Karma Tequila

A blend of 80% double and 20% triple distilled tequila, Karma is smooth, clean, delicate, and aromatic.

Karma produces:

Silver - Unaged. Bottled immediately following distillation.

Reposado - Aged the maximum… 364 days in American white oak bourbon barrels.

Añejo - Aged nearly the maximum… 2 years 11 months in American white oak barrels.

Extra Añejo - Already aged more than 4 years with likely a couple more to go. 

It's all the little things…

Born out of a family distillery established in 1937 in the highlands of Jalisco, considered the Napa Valley of Mexico, the land surrounding Atotonilco el Alto is fertile and the climate is perfect for growing the Blue Weber Agave… the plant which defines tequila. 

The Blue Weber Agave takes from 7 to 12 years to mature. Karma harvests only the finest plants which assures they meet their minimum 28%+ sugar standards. This helps ensure ultimate sweetness as well as batch-to-batch flavor consistency, further ensuring bottle-to-bottle consistency. Piñas, the heart of the agave plant, are slowly cooked in brick ovens for 24 hours which carmelizes them and then they are rested (cooled down) for an additional 24 hours before being run through multiple pressing mills to extract sugar from the fibers of the agave plant. 

Following distillation, the product at the top and bottom of the still, the “heads and tails,” are removed which further ensures ultimate sweetness. Karma is an all-natural product with only three ingredients: blue weber agave, proprietary yeast and pure water. Karma is THE ONLY tequila produced which is a blend of both double and tripled distilled batches… triple distilled being much smoother than double. The 80/20 blend (double/triple) hits that magic sweet spot of smoothness and flavor. It is smoother than any double and more flavorful than any triple. We encourage you to do your own taste test…. after which you’ll understand why Karma is so good.

Winner of multiple awards:
L.A. Times (Spirit of the Times), Santa Barbara Tequila Harvest Festival, The Fifty Best, Los Angeles International Spirits Competition, SIP Awards, San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Beverly Hills World Spirits Competition

Check out the Karma Tequila website for some of the finest tequila cocktails ever!

www.karmatequila.com












Consejo Regulador del Tequila – CRT
Tequila Regulatory Council, Jalisco, Mexico
Percent Agave sugar and Aging requirements:

Classification	% Agave	Aged
Gold	51%, 49% other sugar	Typically none (color comes from food coloring)
Silver	100%	Up to 60 days (typically not aged)
Reposado	100%	Minimum 60 days up to 1 year
Añejo	100%	Minimum 1 year up to 3 years
Extra Anejo	100%	Minimum 3 years and up

The tequila industry’s governing body is the CRT. Above is a chart, which specifies the aging requirements prescribed by the CRT. Karma Reposado is aged 364 days… the maximum allowed… one more day in the barrel and the CRT would require it be classified as añejo. Karma Añejo is aged 2 years, 11 months….nearly the maximum allowed for its class.

The Coa is the tool used to harvest the Agave...

The piñas, the heart of the Agave plant, being unloaded and quartered...

Ovens where the piñas are cooked for 24 hours, carmelizing them...

The shredder removes the sugars from the piñas once they have cooled down...

Copper / stainless steel potstills the tequila.  Converts sugars to tequila when their family proprietary yeast is added...

Karma is aged in American White Oak...

Each bottle of Karma Tequila is hand-numbered...

Classic Cocktails: The Negroni

by Michael Frank

With its bright, bitter and refreshing citrusy tang, the Negroni comes in as one of my favorite summer cocktails. It's perfect for a hot day at the beach or a clean and crisp start to a good meal. Seeing as we're moving into an early summer I figured I’d do my part in getting us all prepared by putting this recipe together.

As with all things that originate in bars, the history of this cocktail is a bit fuzzy with conflicting accounts. Two things that we're rather sure about is that it’s Italian in origin and it's a take on an Americano cocktail (bitter aperitif, sweet vermouth and club soda). The common origin account is that it came into being in 1919 at Caffe Casoni in southern Italy. Being a version of the Americano, the story is that it was a collaboration between bartender Fosco Scarselli and local playboy Count Camillo Negroni to get everyone more liquored up. Another story says it was invented by a man by the name General Pascal Oliver De Negroni, but there isn’t much to the story other than some folk say he invented it.  I've also heard a number of my French friends claim that it isn't Italian at all but French in origin. The only thing that I can say definitely is that this cocktail is a traditional old world aperitif with a distinct hint of classic Americano flavorings. 

