"Odedi"

9.1

This is a tasty Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara County in California, however it is not drinking like one.

Showing black fruits with chocolate notes, tobacco, cedar, leather, vanilla, licorice, spices and black pepper.

Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity and long legs.

Good right out of the bottle and much better after 2 hours in the decanter, so be patient.

I had this wine many times before, and it is drinking very nicely as a 5 year old.

Fruit forward and rich, with a bit of RS. Good by itself as a sipping wine.

Aged in French oak barrels for 9 months.

14.7% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$50. — 5 years ago

David L

9.8

Just insanely good! 2 barrels made only during the very best vintages. I’m blessed ... — 6 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.4

Every champagne lover should get to know Fabrice Gass! His tiny estate in Damery, Alexandre Filaine, was a great discovery for me this year. Age-old story of minuscule production, biodynamic farming, and upholding tradition. This older bottling of his NV was stunning and perhaps one of the best I've had recently.

2012 base, with some 2011 blended in as reserve. 2/3 Pino, the rest Chard, and a touch of Meunier. No dosage, no malo, and fermented in old Bollinger barrels - Fabrice's keepsake from his last gig.

Elegant, with laser focus but impressive body. On the nose, super chalky, floral, green apples, pears, and brioche. The palate's incredibly vinous. A complexity that ebbs and flows, with a length that matches. Quite rich and showing some oddly fresh grassy tones. Citrus pith and really mineral on the back notes. What a joy to sip on! — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

