky drinkers are&mdash;you know that the distillery usually releases several special edition bottlings every year. You also know that virtually all of the whisky distilled there is matured in sherry-seasoned oak, either European or American or a combination of the two. These are usually very good and collectors tend to snap them snap them up. But every now and then, the distillery will release a single malt that deviates from the norm and incorporates a different type of barrel into the maturation mix. Such is the case with the new James Bond tie-in, Diamonds are Forever 55th Anniversary.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/8109d001-4379-41cd-ad1e-057e95f3eeba.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Photo Credit the Macallan"> 
What separates this 18-year-old whisky from other expressions is that, in a first for the distillery, the Macallan has used two special types of casks to mature the whisky&mdash;red wine and hybrid European/American oak made from staves of each type of wood (the other casks used are the usual sherry-seasoned oak). What this means is that, in addition to this whisky being a special, expensive limited release, it actually tastes pretty different from your usual Macallan.
There are no cask finishes here; instead, each component was fully matured in the different casks before being blended together. The red wine component has imbued the whisky with nice red berry and ripe fruit notes, which work well with the classic Macallan sherry-soaked raisin, spice, and fig flavors. Obviously, the whisky makers didn&rsquo;t know how they would use these red wine casks when they filled them nearly two decades ago, but they serve their purpose very well in this expression.
And then there&rsquo;s the James Bond part of this whisky. It was distilled in 2007 (get it? 007), and while Bond is best known for drinking martinis that are shaken (and not stirred), he certainly enjoyed his wine and whisky as well. Whether or not you&rsquo;re a fan of this famous screen spy or not, give this new whisky a try&mdash;particularly if you are a well versed in the whisky world of the Macallan. Something like this doesn&rsquo;t come around from this Speyside distillery that often, but it&rsquo;s a welcome addition to the ever-growing portfolio when it does.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Wine Pick of the Week</h3>
Super Red Wine Selections for Super Bowl Sunday
It&rsquo;s Super Bowl Week!&nbsp;Inspired, if that is the word, by the Bad Bunny brouhaha, I&rsquo;m going to recommend three wines from two countries&mdash;a filial pair from the U.S. of A., and one from a Spanish language country, otherwise known as Spain.
But first things first. Let us agree that Super Bowl wines need not be epic, complex, or contemplative. It just needs to be satisfying, delicious, and, to some extent, palate-cleansing, capable of washing down whatever chicken wing/Frito pie/sloppy joe/pizza puck you have in front of you for the Big Game.
California Zinfandel hits those notes. At its best, it's one of the most cheerful reds out there, with rustic red berry flavors and a jovial, sappy disposition. Check out a wine from the Petersons&mdash;father and son Joel Peterson and Morgan Twain-Peterson. Joel, you may recall, founded Ravenswood, one of the most iconic brands of the '80 and '90s. Peterson sold Ravenswood in 2001 and, about a decade later, founded Once &amp; Future.
He also inspired his son Morgan to pursue his own old vine wine journey. With Chris Cottrell, Morgan founded Bedrock Wine Company and together they&rsquo;ve devoted their production to heritage vineyards, an affinity he shares with his father.
Super Bowl Libations, American Edition
Bedrock&rsquo;s 2023 Old Vine California Zin ($25) combines fruit from old vineyards in Sonoma County, Lodi, and Contra Costa County, and is luscious, red fruited and supple, with a whiff of leafy bramble and a hint of cinnamon to lend a bit of complexity.
Once &amp; Future has several options but look for something from Sonoma, like the 2023 Dry Creek Valley Zin from Teldeschi Vineyard Frank&rsquo;s Block ($55), an old vine repository farmed by the Teldeschi family for 75 years. Peterson&rsquo;s Teldeschi bottling comes from the low-yielding Frank&rsquo;s Block, with additions of Carignane and Alicante Bouschet, with bright flavors of sun-kissed berries, and a rustic, old fashioned grip.
Super Bowl Libations, Spanish Language Edition
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/7592cfd2-a845-41b8-a91d-5d7fdd1820a7.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Raul Perez">
Raul Perez is one of the leading lights of what&rsquo;s been called the New Spain, injecting life into an ancient and often overlooked region (Bierzo), and in reviving the reputation for the light and vibrant Mencia variety. The 2022 Bierzo St. Jacques ($25) is Mencia dominant, but includes Bastardo, Garnacha Tintorara (Alicante Bouschet), and even white grapes for a spicy, crunchy, lips-macking red.&nbsp; You do not have to speak Spanish to enjoy this wine, just as you do not have to speak Spanish to enjoy the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