Now, as popular as the drink was in Europe it didn't gain recognition stateside until 1947 when it was showcased by Orson Wells. He discovered the classic cocktail while filming Cagliostro and talked about it extensively in media interviews while promoting the film. His theory was that bitters are supposed to be good for your health. So, in theory, the bitters in this drink will balance out with the gin and you’ll be drinking something healthy. For the record, I fully endorse this theory.

 

My Recipe is a traditional styled version mixed up with some of my personal favorites. You will need the following:

For bar tools…
Hawthorn Strainer 643543
Peeler 666555
Rocks Glass 643345
Mixing Glass 666772
Ice Cube Tray 716012
Jigger 666444
Hoffman Barspoon 662225

For consumables…
Gancia Americano 106365
Sloan’s Dry Gin 106275
Dolin Sweet Vermouth 375560
Scrappy’s Orange Bitters 102946
A beautiful orange

Step 1
Take your mixing glass and add your bitters to the bottom of the glass. About three or four dashes will do. The idea is to coat the base of the glass before we start building in everything else. For this recipe I use Scappy’s Orange Bitters because I like the bright acidic taste that comes with them. You can use Angostura or whatever your favorite brand is.

I should also note that adding bitters to the base is not a traditional method for building a Negroni. I do it to add a little bit of an extra complexity to my drinks but it’s certainly not a key ingredient to the cocktail.

Step 2
This is where we add our ice. We want the ice to melt a little bit during the building phase, but not a lot. So, at this point you’re going to really want to make sure you’re working efficiently. When you are ready, add some ice to the mixing glass. 

Step 3
Take 20ml of Dolin sweet vermouth and add it to your mixing glass. You can use any vermouth you want but I would suggest sticking with sweet vermouth. This is a super bitter drink and we really are going to want a little bit of the sugars in there to make it balanced.

 

Step 4
Take 20ml of Gancia Americano and add it to your mixing glass. I’m not using Compari here because I feel Gancia has a little bit more of an aproachable flavor profile while Campari is more focused on straight bitterness. If you want to be a purist use the Campari though.

Step 5
Take 20ml of Sloan’s Dry Gin and add it to your mixing glass. For gin you can use anything but I would highly suggest sticking to dry style gin as you don't wan't to introduce conflicting flavor profiles to your cocktail. If you want to buck tradition you could also substitute gin for vodka. And, if you suddenly just decided you'd like an Americano add your club soda in place of the gin at this point.

Step 6
Put some ice in your rocks glass. Be careful not to overdo it with the ice or you'll have an overflow when you go to transfer your built drink over. I should also probably note that this cocktail will stain just about anything it touches.

Step 7
Take your bar spoon and stir everything in a gentle continuous motion for about 40 seconds. Whatever you do don't shake it. It will bruise the drink, make it watery and also add a weird frothiness to it. Be careful not to overstir, as it will render similar poor results.

Step 8
Place your hawthorne strainer over the top of the mixing glass. Hold it in place with your index finger and gently pour the contents into a rocks glass.

Step 9
Take that beautiful orange, the orange peeler and peel off a good slice of skin directly over the cocktail. Rim the glass with the peel and then gently place it in the center of the glass. You'll want to hover about one inch over the drink when you do the peeling. The oils from the orange skin are just as important as any other ingredient so handle this step with care.


 

Step 10 Enjoy!
You're done, that's it. The best thing for me about this cocktail from a bartender's perspective is that all the key components are in equal parts so I can easily make as much as I want without having to do any math. Something fun to try with this cocktail is to add different flavored bitters to your base or float your favorite liquor on the top. I've also heard that it's great put through a blender, but seeing as I don't have access to one I've yet to find out. As always, If you do discover any fun variations or if you have any questions, I'd love to hear them.

