"Odedi"

9.3

It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Strong nose and full bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate and already very complex.

Showing black fruits with cedar, vanilla, leather, light earth, chocolates, tobacco, spices, peppercorn, coffee, cola and licorice.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This young Cabernet Sauvignon from Stags Leap District in Napa Valley is already drinking beautifully. Rich and extracted. Fruit forward, elegant and nicely balanced. Soft and smooth.

In your face kind of wine, with a teeth staining color. Bold and beautiful. The high alcohol is still noticeable, but will integrate with time.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after a few hours of airtime.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 15 to 20 years. Showing good potential to become a 95+ point wine.

Wine Spectator 93 points. Robert Parker 99 points. Wine Enthusiasts 97 points.

A great sipping wine that will also pair nicely with a big piece of steak.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were aged for 28 months in all new French oak barrels.

15.5% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$300. — 2 days ago

Mark Farrell

9.5

Deep ruby in color with slight brick color on the rim. Nose is quite pleasing with berry compote, lavender, and dark chocolate. Also a bit of earthiness. Wow. A great mouthfeel on this wine. Well balanced with tannins still a bit heavy. That said, I like my wines with a bit more tannic backbone. These notes are from pop and pour taste. Will let it open up a bit and will update if it changes significantly. — 2 years ago

Tom Garland

9.1

Pop and pour pre Thanksgiving dinner fireup with oysters. A stunning medium gold color. On the nose: perfumed notes of baked banana, celery, vanilla, green apple, slate. Taste: smooth, chalky wine with apricots, lemon, lime zest, flinty, white grapefruit, minerals. Nice....though on the lower acidity for Stony Hill. — 4 years ago

with Brenda

constantin a velo

9.3

Haute acidité, tanins impostants, bulles et belle amertume à la fin. — 5 years ago

Sean Peay

9.2

Open it up for 6 hours. Was great as it still pop over the next 2 hours. — 6 years ago

Alvaro Bustillos

8.9

Remy crucero disney 12/16 — 6 years ago

Austin N

9.2

Lively with effervescence. Give it a slight chill. Notes of nectarine and yeast — 7 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a two days. Better on Day 2. On the pop and pour, this bottle was backward and really seemed resistant to show much. I didn’t detect any real flaws or faults…just sort of, “meh”. On Day 2, it had opened considerably. The 2017 pours a deep garnet with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of tart and ripe blackberries, currants, mixed flowers, black tea, ferrous earth and a mix of cool and warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. Drink now with patience and through 2042. — 4 months ago

"Odedi"

9.1

It's time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Let's bring Merlot back!

Deep purple in color with a wide purplish rim.

Strong nose of black plums, cooked cherries, currents, cedar, licorice, light vanilla, light earth, peppercorn, mediterranean spices and dark chocolates.

Medium plus in body and elegant, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with cherries, plums, raspberries, sweet strawberries, light oak, licorice, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, spices, earth and peppercorn.

Spicy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 7 year old Merlot from Napa Valley is fruit forward and rich. Elegant and complex with a soft mouthfeel.

Needs a couple of hours to open up properly, when more red fruits show up.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 5 to 7 years.

I had this vintage 4 years ago, and the nose is much nicer now. Really enjoyed it once it opened up.

This Single Vineyard is spicy and entertaining. Tangy and interesting. Feels like a Napa Merlot, with a Right Bank Bordeaux twist.

Tasty, and good by itself or with food.