The Week in Wine and Whiskey: February 6

Alentejo wines are generally classified in two ways&mdash;under the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Alentejo Denomina&ccedil;&atilde;o de Origem, or the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), Vinho Regional Alentejano. Each category has its own requirements, but for quality producers, they&rsquo;re not so different. For the sake of brevity, the designations Alentejo and Alentejano will only be used only to avoid confusion, though subregions are mentioned for emphasis.
<h3 dir="ltr">Cabe&ccedil;as do Reguengo</h3>
Cabe&ccedil;as do Reguengo is a small winery started in 2009&nbsp; in Portalegre, a portion of which was a mixed field of centenarian vines. The Respiro Zizi Branco Portalegre 2022 ($50) issues from some of these. Decidedly dry, this Branco (white) has a caramel and beeswax richness with an array of citrus flavors like orange, tangerine, and lemon zest, freshened by a zap of acidity. Simply delicious.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Fitapreta</h3>
Fitapreta is the first winery of ground-breaking vintner Ant&oacute;nio Ma&ccedil;anit&aacute;, who makes wine in several regions of Portugal, with a preference for working with under-appreciated grape varieties. His white, o Ancestral 2023 ($27)&mdash;a field blend of Roupeiro, Rabo de Ovelha, Arinto, Tamarez, Alicante Branco, and Ant&atilde;o Vaz&mdash;is full of poppy citrusy notes like lemon and orange zest, creamy lemon curd, hints of fennel, and just plain freshness. His Branco de Talha 2024 ($28) is an amphora-aged, golden wine that eschews some of the Vinho de Talha requirements in favor of delicacy and finesse. A kiss of tannin fans a fado of kumquat, pineapple, and almond flavors.
Barely-ruby hued, Chao dos Eremitas Tinta Carvalha 2022 ($75) is made from indigenous Carvalha. At 12.5% alcohol, low for Alentejo, it&rsquo;s mouthwatering, with pomegranate flavors accented by rose petal and graphite. More robust and darker in color is the Tinto Castel&atilde;o 2021 ($47), which showcases bright red cherry flavors, fresh and cordial, with bright acidity. Chill for simple enjoyment or lose in the cellar for several years to deepen its earthiness. Os Paulistas 2020 ($112), a blend of several grapes takes things up the ladder in terms weight and texture: both velvety and earthy at once, with a palate of wild berries and a pinch of wild herbs.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Herdade do Espor&atilde;o</h3>
Herdade do Espor&atilde;o is centered on a noble Alentejan property in the Reguengos subregion, dating to the 13th century, which released its first wines only in 1985. Its range is varied and large. Despite its size&mdash; over 2500 acres, 1000 of them planted to vines. A blend of local heroes, Ant&atilde;o Vaz, Arinto, and Rouperio, Reserva Branco 2022 ($24) indulges with white fruit&mdash;quince and pear, russet apple, and robe of beeswax encapsulated in spicy oak. Delicious now, it has the structure for aging a decade or more.&nbsp;
The red (Tinto) Reserva 2022 (26) is a wine that might only be made in Alentejo, blending Alicante Bouschet with Trincadeira, Touriga Nacional, Aragonez, and Cabernet Sauvignon and offers a combination of sweet and peppery spice and ripe red berry flavors, confidently structured by velvety tannin. The 2021 and 2020, both on the market, show fascinating vintage differences in blend and profile. AB Alicante Bouschet 2015 (~$52) demonstrates why Alentejans love this usually dismissed grape: this is sappy, yet energetic, bursting with bright red and dark fruit flavors, a dusting of cacao, and a pinch of spice. Over a decade old, it still has a long future.&nbsp;
Also a touch sappy, but far from lazy, is Private Selection 2019 ($78), which blends Alicante Bouschet, Aragonez (aka, Tempranillo), and Tourigas Nacional and Franca into a whole of vibrant red and blue berry, sweet spice, and juicy acidity, all borne by velvety, substantial tannin. Lose for a decade. Add another, or two, for the Torre 2017 ($300).&nbsp; A similar blend to the Private Selection, this is ripe, indulgent, full of dark berry, bitter mint chocolate, and spice, with refreshing acidity that offsets some of its alcohol. This is a wine for collectors or investors who want to live large.
<h3 dir="ltr">Herdade do Mouch&atilde;o</h3>
Herdade do Mouch&atilde;o was founded in the late 1880s by the Reynolds family of Great Britain, which introduced Alicante Bouschet to Alentejo. One branch of the family still owns the estate, and its dedication to the grape is rewarded by wines such as the Tinto 2017 ($65). It starts with spicy blueberry and maple notes then evolves into late summer raspberry and resinous hints of lavender and bramble. The tannins are firm but also fine, everything freshened by vibrant acidity.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Jo&atilde;o Portugal Ramos</h3>
Jo&atilde;o Portugal Ramos has wineries in various parts of Portugal, but its origins are in Alentejo, specifically Borba, in the marble-soiled zone of Estremoz. Its wines universally express the warmth of Alentejo. Marqu&ecirc;s de Borba Branco Vinhas Velhas 2023 ($20) blends Arinto, Roupeiro, Ant&atilde;o Vaz, and Alvarinho into a fruit-laden, minerally wine woven with oak that will be fascinating in three or four years.&nbsp;
The red version Marqu&ecirc;s de Borba Vinhas Velhas 2023 ($20) is an expression of wild-berry flavors from a blend led by Alicante-Bouschet. The tannins are tight but round, a veritable bargain to age. More mature sibling Marqu&ecirc;s de Borba Reserva 2021 ($75) is one of Alentejo&rsquo;s grand wines, with a sense of noble decadence from the blend of Trincadeira, Aragonez, Alicante Bouschet, and Cabernet Sauvignon.&nbsp; The wine shows signs of the savory notes of development, a touch of fresh suede and soy, but the red fruit is sumptuous, the tannins have a silken velvety quality, and the acidity is completely &agrave; point. Think a decade or more.
<h3 dir="ltr">Natus Vini</h3>
Natus Vini is a small winery established in Vidigueira, Alentejo&rsquo;s coolest subregion, by the winemaker at Herdade de Mouch&atilde;o. The farming is regenerative, and traditional winemaking practices are followed that include two days of foot trodding, fermenting in 19th century talhas, and aging in century-old barrels. Made mostly from Trincadeira and Castel&atilde;o the Tinto 2022 ($48) delivers exhilarating freshness, with bright, but earthy aromas of hibiscus, cherry, and ripe pomegranate, underlined by mineral notes. Wonderful.
<h3 dir="ltr">Quinta de S&atilde;o Jos&eacute; de Peramanca</h3>
Quinta de S&atilde;o Jos&eacute; de Peramanca, close to the city of &Eacute;vora, dates back to the 17th century. The current owners only planted vines in 2003.&nbsp; Despite the relative youth of the vines, the flagship P&ecirc;ra Velha Grande Reserva 2016 ($105) is an exemplar of what Alentejo wines traditionally were: lusty, warm, and full of flavor, yet, also with a certain elegance. Officially a blend of Trincadeira, Syrah, and Alicante Bouschet, this offers peppery red and dark fruit flavors with notes of braised meat, balanced by mouthwatering acidity.&nbsp; Alentejo for a Napa Cab lover.
<h3 dir="ltr">Susana Est&eacute;ban</h3>
Susana Est&eacute;ban, one of Alentejo&rsquo;s most thoughtful winemakers, comes from Galicia, Spain. She was drawn to Portalegre for its treasury of old, mixed grape, mountain vineyards, and makes several field blend cuv&eacute;es that are almost astonishingly energetic. Her A Centen&aacute;ria Vinhas Velhas 2023 ($50) offers a pageant of mixed cherry flavors, ripe and tart at once, accented with a deep sense of minerality from her granitic soils. There&rsquo;s enough softness of flavor to enjoy now, yet also the structure to lose for some years.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Symington Family</h3>
The Symington Family, which owns several famed Port wine lodges (Graham&rsquo;s, Dow&rsquo;s, Cockburn&rsquo;s, etc.), were drawn to Portalegre for the freshness offered by cool air coming down from the S&atilde;o Mamede mountains, and the schist and granite soils of the vineyards they bought. Quinta da Fonte Souto Portalegre White 2023 ($32) is a beautiful expression of verve from Arinto and Verdelho, offering the acidity, minerality, citrus and apple flavors, with a kiss of oak that would be familiar to fans of white Burgundy. The parallel red Quinta da Fonte Souto Portalegre Red 2020 ($32) is all about savor. Led by Alicante-Bouschet, this four+ variety blend (some are unidentified) is sultry, spicy, and mineral almost to the point of saline, with an abundance of wild, brambly raspberry flavors to balance things out.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">XXVI Talhas</h3>
XXVI Talhas was started as a passion project by a group of friends to preserve the tradition of talha wines in their village of Vila Alva. In 2018, they established themselves in the workshop of a talha-winemaking carpenter, Mester Daniel, whose 26 talhas de barro (clay amphoras) remained three decades after his death. The Mestre Daniel XXVI Talha X 2022 ($45) is a single-amphora blend of five indigenous white grapes that might turn cynics of amphora-aged, skin-contact wines into believers, with its bust of yellow-stone fruit flavors that settle into spicy russet apple with peppery tannin. The fruit feels ripe, even sweet, but the experience is savory, peppery, and dry.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Tapada de Coelheiros</h3>
Tapada de Coelheiros is a large estate dating back to the 15th century that includes oak and pine forests, walnut and olive groves. Many of the grape varieties planted here are from elsewhere, as the majority Cabernet Sauvignon Tapada de Coelheiros 2019 ($45) demonstrates. But there&rsquo;s also a sense of historic Alentejo, too, buffeted by the juicy blueberry and floral spice from the Alicante Bouschet. This wine has no body issues&mdash;it&rsquo;s robust, but it&rsquo;s in terrific shape. If you like tannic grip, open it early. If you prefer it softer, wait.