May your cocktail adventures be glorious!

A Visit with Mathieu Deiss of Domaine Marcel Deiss

by Gary Faust *

On April 2nd, 2015 we enjoyed a visit from Mathieu Deiss, winemaker from the great Alsatian producer, Domaine Marcel Deiss. The Deiss family is noted for their original thinking, maverick winemaking and for being staunch advocates for the terroir of Alsace. The focus is so strong on terroir that they defy conventional tradition in refusing to varietally label their wines.

They are biodynamic producers, intimately aware of their vines and the soils in which they are planted. Deiss spoke of the clear distinction between vines planted in granite versus those planted in limestone. The wines from granite soils displayed a saline minerality while those in limestone showed the characteristics of high acidity, chalkiness and focus.

We tasted Pinot Noir from the domaine, which were obviously unfiltered and un-fined based on their opaque appearance. In fact, all the wines from Domaine Marcel Deiss are unfiltered and un-fined. The Pinot Noir was flavorful and had nice texture-very interesting wines.

We moved on to the whites, which Deiss and the region of Alsace are well known for. Particular to Domaine Deiss is their focus on field blends, several varieties of grapes co-planted in the same vineyard. As we tasted through their lineup, Deiss reiterated how important terroir is to what ends up in the glass.

As we tasted a beautiful wine from Cru Langenberg, I offered the opinion that the nose gave strong indications of the grape Pinot Gris. The next wine, the Engelgarten bottling smelled more of Riesling. Rotenberg appeared to be a beautiful blend of both and was quite delicious. Deiss would neither confirm nor deny which if any variety made up the greatest part of either blend. Nor would he give specifics about any of the blends for his wines, saying it would take away from the notion of terroir. He stated he could plant any one of the 13 varieties allowed in Alsace or even a combination of the 61 varieties historically planted in the region and they would show a similar taste profile-such is his strength of conviction of the importance of place.

It may seem that Deiss was obstinate or unagreeable, but the converse is true. He was very giving and took time to answer all of our questions... well, except for the grape blends in his bottlings! We continued our discussion, talking about aromatics and ripeness when he asked to borrow a notepad. He then drew a small graph showing the intersection of aromatics and time. He illustrated that as the grapes ripened on the vine, two important things happened. First, the skin matures and phenolic ripeness grows with the passage of time. As this occurs, the aromatics increase early in the growing cycle, reaching a peak, which eventually begins a decline with continued maturity of the grape. His point was that there is a “sweet spot” in which to pick the grapes, where the intersection of grape maturity results in good textural mouthfeel while the aromatics are still very evident. Once past that peak, the aromatics continue to decrease, minimizing or reducing the character of the grapes.

Honestly, the wines were all quite terrific with the cru bottlings showing incredible purity of fruit and definition. The Grand Cru wines were fascinating, displaying the character of the premier cru wines, but with more depth and complexity. In fact, the Schoenenbourg Grand Cru elicited a collective “Wow” from those tasting the wines. I look forward to revisiting these wines and seeing how they evolve with the passage of time. They certainly have the beautiful acidity and purity that contributes to ageability. I can’t wait to try these wines 5 or 10 years down the road. These fine wines of Domaine Marcel Deiss reflect the winemaker: they are interesting, somewhat enigmatic and definitely worth getting to know!


Domaine Marcel Deiss 2012 Alsace Blanc $24.99 [344103]
Winemaker's notes: This wine exclusively comes from vineyards of the Domain Marcel Deiss and is produced from 13 Alsatian grapes. These grapes express the story of Alsatian terroir.