A tiny production of only 300 bottles.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$100. — 2 years ago

Tom Garland

9.4

1 hour decant (little fine/cloudy sediment). A remarkable dark purplish magenta color. On the nose: tart cherry, creme de cassis, eucalyptus, orange rind, cinnamon. Taste: smooth, soft, rich, juicy wine with cherry/raspberry, leather, herbaceous, graphite, little spiced chocolate espresso and a nice medium plus finish. YUM! Bodes well for the 2015 Scarecrow wine, and I should pop one to check it out. — 4 years ago

with Brenda

Veronique Gendron

9.0

Ni trop sec ni trop fruité. Très honnête — 5 years ago

Joe Caughman

9.4

Aussie Nero D’Avola Pet-Nat. Need I say more? — 6 years ago

Brenda Terzich-Garland

9.1

An early Saturday evening happy hour with a Marcassin Pinot in our lovely backyard. Cloudy garnet in color. Strawberry-cherry hits the nose with a funky forest floor, mushroom pop and caramel-vanilla cinnamon lingering. Strawberry-cherry subtly sweet on the front of tongue; spicy mineral and pencil lead gives a soft bitter on the mid to back pallet—finish is medium to long. The tannins are not completely resolved but have integrated since the last time we opened a bottle a year ago. Definitely improving and becoming a soft elegant wine; should drink well in a few years. — 7 years ago

with Tom, Karin and 1 other

Eric Kememes

9.1

Loved candied citrus bright jus cloudy yeast tinge of bite/colour — 6 months ago

Tom Garland

9.4

Pop and pour. A majestic lite gold color. On the nose: crisp apples, lemon, almonds, floral, and honey. Taste: creamy, beautiful texture and nice acidity wine with apple, pear, lemon zest, saline, flint, and a minerally lime peel medium plus finish. YUM! Maturing gracefully and time to go. — a year ago

with Brenda

Shay A

9.2

92-93 for me.

Consumed half bottle at pop, then corked for another 4hrs before consuming the rest. No change.

What a beautifully elegant and refined ‘09. The highest compliment I can give this is that it was a simplistic joy. Some wines make it easy to get nerdy and command your attention…some wines are underwhelming and not worth your time. This was squarely in the middle. It was a joy to not feel the need to overthink…it’s exactly what it should be. No bricking at almost 15yrs. Decidedly black fruit heavy (black currant, cassis, underripe blackberries) with a sprinkling of raspberries and black cherries. Aromas of sweet pipe tobacco, dark florals. Integrated on the palate with good structure and acidity…not a massive wine, but it put on a bit of weight/length the longer it was open. Still sporting a fair bit of tannin at the finish, but it’s balanced. Drink or hold. — 3 years ago

Ed Tostanoski

8.9

Lovely light red fruits and good acid, but ultimately not that interesting or complex. Maybe would have been better with some air time as this was a quick pop and pour — 4 years ago

Aravind A

9.2

Pop and pour, notes from 1 hr open. Better than I remember my last btl being, but still not up to the level of that first '11. On the nose: lavender, incense, loads of garrigue, and soft red raspberry..very pure grenache. On the palate: serious acidity, hi-toned red raspberry, more herbal notes, with some salinity, almost olive brine/game, though I believe this is 100% grenache, and attenuated tannin on the finish. This has taken a very savory turn, and the tannin on the finish is slightly attenuated. Yum! — 5 years ago

Fredrik Finn

9.2

As the summer is slipping out of our hands, its time to to pop those complex reds that we’ve been lastning for. Produttori del Barbaresco is considered one of the best cooperatives in the world and its 2016 Barbaresco is a solid proof of that statement.
Restrained at first and needs a couple of hours in the decanter to reach its climax. True to its provenance its clasically crafted, and puts up complex profile of red cherries, rose hip, strawberries, spice, bitter orange and a volatile dried floral lift over a canvas of wet soil.
An offensive approach on the palate with a high acidity and a generous portion of mouth coating tannins that is well accompanied by a pronounced fruit profile with an evolving finish. Very good indeed, but is a couple of level behind to reach the higher tiers. — 6 years ago

Chris Zitzman

9.6

In its prime. I didn’t decant for fear of shocking it, and that was the right move. Pop it now if you have it because it’s a beauty from stem to stern. The nose pours out of the bottle with all kinds of flavors and expressions- pencil lead being a primary- but as it had a chance to breath and express itself it blossomed. Lush yet powerful, naturally as it’s blend would indicate it reminded me of some of what I like so much about Bordeaux. — 7 years ago

with Beth