Alentejo, Part II: A Selection of Exceptional Wines from Portugal’s Most Underrated Region

What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🍷 Portugal is known for its distinctive, affordable wines, but the underrated Alentejo region is due for its <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/alentejo-portugal-wine">moment in the spotlight</a>.
🥃&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/marcella-mckenna-kentucky-bourbon">Who was Marcella McKenna</a>? Turns out this trailblazing woman played an important role in the history of the McKenna whiskey brand, and Kentucky bourbon.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
Port Charlotte 18 ($200)
This is the oldest expression in Bruichladdich&rsquo;s heavily peated Port Charlotte range. It was matured in a variety of cask types, including sherry, bourbon, red wine, and virgin oak, before being bottled at more than 52 percent ABV. Even if you think you don&rsquo;t like smoky single malt scotch, give this one a try&mdash;it has layers of complexity that go way beyond the smoke.
Hogo Monsta ($55)
This unique rum is not meant for sipping&mdash;it&rsquo;s meant to be used very sparingly to add a little bit of flavor to a cocktail. That&rsquo;s because it has a really high amount of aromatic compounds, way more than any other rum on the market, which contributes to the &ldquo;hogo&rdquo; flavor (funky, intense) that some Jamaican rum is famous for. This rum, however, is from Barbados and comes courtesy of Planteray, a brand owned by French company Maison Ferrand.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked ($200)
The name of this bourbon can cause a bit of confusion for some. It kind of sounds like this Woodford release is a double-double-barreled bourbon, but that&rsquo;s not the case. Instead, this is a version of the distillery&rsquo;s Double Oaked bourbon that spends twice as long in a secondary set of casks than the original&mdash;two years instead of one, after initially aging for five to seven years. Last year it joined the lineup as a member of the core portfolio, and that&rsquo;s a very good thing.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/f86ef8ac-95ac-487c-96eb-73b78713f7f8.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Woodford Double Double Oaked 2026">
Double Double Oaked was originally part of the Woodford Distillery Series, but that changed when it decided to add the whiskey to the core lineup and release it nationally&mdash;albeit, still in limited numbers. It was just re-released, and whiskey drinkers should take note. Double barreling a bourbon in a new set of American oak casks has become a relatively common practice, with many different brands and distilleries doing this to increase intensity of flavor and augment notes of oak, spice, and vanilla. That is certainly the case here with this lengthy secondary maturation, which has resulted in a fantastic bourbon (90.4 proof just like regular Woodford)&nbsp; that is, it should be said, pretty expensive at $200. Still, if you like your bourbon bold and expressive, this is a great new bottle to try.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Wine Pick of the Week</h3>
Tenuta San Leonardo 2020 San Leonardo Red Blend, Vignetti della Dolomiti IGT ($125)
It&rsquo;s good to remember that wines built to age are built in cellars all over the world, not just in the better known places where their reputation precedes them.
In Northern Italy, for example, Barolos, Barbarescos, and Gattinaras tend to hog the spotlight, but there are splendid ageable wines made all throughout the country&rsquo;s northern climes. East of Milan, in the subalpine valleys north of Verona, the conditions are ideal for red varieties, with unique atmospheric patterns, dramatic diurnal shifts, and long grape maturation periods conducive to a long cellar life.
That&rsquo;s certainly the case with this week&rsquo;s wine, the prestigious San Leonardo red blend from the the Guerreri Gonzaga family. Viticulture has been practiced here, in the shadow of the Dolomites, since 1724, and the estate has been a modern player in prestigious red wines for more than a century.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/131b4a1c-1235-410e-90c9-41e7478a44b9.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="San Leonardo">
It is a spectacular site, set in an alpine valley surrounded by foothills, such that the property is influenced by Alpine and Mediterranean climate patterns&mdash;even breezes off Lake Garda, to the south and west, keep the region temperate in winter and cooler in summer.
The family turned the estate over to Bordeaux varieties in the 19th century, planting Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Carmenere, a variety that had been a mystery until somewhat recently. The Carmenere is unusual in the region and yields an especially unique wine, giving off a textbook leafy, peppery note with the kind of polish that 24 months in oak will allow for.
The wine is as mouthwatering as it is deep. Its savory aromas give way to a flavors of lean red berry fruit, and a texture that feels firm and posh, emphasizing fruit skin and firm tannins with the stuff to age 20 years or more. Unique, to be sure, enough to earn Tre Bicchieri honors from Gambero Rosso no less than 25 times since 1993.