Vinous Media 88 Points-"Dark straw-yellow. Peach and aromatic herbs on the enticing nose. Rich and ripe but not at all heavy, with honeyed yellow stone fruit flavors displaying above-average intensity for an entry-level wine. Sneaky concentration and depth here. At Deiss, the objective with this wine is to produce an accessible drink that's immediately easy to understand and appreciate by wine lovers everywhere. “It’s not just a matter of low price,” Mathieu Deiss told me. “People were telling us that we lacked inexpensive entry-level wines, since our work at the estate had always been focused on the crus and on the clear expression of our soils and microclimates. As most people know and recognize the name Alsace, we thought it would be a good idea to make a wine with this name that speaks to the world of our region.” Clearly, this wine’s aromatic touch does make you think of Alsace. Mathieu noted that the blend doesn’t change much from year to year; the main variable is how much grand cru juice, and which crus, are declassified into this wine in each vintage."

Domaine Marcel Deiss 2012 Rotenberg $57.99 [344104] 

ROTENBERG is the most precocious terroir of Bergheim. Its red soil is marked by iron and limestone. The Riesling and Pinot Gris are evident in the shimmering citrus characteristics, fine and very elegant. The Rotenberg is enjoyable quite young, fresh and aerial with its lemon frame, very aromatic and light on the palate!

Stephen Tanzer 90 Points-"Bright straw. A fusel quality complicates tangerine and blood orange on the expressive nose. Chewy, rich and rather full-bodied, with ripe apricot and peach flavors complemented by anise and licorice notes. The smooth, rich finish lingers nicely with repeating anise and licorice nuances. This has a more evolved nose than the 2011, which I found surprising given that 2010 was the cooler, higher-acid vintage." 

 Domaine Deiss 2012 Schoenenbourg Grand Cru $109.99 [344105]

The famous Schoenenbourg vineyard is sourced for the flagship of Domaine Deiss. This Terroir is distinguished by its southern exposure and steepness with marl mixed with gypsum covered by the Vosges sandstone. The result is a rich, ageable wine of nobility, which magically combines an impression of strong extract with a weightless quality, very impressive.
Vinous Media 95 Points-"Bright, deep yellow. Ripe, vibrant aromas of white peach, lemon zest, chamomile and balsamic herb are complicated by lemony botrytis. Silky on entry, then round and fresh in the middle, with terrific lemony cut providing excellent energy. Really resonates on the floral, saline, tactile back end, leaving the taste buds vibrating under a lemon meringue and peach sheen. In terms of richness this seems to fall between the Mambourg and the Altenberg; it usually needs more time in the cellar than the wines from either one of those sites. In ten years' time this will be intensely mineral rather than tropical, the latter quality more typical of the Altenberg and especially the Mambourg. Best from 2018-2034 

* Gary Faust is teaching an "Intro to Alsace" wine class on Wednesday, 4/22 from  7-8:30pm, $20.  He will have a couple Domaine Marcel Deiss wines on the tasting menu-- come try and learn about this incredible wine area!

A Visit With Jane Ferrari From Yalumba

by Gary Faust

On April 1^st, 2015 we were visited by the Force of Nature that is Jane Ferrari of Yalumba Wines, Australia. Over the course of an hour, Jane regaled us with stories of her adventures, travels and personalities she has encountered in the wine business. It was surprising to learn that she has quite the knowledge of American history and loves the American people and our culture. She enjoys a visit to Graceland, drives Route 66, partakes in concerts and will take in a game at Yankee Stadium. In fact, for her holiday (vacation) this year, Jane will be visiting the South and enjoying the people, food and culture of Mississippi.

Jane began her career as a cellar rat at Yalumba doing any odd job that needed to be done. Over the years, her knowledge grew and she took on varied assignments with more responsibility. Eventually, she became head winemaker for Yalumba, which has a multitude of wines. Although she was an excellent winemaker, the owner of Yalumba, Robert Hill-Smith asked Jane to try a new assignment. He wanted her to represent Yalumba and be the international face of the company-a brand ambassador, if you will. Jane resisted, but finally agreed to try it for a year. Thirteen years later, Jane is very happy traveling the world, extolling the virtues of Yalumba wine and meeting people. It turns out her boss was right; Jane is a natural people person who gets along with anybody she meets.

Fortunately, Yalumba is an easy sell. They’ve been making wine for more than 165 years after being founded in 1849 by Samuel Smith, a British migrant and brewer who brought his family to Australia in search of a better life. Smith purchased a 30-acre parcel of land and began planting vines. He named his patch Yalumba, which is Aboriginal for “all the land around.” Six generations later, Australia’s oldest winemaking family owned winery has achieved great success.