The Week in Wine and Whiskey: January 30

Portugal has long been a source of well-made, distinctive wines that cost a lot less than one might expect. Regions such as the Douro&mdash;home to Port and hearty reds&mdash;and Vinho Verde&mdash;land of light, refreshing whites&mdash;are well known. But other parts of the country deserve attention, not the least of which is Alentejo, a large, diverse land that stretches into the deep south of the country. The region produces an array of wines that will satisfy wine enthusiasts in search of bottles that are easy on the pocketbook, collectors seeking age-worthy wines of great value, or those geared toward both wines that cut across the grain and remain deeply traditional.
Alentejo, which encompasses nearly a third of Portugal&rsquo;s total land mass, produces a great deal of solid, modestly priced wines that have both local and international appeal. But over the past quarter century, several winemakers from the region itself and elsewhere (perhaps starting with the Rothschilds of Ch&acirc;teau Lafite) saw beyond the under $10 bottle and recognized the region&rsquo;s exceptional potential for producing memorable wines, regardless of price.
To get there, they approached Alentejo&rsquo;s micro-climates and geological differences with a new sensitivity&mdash;they embraced its autochthonous grape varieties as well as its unapologetic adoption of grapes from elsewhere, including a variety scorned even in its place of origin (more on that shortly). Finally, they valorized the practice of fermenting wines in talhas, or amphoras, a tradition that not long ago was seen as archaic.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">The Lay of the Land</h3>
While Portugal is bracketed by the Atlantic on two sides, Alentejo&rsquo;s wine-growing zones aren&rsquo;t defined by the ocean. Rather, this is a land of sunshine and heat that radiates from the interior of the Iberian Peninsula. Summers can get toasty, up to 110&deg; F in some places. There are undulating plains, home to much of Portugal&rsquo;s cereal production (corn, wheat, rice). But a significant portion of the region&rsquo;s topography is populated by olive trees, some centuries old, and in the northeast, by steeper, sharper peaks.
Then there are the oaks of various species. The most significant is Quercus suber, better known as the cork oak, a protected species upon which a large portion of the wine world relies. Livestock&mdash;cattle, sheep, pigs&mdash;is an important part of local culture, and a great deal of the country&rsquo;s finest charcuterie comes from here.
<h3 dir="ltr">History, Ancient and Modern</h3>
Viticulture has been practiced in Alentejo for four millennia, beginning around 2000 BCE with the Tartessian civilization of southern Iberia, followed by the Phoenicians and then the Greeks. It was the Romans, however, who left the greatest legacy, leaving behind not only ruins, but technologies and techniques preserved to this day. The most important of these has been the unbroken use in Alentejo of amphoras, or talhas, to both make and store wines.
Alentejo&rsquo;s wine history saw ebbs and flows after the end of Roman rule in the 5th century CE, including a significant decline during the Moorish period (8th to 13th centuries), and a renaissance with Roman Catholic rule.&nbsp;
Alentejo&rsquo;s modern wine story begins in the 1980s. In 1989, national regulations defining quality and viticultural zones were established with the Alentejo Denomina&ccedil;&atilde;o de Origem. Known as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), akin to France&rsquo;s Appellation d&rsquo;Origine Contr&ocirc;l&eacute;e, the regulations set rules regarding production yields, grape varieties, and blends. Approved wines had to submit to technical analysis and approval by a tasting panel.
This system was refined further in 2003 with the creation of eight subregions defined by soil type, topography, and microclimate. These include Portalegre, Borba, Redondo, Reguengos, &Eacute;vora, Vidigueira, Granja-Amareleja, and Moura. In the northeast, Portalegre, skirting the S&atilde;o Mamede mountain range, is marked by vineyard elevations up to 1000 meters and notably cooler temperatures. Vidigueira, Alentejo&rsquo;s most southern and westerly subregion, enjoys a conduit of cooling Atlantic breezes. Wines in both these zones are marked by freshness, higher acidity, and lower alcohol. In contrast, wines from the hotter, dryer subregions are more robust, higher in alcohol, and fuller bodied, but they can offer an indulgent warmth and excellent capacity for aging.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">What&rsquo;s Grown and Where</h3>
Portugal is second only to Italy in the number of native grape varieties (around 250). Alentejo is home to at least 20 of those, both reds and whites, and many of its winemakers are proud to proclaim their use of them&mdash;particularly those localized in subzones. Vintners in Validigueira, for instance, are fanatical about the white Ant&atilde;o Vaz, acclaiming its freshness and aromatic qualities. In Portalegre and parts of Borba, especially Estremoz, Arinto is a white favored for its acidity, minerality, and structure, much like Chardonnay in France. In searingly hot Granja-Amareleja, the red Moreto is beloved for its charming red cherry flavors and maintaining its acid.&nbsp;
More than other Portuguese regions, however, Alentejo has long been open to grapes from other parts of the Iberian peninsula, as well as so-called international varieties&mdash;even authorizing some for PDO status. Aragonez, known as Tempranillo in Spain, is, in fact, Alentejo&rsquo;s most-widely planted grape.
More notable, however, is the prominence of Alicante-Bouschet, a teinturier grape (red-fleshed&mdash; most red varieties have white flesh) that was bred in the south of France in the mid-19th century. Regarded as little more than utilitarian in France, as well as in most other places it was planted, Alicante-Bouschet found its natural home in the hot, dry environs of Alentejo when it arrived in the 1880s. It was praised for its structure, deep color, and freshness, with sappy, wild berry flavors sometimes topped with a dusting of cacao.
With its varied microclimates, soils, and 82 authorized grape varieties, Alentejo produces a diversity of colors and styles. Though not required, blending grape varieties is the norm, especially true in wines made from old vineyards which were often co-planted with several varieties. Oak-barrel aging is common, particularly with robust red blends, but producers in the region often apply a subtle hand in their use of wood. More prestigious, investment-worthy wines tend to show their spicy, smokey oak side in their youth, but that element usually melts into the wine after a few years.
<h3 dir="ltr">Talhas&ndash;Alentejo&rsquo;s Amphorae See a Resurgence</h3>
While Alentejo&rsquo;s ancient tradition of talha has been passed down from one generation of vintners to the next, the Portuguese government formalized regulations around their production in 2010. For a wine to be classified as a Talha Alentejo wine, the grapes must be harvested from an Alentejo subregion, and be destemmed and fermented on the skins until completion, and finally rest in impermeable clay amphoras until the Saint Martin&rsquo;s Day (November 11) following harvest. Only after then can the talha&rsquo;s contents be tapped for consumption and sale.
Historically speaking, talha wines were sold at tavern-restaurants. Since the size of the amphora (up to 2000 liters) made transport difficult, the wines were often made there as well, ready to be served fresh with seafood or hearty meat dishes from the Alentejo countryside. In comparison to wines made in Georgian amphora (qvevri), talha wines are somewhat lighter, fresher, and less tannic. Another difference&mdash;whereas amphoras are buried in the ground in Georgia for natural temperature control, they&rsquo;re kept above ground in Portugal. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re just too lazy to bury them,&rdquo; admits Jo&atilde;o Santos of Mainova winery.
<h3 dir="ltr">The Present and the Future</h3>
The transformation of Alentejo in the past three decades shows that laziness is not one of the region&rsquo;s issues. But one challenge is certainly climate change, as winemakers are forced to strategize about the best ways to deal with it. Growers throughout the region have begun employing regenerative farming methods, and those in Portalegre are planting at higher elevations.
Elsewhere, vignerons are exploring&nbsp; more judicious irrigation systems like subterranean water lines. Still others are revisiting some of the ancient or out of favor varieties like Moreto, Tinta Carvalha, or Tamarez, varieties that can withstand the heat. Regardless, Alentejo&rsquo;s ancient history of winemaking and its ability to remake itself, will certainly bring the region into a positive future.
In our next installment, we&rsquo;ll explore some of the estates that should be on your radar.

Alentejo Might Be Portugal’s Most Underrated Region, But It's Ready For Its Spotlight: Part I

What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🍷 When it comes to wine, New Zealand might be best known for its Sauvignon Blanc. But there's a lot more going on, <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/new-zealand-wine">particularly on the North Island</a>.
🥃 The Isle of Skye is a rugged island off the coast of Scotland that is home to some fantastic whisky distilleries. <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/isle-of-skye-whisky-distilleries">Here's a guide</a> to how to navigate visiting them all, including one on the neighboring Isle of Raasay.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
New Riff Balboa Rye ($60)
If you&rsquo;re going to get one rye whiskey for your home bar, consider this excellent bottle from Kentucky distillery New Riff. It&rsquo;s made from a mashbill of 95 percent heirloom Balboa rye and five percent malted rye. That makes for a tasty and complex bottled-in-bond, 100-proof whiskey with big notes of spice and fruit that is perfect for sipping or mixing.
High West Cask Strength Bourbon ($70)
This is a new release from Utah&rsquo;s High West, a blend of bourbons bottled at cask strength of 117 proof. The blend consists of several straight bourbons distilled in Kentucky and Indiana aged between six and 20 years. Each has a unique mashbill, including one that is made from 60% corn and 40% malted barley and one that is made from 60% corn and 40% rye.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
Lock Stock &amp; Barrel 25 ($1,000)
How much would you be willing to pay for a Canadian rye whisky aged for a full quarter century? Lock Stock &amp; Barrel, a brand owned by Cooper Spirits Co., is hoping that you won&rsquo;t blink at spending a thousand bucks, and potentially more than that on the secondary market. The thing is, it just might be worth it.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/cfebc8d1-0f6a-41b5-9d79-2ef51b6e6e01.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Lock Stock Rye"> 
The whisky was distilled at Alberta Distillers in Calgary, where so much Canadian rye bottled by other brands is (we&rsquo;re looking at you, WhistlePig). There&rsquo;s a good reason for that&mdash;the distillery makes really good rye, and the climate in Alberta means that it can be aged for a long time without getting really overly oaky as it would down south here in America. This is the oldest age statement to date from LSB, and indeed it seems to be the oldest rye whiskey (actually, whisky) on the market at the moment. It was fermented with koji, according to the brand, and distilled from a mashbill of 100 percent rye in 1999 on copper pot stills before being aged in barrels for a quarter century. It was bottled without chill filtration at 111 proof.
And it&rsquo;s a really good rye, with deep notes of dark berry, caramel, vanilla custard, black pepper, baking spice, and cherry syrup. The higher proof provides some heat, and helps to bring all the flavors together as you sip. At that high price, this is clearly intended to be a sipper&hellip; but if you feel like breaking some rules, go ahead and make a Manhattan with it&mdash;after all, you bought it, you should enjoy it any way you want (and this is a really good way, I can vouch for it).
There are just 250 bottles available, but this seems to be a bit of a sleeper whisky. If you find one in the wild and have a grand burning a hole in your pocket, go ahead and buy it. 
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Wine Pick of the Week</h3>
For this week&rsquo;s selections, we&rsquo;re going to go Old School Chardonnay. Thomas Fogarty Winery and Talley Vineyards have both been around for quite a while&mdash;Fogarty started his winery in 1981, Talley Vineyards was founded by Don Talley in 1982. Both are family wineries well into their second generation, with legacies that have stayed modern while outlasting modish trends. Both are devoted to cool climate Chardonnay, and both still make wines that reward cellar time.
Dr. Fogarty founded his winery after a career as a surgeon and medical technician, perfecting a catheter that became a universal tool in vascular surgery. The Fogarty brand has been a stalwart of Santa Cruz family wineries, now run by the second generation. Fogarty&rsquo;s son, Thomas Jr., had the good sense to promote his talented winemaker, Nathan Kandler, to general manager, and he has deftly stewarded this brand&rsquo;s traditional approaches into the present day. Few Santa Cruz wineries cast a wider net than Fogarty&mdash;Kandler draws from vineyards up and down this coastal range to make a suite of singular vineyard designate reds and whites.
Thomas Fogarty 2023 Santa Cruz Mountain Langley Hill Vineyard Chardonnay ($85)
Kandler&rsquo;s Chardonnays get ever more refined and meticulous&mdash;this wine fits the bill, from a 5.25 acre vineyard high above the San Francisco Bay at 2,000 foot elevation. Lifted and bright, it has a lemon blossom scent that deepens to lemon curd and golden apple with air. The flavors seem rich at the outset only to firm up as it travels along the palate, with notes of beeswax, honeyed citrus, and a penetrating acidity to counterbalance any impression of weight.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/4019ce74-fb86-4876-92a8-b458db7f444b.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Fogerty Charonnay">
Talley Vineyards 2022 Oliver&rsquo;s Vineyard Edna Valley Chardonnay ($60)
Oliver&rsquo;s Vineyard was the Talleys first grape planting in the Edna Valley, a cool site planted in 1991 (it&rsquo;s named for the family&rsquo;s patriarch who founded their farm in 1948). Modestly weighty and satisfying, this Chardonnay leads with scents of caramelly lees and lemon curd, and an interesting herbal note frames a sweetcorn sweetness. The flavors are generous, with a caramelly note from oak. And the fruit is all rich citrus, broad but with a linear frame and the acidity Edna Valley is known for, which will contribute to the wine&rsquo;s longevity.