In the short time we had with her at the store, we learned that Jane is a human quote machine. She talked about the savvy consumers of today, referring to them as, “Bloody Google Machines using their 'scary apps'.” She meant that as praise, stating, “They are not dunderheads!”

It is obvious when people are passionate about what they do and Jane’s passion comes through loud and clear. We tasted through the wines with Jane, talking about each of them. Starting with the whites, we enjoyed the first vintage of their Eden Valley Roussanne. This is still a very small production wine, but with its beautiful aromatics and mouthfeel we will undoubtedly see more of it going forward. Yalumba 2012 Eden Valley Roussanne $17.98 [382417]

The Viognier is always one of our favorites and this was no exception. Floral notes and notions of Juicy Fruit leap from the glass. On the palate, the wine is clean, crisp and dry. Jane noted the Viognier goes exceptionally well with shrimp tacos, and pork belly with cilantro. Yalumba 2013 Eden Valley Viognier $15.98 [377296]

The hallmark of the red wines is their exceptionally silky texture. It is also noteworthy that they are very fresh and pure without the jamminess you find in some Australian wines. Jane is very excited about the 2012 vintage in Australia. Although the country is still dealing with drought issues, the growing season largely cooperated with the resulting wines showing excellent fruit and balance.

We tasted and discussed their version of the Rhone-styled GSM blend called “The Strapper.” A Strapper is an Aussie term for a stablehand or horse groomer and is a nod to the horses the family enjoys. In discussing the wine, Jane said the Grenache supplies raspberry fruit, the juicy Shiraz supplies the “Woooo Factor” while the Mataro (Mourvedre) provides the drying “oomph factor.” We couldn’t have said it any better- the Strapper melds together nicely in a well knit, nicely textured wine. Yalumba 2012 GSM Strapper $16.98 [377854].

She is also rightly proud of their “Signature” wine, which is only produced in very good years. In fact, Yalumba did not release the Signature in 2011. This is a 50/50 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz with the Cabernet showing the varietal hallmarks of cassis and blackberry, while the Shiraz “...comes rolling out like a velvety red carpet.” Yep, another Jane-ism. Note: We tasted the 2012 (not released yet) but still have some of the delicious 2010 in stock. Yalumba 2010 "The Signature" Shiraz $37.98 [381189] Wine Advocate 93+ Points.

We can’t wait for another visit from Jane, but in the meantime we’ll have pleasant thoughts of her whenever we enjoy a nice glass of wine from Yalumba.

 More Yalumba!

YALUMBA 2013 GRENACHE "BUSH VINE" $16.95 [378925]

ANTONIO GALLONI; VINOUS MEDIA 90 POINTS - "Brilliant ruby-red. Fresh strawberry and raspberry aromas show good energy and focus. Energetic red fruit flavors gain sweetness with air, picking up a suave floral quality. Lively, appealingly pinot-like grenache with very good finishing lift and smooth, harmonious tannins arriving late." Josh Reynolds

YALUMBA 2008 SHIRAZ OLD VINES "OCTAVIUS" $89.98 [378616]

WINE ADVOCATE 95 POINTS - "Deep garnet with a hint of purple in the color, the 2008 Octavius Barossa Shiraz displays intense notes of creme de cassis, dried plums and kirsch with hints of meat, smoky bacon fat, soy, black olives, allspice and licorice. Full bodied and richly fruited in the mouth, the concentrated blackberry and savory flavors are nicely structured with a medium to firm level of grainy tannins and enlivening acidity. The finish is very long, layered and complex. Approachable now, it should drink well to 2021+."

 

Updates: The Golden Palate!

by Tobin Sharp

Our staff competition is well under way so we thought it a good time to give you an update on our recent "battles" and the top wines from those nights.