The Week in Wine and Whiskey: January 23

New Zealand wine is often reduced to one single, unmistakable calling card&mdash;Sauvignon Blanc. Explosively aromatic, the wine&rsquo;s passionfruit, guava, and ruby-red grapefruit scents loudly announce themselves, followed by notes of fresh-cut grass and green bell pepper, signatures so pronounced they&rsquo;re nearly impossible to miss in a blind tasting. It&rsquo;s easy to understand how these &ldquo;sauvy b&rsquo;s,&rdquo; led in the 2000s by producers like Kim Crawford and Cloudy Bay, became global sensations. They&rsquo;re fruit-forward without sweetness, refreshingly crisp in their high acid, and effortlessly easy-to-drink.
Last year when I traveled to New Zealand on my honeymoon, however, that style felt a bit like old news. I skipped Marlborough entirely, bypassing Sauvignon Blanc&rsquo;s home in the South Island, and focused on regions on the North Island that have long existed outside the glare of mass-market fame&mdash;Waiheke Island, Gisborne, Hawke&rsquo;s Bay, and Martinborough. There, I discovered some of New Zealand&rsquo;s most compelling wines. And no, they weren&rsquo;t Sauvignon Blanc.
<h3 dir="ltr">Auckland/Waiheke Island</h3>
The Auckland Geographical Indication (GI) in the northwestern part of the island is made up of a cluster of small sub-regions, many settled by Dalmatian immigrants from Croatia, like the Brajkovich family of Kumeu River in the Kumeu/Huapai area northwest of the city. Today, the winery is run by third-generation winemaker Michael Brajkovich, New Zealand&rsquo;s first Master of Wine, who also spearheaded the country&rsquo;s transition from cork to Stelvin closures (screw caps).
Kumeu River is known for its Chardonnay, especially from Mat&eacute; Vineyard, which walks a beautifully balanced tightrope between lush oak spice and wet-stone minerality, honeyed nuts, and crisp lemon citrus. It earns comparisons to white Burgundy, though it leans just slightly riper.
Beyond Kumeu, Waiheke Island is the fastest growing sub-region of Auckland&rsquo;s. Just a 40-minute ferry ride from the city, it has become an increasingly popular weekend escape, with its own wine route, boutique hotels, and upscale restaurants&mdash;kind of like the Hamptons of New Zealand. Despite its growing fame, the island remains charmingly quaint with no stoplights or fast-food chains, and its warmer, drier climate supports excellent Bordeaux-style red blends.
I had assumed the wines here would be mediocre at best, a pleasant day trip for tourists who are bussed from stop to stop. While some options like Wild Estate, where vineyard archery is prioritized over winemaking, fit that stereotype, others far exceeded expectations. The heart of Waiheke winemaking lies in the Onetangi Valley, a warm area with sun exposure and maritime breezes from the Hauraki Gulf. Gently sloping vineyards sit on clay-rich soil mixed with ironstone and gravel suited for Bordeaux varieties, while the long, even growing season allows grapes to ripen without overdoing it.
Stonyridge was the first to put Waiheke on the map with its Larose red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. Its 1993 vintage was ranked first by French sommeliers alongside Petrus, Lafite Rothschild, and Latour in the Grandes Vins Rouge du Monde. In a vertical tasting of the 2015, 2016, and 2020, each wine proved immaculately structured with the potential to age, particularly important if you&rsquo;re considering cellaring these bottles.
Even more intriguing (though less famous) is Stonyridge&rsquo;s neighbor, Te Motu. Its restaurant, The Shed, serves delicious seasonal dishes such as lamb ribs, and its wines are equally compelling. In a vertical of Te Motu&rsquo;s flagship Onetangi Valley Cabernet-Merlot blend, the 2000 vintage particularly sang, reminding me of old Bordeaux&mdash;earthy, leathery, hints of cigar box, with a touch of lingering plum fruit.
Mudbrick Vineyards offers another kind of sophistication, with a rich Onetangi Valley red blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Syrah, or its red-fruited, earthy Montepulciano. And Man O&rsquo; War Vineyards stands out for its Syrahs, especially its Dreadnaught, a dark-fruited, peppery, smoky wine that retains freshness despite its slightly jammy character.
<h3 dir="ltr">Gisborne</h3>
Gisborne sits at the eastern edge of New Zealand&rsquo;s North Island and, thanks to its proximity to the International Date Line, is often touted as the first city in the world to see the sunrise each morning. Its maritime climate, fertile alluvial soils, and abundant sunshine make it naturally suited for agriculture. Yet Gisborne has long carried a reputation problem.
When Captain James Cook anchored here in 1769, he dubbed it Poverty Bay, believing the area lacked the resources he sought. By the 1960s, the region had become synonymous with bulk wine production, planted to varieties like M&uuml;ller-Thurgau, Palomino, and Chasselas, and commonly cropped at yields approaching ten tons per acre.
When Marlborough overtook Gisborne as New Zealand&rsquo;s largest wine producer in the 1990s, large companies like Montana and Constellation withdrew and vineyard acreage began to shrink, forcing the remaining winemakers to turn to more serious craft if they wanted to survive. These winemakers had relied on Chardonnay, leading them to proclaim Gisborne as being the &ldquo;Chardonnay Capital of New Zealand.&rdquo; But as Marlborough surpassed them in volume of that variety, many began exploring alternatives and planted Pinot Gris, Gew&uuml;rztraminer, Chenin Blanc, and Albari&ntilde;o. While Chardonnay remains the most widely planted grape, these alternatives often prove to be the most interesting.
One of Gisborne&rsquo;s quality pioneers was Bill Irwin, who in 1968 began elevating Chardonnay at Matawhero Wines by planting the region&rsquo;s first Mendoza clones. He also introduced Gisborne&rsquo;s first Gew&uuml;rztraminer vines, which proved especially successful. After the estate fell into disrepair, it was purchased and revitalized in 2008 by Richard and Kirsten Steale, with Kim Crawford as a consulting winemaker.
The revived Matawhero range stays true to its heritage, particularly with a Gew&uuml;rztraminer marked by expressive rose florals and ripe lychee fruit. The Steales also launched the Church House label, experimenting with Arneis, Albari&ntilde;o, Chenin Blanc, and Gr&uuml;ner Veltliner. Chenin Blanc and Albari&ntilde;o have emerged as standouts, with the latter offering bright, zesty grapefruit flavors that compare with its Spanish counterparts.
At Millton Vineyards, Annie and James Millton charted another path. In the early 1980s, they became the first producers in the Southern Hemisphere to adopt biodynamic viticulture, decisively rejecting Gisborne&rsquo;s bulk-wine identity. Today, Millton is best known for its Chenin Blanc from the Te Arai Vineyard, partially fermented in demi-muids to create a rounded, off-dry style reminiscent of Vouvray. They also make Clos de Ste. Anne La Bas Chenin, a dry version offering a nutty, savory profile layered with apple and quince fruit and a subtle touch of woolly lanolin.
<h3 dir="ltr">Hawke&rsquo;s Bay</h3>
Hawke&rsquo;s Bay, about three hours south of Gisborne, is perhaps the North Island&rsquo;s most celebrated region. It&rsquo;s best known for its Syrah, particularly from Gimblett Gravels, a terroir born from an earthquake that altered the course of the Ngaruroro River, leaving an alluvial fan of gravel, silt, and loam. With growing-season temperatures averaging 66&ndash;75 &deg;F, Syrah from this area is often compared to cooler-climate Northern Rh&ocirc;ne examples, though its blackberry fruit tends warmer and brighter.
Trinity Hill, established in Gimblett Gravels in 1993 and helmed by winemaker Warren Gibson since 1997, produces particularly elegant Syrah with their flagship, Homage. Using varying amounts of whole-bunch fermentation (typically 20&ndash;30 %), Gibson crafts wines with lifted black raspberry fruit, nuanced scents of bacon and pepper, and robust tannins&mdash;a Syrah built to age. The estate also produces a series of single-vineyard wines. My favorite is Thomson&rsquo;s Block from the elevated, north-facing Roys Hill site with sandstone over limestone soils. Hand-picked and foot-trodden, this wine is more restrained in berry fruit, leading instead with cedar, licorice, and five-spice notes.
What surprised me most however were the unusual whites I encountered during a nine-course tasting menu curated by the husband-and-wife team of Chris Stockdale and Jeanette Woerner at Wallingford Homestead. Expecting the region&rsquo;s staples&mdash;Chardonnay, Syrah, and Cabernet blends&mdash;I was instead presented with Viognier, Gr&uuml;ner Veltliner, and Fiano. My wood-fired eggplant was paired with Bilancia&rsquo;s Uvaggio, a field blend of Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne from the north-facing La Collina Vineyard, a wine that balances lush honeysuckle richness with fresh acidity and apricot stone fruit.
With her wine &ldquo;Florence,&rdquo; Jenny Dobson made the first commercial Fiano in Hawke&rsquo;s Bay for her eponymous brand. The Fiano is grown on volcanic and gravelly soils that preserve both acidity and balance, and has aromas of citrus blossom and red apple, complemented by crisp wet-stone minerality. Yet the showstopper of the evening was Lime Rock&rsquo;s Gr&uuml;ner Veltliner, grown on limestone slopes near Waipawa at an elevation that moderates ripening and maintains natural acidity&mdash;Pinot Noir is another specialty of the estate. Vibrant and energetic, the wine offers white asparagus aromas and chalky minerality.
Hawke&rsquo;s Bay&rsquo;s diversity stems from its varied climate, which can differ by up to 12 degrees from the coastal Te Awanga region to Gimblett Gravels inland. Cooling sea breezes challenge varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon on the coast, yet they thrive further inland. Soil composition varies widely as well. Hawke&rsquo;s Bay has roughly 25 distinct soil types, from gravel beds, sand, clay, and greywacke&mdash;a hard, gray sandstone&mdash;supporting everything from Pinot Noir to Cabernet Sauvignon. While plantings of Fiano and Gr&uuml;ner Veltliner remain rare, I&rsquo;m hoping these successes will pave the way for more exceptional, distinctive white wines from the region.
<h3 dir="ltr">Martinborough</h3>
Martinborough, Masterton, and Gladstone are the three sub-regions of Wairarapa, the North Island&rsquo;s southernmost wine-growing area, but Martinborough is its heart. The region is notoriously windy, buffeted by the nearby Cook Strait, which influences the Pinot Noir grown here&mdash;small berries with thick skins produce deeply colored wines with robust tannins. Martinborough&rsquo;s proximity to the coast, combined with the Aorangi Mountains to the east and west, creates a natural wind funnel that shapes the climate. It is the coolest and driest area on the North Island with significant diurnal temperature shifts, a factor that helps craft elegant, nuanced, and age-worthy Pinot Noirs.
In 1980, Clive Paton, a dairy farmer, read an article by soil scientist Derek Milne identifying Martinborough as suitable for wine. Paton sold his cows and founded Ata Rangi, purchasing a gravelly site to plant Pinot Noir. Today, under the guidance of Paton&rsquo;s acclaimed winemaker Helen Masters, Ata Rangi is the flagship winery of the region. Masters&rsquo; Pinot Noir is intensely red-fruited and delicate with complex layers of violet flowers and vanilla spice. The winery also produces a delicious and textured Pinot Gris, aged on its lees for a creamy mouthfeel while retaining bright pear and jasmine flavors.
Escarpment Vineyard, founded in 1998 by Larry McKenna and acquired by Australian Torbreck Wines in 2018, is located in the Te Muna Road area, a cooler, higher site than vineyards closer to town. The winery bottles Pinot Noir from four single-vineyard sites in its Insight Series. Kupe, from the winery&rsquo;s estate vineyard, is the most structured and powerful with deep plum and black cherry fruit. Kiwa, from Cleland Vineyard, is more savory and herb-driven; Pahi, from Pahi Vineyard, is refined with floral violet and rose; and Te Rehua, from Barton Vineyard, is ripest in its plum and blackberry flavors.
While I mostly avoided Sauvignon Blanc on my North Island travels, I would be remiss not to mention that one-third of Martinborough&rsquo;s plantings are dedicated to the grape. Here, the style is restrained rather than exuberant, showing gooseberry, grapefruit, and cool, stony minerality. Palliser Estate keeps its Sauvignon Blanc lively with some lees aging giving texture to the mid-palate, proof that sometimes even old news grapes can feel fresh again.

There's A Lot More to New Zealand Wine Than Sauvignon Blanc

What&rsquo;s happening in wine and whiskey this week:
<h3 dir="ltr">This Week&rsquo;s Unicorn Review Stories</h3>
🍷 New York&rsquo;s Finger Lakes wine region is one to watch. <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/new-york-finger-lakes-wine">Find out more about the region and some of its best producers</a>.
🥃 Woodford Reserve master distiller Elizabeth McCall is focused on maintaining tradition and encouraging innovation. We spoke to her to find out <a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/woodford-reserve-elizabeth-mccall">more about her vision for the distillery</a>.
<h3 dir="ltr">New Bottle Releases</h3>
Penelope Beaufain Four Grain Bourbon ($45)
MGP-owned Penelope Bourbon just released this new four-grain expression in collaboration with home furnishing brand Serena &amp; Lily. While Penelope uses a four-grain mashbill for other expressions, this 84-proof release is said to have been custom blended by master blender and cofounder Danny Polise. It comes in a bottle with a floral motif from a home on Beaufain Street in Charleston, the hometown of Serena &amp; Lily.
Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked ($200)
Double Double Oaked is a version of Woodford&rsquo;s classic Double Oaked that spends an additional year in a secondary set of new charred oak barrels&mdash;hence, the name. This whiskey was formerly part of the Distillery Series, but made its debut as a limited-edition core portfolio offering last year. It&rsquo;s now back for 2026, but act fast because supplies are limited.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Rye A126
Last September, Heaven Hill&rsquo;s Elijah Craig whiskey brand introduced its first batch of Barrel Proof Rye, building on the tradition of its Barrel Proof Bourbon. That whiskey was fantastic, a 108-proof rye aged for more than 12 years. The second batch, and the first of 2026, is also great&mdash;it&rsquo;s aged for just under 12 years and bottled at just a hair over 120 proof. That means it&rsquo;s packed with flavor but does not overpower your palate as you sip.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Whiskey Pick of the Week</h3>
Russell&rsquo;s Reserve Single Rickhouse 2025 &ndash; Camp Nelson E
This whiskey came out in the fall, but it&rsquo;s worth covering even after we&rsquo;ve entered the new year because it&rsquo;s just that good. Russell&rsquo;s Reserve is the smaller batch label produced at the Wild Turkey Distillery, and it&rsquo;s arguably one of the best bargains in the bourbon world&mdash;it has one of the few truly high quality 10-year-old bourbons you can find for about 40 bucks in its portfolio.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/a2d9c96d-f4e6-482a-a787-301c47727315.png?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Rr Single Rickhouse">
The Single Rickhouse series was created to explore the concept of terroir in whiskey based on maturation location, something we recently covered in this&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-review/whiskey-warehouse-terroir">piece</a> about how different distilleries tackle the concept. Camp Nelson E is the fifth Single Rickhouse release, and according to the brand this whiskey was aged in an entirely different maturation environment than previous releases, all of which come from Wild Turkey&rsquo;s Camp Nelson warehouse campus. Camp Nelson E was built in 1946, and it&rsquo;s said to be located closer to the river than others on the site with more consistent shade throughout the year.
Master distiller Eddie Russell selected barrels from the fifth floor of this seven-story rickhouse for this release, high enough for things get hot but not as extreme as the very top level. The whiskey was bottled at 128 proof, which gives it the honor of being the highest proof Russell&rsquo;s Reserve expression to date. That&rsquo;s pretty strong, but the flavor and complexity still shine through despite the elevated ABV. There are rich notes of oak, vanilla, custard, maple, and cherry syrup on the palate, along with a healthy dollop of spice and some hot mulled cider on the finish.
If you have a chance to try this in a side-by-side tasting with the previous Single Rickhouse releases, do so&mdash;it will either make you a believer in the concept of warehouse terroir, or perhaps lead you to conclude that it&rsquo;s all nonsense. Whatever the case, you won&rsquo;t be disappointed with the quality of this fantastic bourbon.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unicorn Wine Pick of the Week</h3>
These two wines, also part of my project devoted to cool-climate, far-west vineyard sources from California fruit, couldn&rsquo;t be more different. But they share an ocean view roughly 80 miles from each other, and the Pacific definitely contributes to their character.
Sandhi Sta. Rita Hills Romance Chardonnay ($90)
Sashi Moorman makes this wine, drawn from a recent addition (2015) to the Domaine de la C&ocirc;te suite of vineyards (it&rsquo;s one of the westernmost Chardonnay vineyards in the south Central Coast). It&rsquo;s found just outside of Lompoc, in the western Sta. Rita Hills, where those vines are exposed to relentless ocean breezes, creating conditions for fruit purity and flavor intensity, and the salt air doubtless provides its own unique mineral fingerprint, as does the extended lees contact. Crisp and toasty at once, this leads with a toasty suite of golden fruit flavors, apple, and pear. The palate is pleasingly warm with a generous middle that belies the coolness of the place where it&rsquo;s grown, but ends with a finish marked by mouthwatering tension.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/323b082d-30fb-4569-88aa-6d85b6a881c6.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Romance">
Saxum 2022 SLO Coast Cayucos Ridge Vineyard Syrah ($200)
Collectors of Saxum, take note&mdash;Justin Smith has a new project. This vineyard is called Cayucos Ridge, and as the crow flies it&rsquo;s not terribly far from Saxum&rsquo;s original estate in the Willow Creek district of Paso Robles, and only four miles from the ocean. While Paso feels several miles from the Pacific, at Cayucos Ridge the sea feels close enough to touch. It&rsquo;s early days for these young vines, but the 2022 feels quite complete with a spectacular spiciness not often found in Smith&rsquo;s Paso bottlings. There&rsquo;s a scent of currants, wild herbs, potpourri, and a hint of woodsmoke. The flavors are dark-berried and intense with a concentration and tannic payload that speaks to the wind at this one-of-a-kind place.
<img src="https://directus-11-4sui.onrender.com/assets/9e60f45c-dc67-4a88-8018-4588ff0bf2d0.jpg?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Cayucos">