On March 27th, reigning champ "Golden Boy" Zach Korhonen took on the "Duchess of Deutschland" Beate Martin and ended up with a Golden Palate first: a complete shutout.  Zach won 12-0.  The top wines of the night (both from Zach) were: #1. Groundwork 2012 Mourvedre $19.95 [227430] & #2. Bonn Anno 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon $19.95 [204590].

On April 3rd, Patty Quick took on yours truly (Tobin Sharp) and in a highly-contested match, Patty came through in the end to win 8-6.  The top wine of the night was selected by Tobin, Vignerons de Maury 2012 Nature de Schiste $17.99 [333389], while there was a tie for the 2nd place wine between Hewitson "Ned & Henry's" 2012 Shiraz/Mourvedre $19.98 [379936], selected by Tobin, and Heartland "Spice Trader" 2012 Shiraz/Cabernet $13.95 [382619], selected by Patty.

Our next match will be on Friday, April 17 and will feature last year's runner-up in the overall competition, Dan Williams, competing against relative newcomer Kendall White... this could be a David v. Goliath moment or more akin to Bambi v. Godzilla.  Who knows?  As always, keep an eye on our winebar page to find out about upcoming tastings.

An Absolute Gorgeous and Unique Italian Wine From Elena Fucci

by Gary Faust

We are always interested in exploring wines of character or those which are unique. We especially like relatively obscure and distinctive varietals, because we are that store which stocks those kind of wines. On March 16^th, winemaker Elena Fucci visited us at the store and surprised us by bringing a vertical of her Titolo wines. Her family’s vineyard is small (less than 15 acres) and Elena focuses on a single wine only- Aglianico Del Vulture. Production is also quite small and only 100 cases are brought into California. We tasted the 2009 -2012 vintages of her wine, which was a treat.

We were impressed by the passion Elena has for her family and her wine. She is from the youngest of four generations of her family to farm their plot of land. Her 89 year old grandfather, Salvatore is still involved and wakes up at 5:00 AM each morning to go out in the fields and tend to the vines. The vines have an average age of 65 years, which results in low yields and high quality.

Aglianico is a unique grape found in only a few appellations in southern Italy, most notably in

the appellations of Taurasi and Aglianico Del Vulture. The grapes are an intense blue color, yielding a wine which can be quite structured and capable of aging. Elena’s vineyard is located at the highest altitude in the appellation at 600 meters and the vines benefit from true dormancy in winter when they shut down as protection against the snow that blankets the vineyard.

The soil is something you can barely call soil as it consists mainly of charcoal gray volcanic rock; the remnants of eruptions from Mount Vulture. The marriage of Aglianico grapes with the volcanic soils produce a visceral minerality. A smoky undertone frames the red fruit, tobacco and incense notes characteristic of these wines, which are sometimes referred to as the “Barolo of the South.”

The wines of Elena Fucci all exhibited “typicity”, which is a word wine geeks like us use to describe the degree to which a wine reflects the characteristic flavors and structure of the grape variety from which it was produced. In other words, these wines were excellent examples of what a quality wine made from Aglianico should taste like. In particular, we came away with an appreciation for the finesse and approachability of the Elena Fucci wines. They were not walled off by tannins, although they were certainly age-worthy and showed how the progression of time makes these wines even more beautiful. The current release is the 2012 vintage, which should be fun to watch evolve over the next decade.

As Elena said,” "We only work with our own grapes, which we grow with care. This is because we want to obtain a precious wine, full of quality and passion. This is our philosophy. That is the reason for using only a single label, and producing only a single product.” Indeed, Elena and her family do one thing and they do it well: bravo!

 

 ELENA FUCCI TITOLO 2012 AGLIANICO DEL VULTURE

Elena Fucci’s 2012 Aglianico Del Vulture is absolutely gorgeous. Deep ruby in color fading to a garnet rim. The nose is full and complex, with notes of roses, red berries and grilled herbs along with smoke and baking spices. On the palate, the wine is fresh, vibrant and full-bodied with flavors of red currants, cherry, rosemary, tobacco, cinnamon and vanilla. The balance of fruit, acidity and structure is excellent culminating with a very long finish. This wine is youthful and will only get better with time.

$44.95 750ml [301460]