The Week in Wine and Whiskey: January 16

When can we stop calling a wine region &ldquo;emerging?&rdquo; When do we get to say it&rsquo;s actually &ldquo;arrived?&rdquo; Is it only after a proven track record of creating exceptional wines? Perhaps it&rsquo;s when the talent is finally recognized for its efforts in the vineyards and cellars? Or maybe it's the terroir?
I pose this question because I have been writing about Finger Lakes wine for nearly 10 years, and in that time the region is consistently referred to as &ldquo;emerging.&rdquo; Sure, it doesn&rsquo;t have the same pedigree as a region like Burgundy, but the term doesn&rsquo;t quite feel appropriate anymore.&nbsp;
Over the past decade, I&rsquo;ve watched the FLX (as we locals call it) become confident about its footing as a globally celebrated American Viticultural Area. I found myself so drawn to the beauty of this place and the kindness of the people that I relocated to the area from my hometown of Boston. I even switched careers from marketing to wine writing, as well as educating at a wine and culinary center on Canandaigua Lake.&nbsp;
Most recently, the FLX was named the <a href="https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/industry-news/wine-star-awards/american-wine-region-2025/">2025 Wine Star American Wine Region of the Year</a> by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. This was a massive win for the 140 wineries that dot the lush and rolling green hills between the region&rsquo;s 11 glacier-carved lakes. Many are small, family-owned businesses. Some are growing their own estate grapes, while others partner with local vineyards to source fruit throughout the region. They are turning 10,000 planted acres of vinifera and hybrid grapes into an important slice of New York&rsquo;s economy.&nbsp;
A genuine commercial interest in the region dates back to the 1870s, when US Bonded Winery No. 1 (Pleasant Valley in Hammondsport) won gold at a sparkling wine competition in Vienna, Austria. This was a first for the U.S., and it piqued the interest of Champagne-based winemakers like Charles Fournier of Veuve Clicquot to emigrate after Prohibition to pursue making bubbles.&nbsp;
In the early 1950s, Ukrainian refugee Dr. Konstantin Frank arrived after fleeing his home during World War II and eventually landing in the FLX. His experience farming cold-climate vinifera on a 35,000-acre experimental grape station in Odesa, Ukraine, made him uniquely qualified to reveal New York&rsquo;s true potential. With the help of volunteers across the region, Frank and Fournier ignited a vinifera revolution further bolstered by Guy Devaux of Mo&euml;t et Chandon (and Mumm Napa) through the &lsquo;60s and &lsquo;70s. Their confidence in New York&rsquo;s potential for fine wine helped the region exponentially.
<h3 dir="ltr">No Grit, No Glory</h3>
The Finger Lakes region is known for having unpredictable weather like late-season freezes, stifling summer humidity, relentless downpours, and drought. Disease and animal pressure can also impact crops.&nbsp;
The lakes, including the Great Lakes Ontario and Erie, are essential to the region's success. Seneca is the largest and deepest, followed by Cayuga, which is also the widest. Both are some of the deepest in the United States and rarely freeze in the winter. The lakes moderate the extreme temperatures, offering heat retention in the winter and cooling the region in the summer.&nbsp;
Many growers are refining their sustainable vineyard practices, while winemakers are focused on expressing the uniqueness of each growing season in the cellar. Some of the most beautiful and age-worthy bottles have come from the most difficult years.
Unsure where to start? The region is often compared to the Mosel, Bordeaux, and Alsace. And rightfully so, with its cool-climate viticulture, impactful lakes, and diverse geology (slate, limestone, and shale with soils spanning from clay to sandy silt). The wines range from bone-dry to dessert-sweet, and are expressive of the site and the maker. They are typically crisp, aromatic, and mineral-driven. The reds are generally bright, fresh, fruit-forward offerings with structured acidity and well-integrated tannins.&nbsp;
Riesling is always a good choice, along with Gew&uuml;rztraminer and sparkling wines (many are producing M&eacute;thode Champenoise). For reds, explore Cabernet Franc, Saperavi (the Finger Lakes has the largest acreage of this variety outside of the Republic of Georgia), Blaufr&auml;nkisch, and Bordeaux-style blends.
<h3 dir="ltr">Six Cellar-Worthy Producers Worth Seeking Out</h3>
Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery
For more than 60 years, the Frank family has been crafting cool-climate wines from the Finger Lakes. Dr. Frank traded 35,000 acres in Odesa, Ukraine for 188 on the west side of Keuka Lake. He experimented with 60 different grafted vinifera onto phylloxera and cold-resistant rootstock. His first commercial vintage was in 1962&mdash;his American dream, realized.
Today, the estate is focused on its old vines (the oldest are Riesling and Pinot Noir planted in 1958) through careful vineyard management and care in the cellar. The wines are balanced in flavor and structure.&nbsp;
Dr. Frank Winery is also known for its sparkling wine program&mdash;Frank&rsquo;s son, Willy, produced the region&rsquo;s first M&eacute;thode Champenoise wine in 1985. The business is now run by his great-granddaughter, Meaghan, and her father, Fred.
Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard &amp; Winery
In the 1970s, German immigrant Hermann J. Wiemer transformed his vineyard on the west side of Seneca from soybeans to vinifera. He also established a nursery in 1974 that still serves growers nationwide. In fact, HJW remains the only East Coast winery with an operating nursery, and the only Demeter-certified property east of the Rockies.
The focus at HJW is crafting clean wines that let the vintage shine. The estate wines are hand-harvested, sorted, and processed in small batches. Wiemer&rsquo;s legacy is carried on by Fred Merwarth, who began as an apprentice in 2001 before taking over the business in 2007 with his wife, Maressa, and friend, Oskar Bynke. In 2021, Merwarth became the first and only New York winemaker to be named the Enthusiast&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/industry-news/wine-star-awards/fred-merwarth-winemaker/">Wine Star Winemaker of the Year</a>.&nbsp;
HJW is one of the only wineries with a consumer-friendly wine library built to showcase decades of wine designed to last. Here, guests will be surprised by the vibrancy of their older vintages, which are also available for sale.
Ravines Wine Cellars
Winemaker Morten Hallgren was one of the first winemakers to showcase truly dry Riesling in the Finger Lakes. Born in Denmark, Hallgren grew up in Provence, where his family managed an estate winery. Committed to the industry, Hallgren earned degrees in Viticulture and Enology before traveling the world to make wine in Bordeaux, Texas, North Carolina, and the Finger Lakes.&nbsp;
2025 marked 25 years of business for Hallgren and his wife, Lisa. During that time, they&rsquo;ve become known for their vibrantly aromatic dry Rieslings, old-world-inspired Pinot Noir, and structured Bordeaux blends. The wines are crafted using fruit from their certified sustainable vineyards on Keuka and Seneca Lakes.
For those looking to collect Finger Lakes reds, older Ravines offerings are particularly compelling, especially the Pinot Noir and Le Petit Caporal, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.&nbsp;
Red Tail Ridge Winery
Run by Nancy Irelan and her partner in wine and life, Mike Schnelle, Red Tail Ridge anchors 50 acres on Seneca&rsquo;s west side. Before the Finger Lakes, Irelan was based in Napa where she worked as the vice president of viticulture and enology research &amp; development for Gallo. Her projects in collaboration with Cornell University and the USDA brought her to the Finger Lakes, where the pair purchased property in 2002.
Irelan crafts terroir-driven wines that stay true to Schnelle&rsquo;s efforts in the vineyards. She works with Riesling, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Franc, but has championed more obscure varieties as well, like Dornfelder, Teroldego, and Lagrein.&nbsp;
She is also known for her sparkling wine. In 2025, she launched Limnad to critical acclaim from reviewers. Limnad is a separate label focused 100% on Finger Lakes sparkling.
Forge Cellars
Forge is a joint project between Rick Rainey and Louis Barroul of Ch&acirc;teau de St. Cosme in the Southern Rhone Village of Gigondas. Barroul&rsquo;s goal with Forge was to &ldquo;express in wine the soul of a place.&rdquo; This is made possible with Rainey, who steers the operation, and winemaker L&eacute;ana Goddard.
Sustainability is the driving force behind everything Forge Cellars does. This means responsible farming and supporting local growers, less excess in the production process by removing capsules and reducing bottle weights, and a commitment to providing staff with a living wage.&nbsp;
Through partnerships with up to 16 Seneca Lake growers, Forge has popularized single-vineyard offerings of Riesling, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Franc. Every wine sees some level of oak treatment, adding texture and complexity.&nbsp;
Trestle Thirty One
Trestle Thirty One was founded by Nova Cadamatre, the first female winemaker to earn her Master of Wine in the U.S. A graduate of Cornell University, Cadamatre returned to the Finger Lakes following her time as director of winemaking for Robert Mondavi in Napa. Her move home was a leap of faith, not only in the FLX but in herself.&nbsp;
Cadametre&rsquo;s wines are dry, textural, and precise. They are generally small-batch productions of 150 cases or fewer.&nbsp; Trestle celebrated 10 years of business in 2025 and is currently offering a Riesling vertical for sale that demonstrates not only the distinct terroir of the Finger Lakes but also Cadamatre&rsquo;s growth as a bi-coastal winemaker consulting on projects in New York and California. She currently operates an urban tasting room in the city of Geneva, but will break ground on a future Seneca Lake winery soon.

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