I have a six-pack of this 05. I thought after 10 years in bottle, it would be interesting to check in on its evolution. While tasty, I’ll wait another 8-10 to open another. Even after 2-3 hours in the decanter, it’s still a very young adolescent. On the nose, slightly sour blackberries & dark cherries, dark currants, baked black plum, haunting blue fruits, anise, whiff of spice, steeped tea, dry stones, dry crushed rocks with dry top soil, caramel, vanilla with fresh & dry red florals. The body is thick & full. Tannins are starting to round out. It’s velvety on the palate. The fruits are; bright, fresh & ripe and really show the greatness of the 05 vintage. Dark currants, blackberries, dark cherries, baked black plum, haunting blue fruits, baked strawberries, cherries, raspberries on the long set, dark spice, clay & loamy dry top soil with crushed rocks, dry stones, cigar with ash, graphite, dry stems, slight herbaceous character, mint, used leather, clove, caramel, vanilla, fresh & dry red florals with violets. The round acidity is about perfect. The structure and length are still strong. The balance is in harmony. As for the long finish, it’s lush, ruby, rich and well polished. Photos of; Chateau Brane Cantenac, large wood vats, Henri Lurton and Estate vines. Producer notes and history...Chateau Brane Cantenac began in the early 17th century. At the time, the estate was known as Domaine Guilhem Hosten. Even that far back, wine was produced from the property. In fact, the wine was so highly regarded it was one of the more expensive wines in Bordeaux. It sold for almost as much money as Brane Mouton. This is interesting because of who went on to buy the vineyard in the 1800’s. The Baron of Brane, also known as “Napoleon of the Vineyards”, purchased the Chateau in 1833. At the time of the sale, the estate was called Chateau Gorce-Guy. To get the funds needed to purchase the Margaux vineyard, the Baron sold what is now called Mouton Rothschild, which was at the time of the sale, known as Chateau Brane-Mouton. Not such a good move with hundreds of years in hindsight! In 1838, the Baron renamed property taking his name and the name of the sector where the vineyards were located and called it Chateau Brane Cantenac. The Chateau later passed to the Roy family, who were well-known in the Margaux appellation in those days, as they owned Chateau d’issan. Moving ahead to 1920, the Societe des Grands Crus de France, a group of merchants and growers that owned several chateaux located in the Medoc including; Chateau Margaux, Chateau Giscours, and Chateau Lagrange in St. Julien, purchased Chateau Brane Cantenac. Five years later, M. Recapet and his son-in-law, François Lurton, took over Brane Cantenac along with Chateau Margaux. Lucien Lurton (the son of François Lurton) inherited Brane Cantenac in 1956. Today, the estate is still in the hands of the Lurton family. Brane Cantenac is owned and run by Henri Lurton. After being given the responsibility of managing Brane Cantenac, it was under the direction of Henri Lurton that large portions of the vineyard were replanted. Vine densities were increased, the drainage systems were improved and the plantings were also, slowly changed. The vineyard of Brane Cantenac is planted to 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4.5% Cabernet Franc and .5% Carmenere. Carmenere was used for the first time in the 2011 vintage. The only other Chateau I know that still uses Carmenere is Clerc Milon. The 75 hectare Left Bank vineyard of Brane Cantenac is essentially unchanged since it earned Second Growth status in the 1855 Classification. At least that is the case with the 45 hectares used to produce the Grand Vin of Brane Cantenac. Those 45 hectares are planted surrounding the Chateau. Those vines are located just in front of the Cantenac plateau and are the best terroir that Brane Cantenac owns. They have other parcels, which are further inland and much of those grapes are placed into their second wine, Le Baron de Brane. Those additional hectares can be divided into 3 main sections. Behind the Chateau, they have 15 hectares of vines on gravel and sand, 10 hectares across the road with sand, gravel and iron and a 13 hectare parcel with gravel called Notton, which is used for their second wine. The vineyard is planted to a vine density that ranges from 6,666 vines per hectare on the plateau and up to 8,000 vines per hectare for the vines located behind chateau, in their sandier soils. The higher levels of vine density are always found in the newer plantings. The terroir of Brane Cantenac consists of deep gravel, sand and clay soil. Experiments in the vineyards are currently looking at becoming more organic in their vineyard management. Today, more than 25% of Brane Cantenac is farmed using organic farming techniques. It is expected that over time, the amount of hectares farmed with organic methods will be increased. Brane Cantenac has gone through 2 relatively recent modernization’s in 1999, when they added began adding the first of their smaller vats to allow for parcel by parcel vinification and then again in 2015 when they completed a much more complete renovation of their cellars and vat rooms. While Brane Cantenac is a traditional producer, they are no stranger to technology as they were one of the first estates to embrace optical grape sorting machines. In very wet vintages, they can also use reverse osmosis. To produce the wine of Chateau Brane Cantenac, the wine is vinified in a combination of temperature controlled, traditional, 22 oak vats, 18 concrete tanks and 20 stainless steel vats that vary in size from 40 hectoliters all the way up to 200 hectoliters, which allows for parcel by parcel vinification. 40% of the fermentation takes place in the oak vats. The oldest vines are vinified in vats that are selected to allow for separate parcel by parcel vinification. The younger vines are vinified more often together in the same vats. However, the Carmenere is entirely micro-vinified, meaning that those grapes were completely vinified in barrel, using micro-vinification techniques. This can also happen because the amount of grapes produced is so small. Some vats can be co-inoculated, meaning they go through alcoholic fermentation and malolactic fermentation simultaneously. At Chateau Brane Cantenac, malolactic fermentation takes place in a combination of French oak tanks and barrels. The wine of Brane Cantenac is aged in an average of 60% new, French oak barrels for 18 months before bottling. The initial 2 months of aging is done with the wine on its lees, which adds more depth to the wine. There second wine is Le Baron de Brane. Le Baron de Brane is not new. In fact, previously, the second wine went under the name of Chateau Notton, which took its name from one of the main parcels where the grapes were planted. During the late 1950’s and into the 1960’s, having a second wine was important as the estate declassified 3 vintages, due to extremely poor, weather conditions in 1956, 1960 and 1963. Production of Chateau Brane Cantenac is about 11,000 cases per year. — 8 years ago

"Odedi"

9.7

Celebrating 20K on Instagram with this beautiful wine!

Dark ruby in color with a short purple rim. Doesn't show age at all.

Fruity nose of blackberries, sweet cherries, black currants, figs, raisins, vanilla, cedar, licorice, cloves, cola, chocolates, mocha, caramel and black pepper.

Full bodied, smooth and bold, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and extremely fruity on the palate with blackberries, black plums, cooked cherries, cedar, leather, earth, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, mocha, coke, light earth, peppercorn, leather and tobacco.

Long finish with firm tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a great Napa Bordeaux blend. Showing great complexity and mouthfeel. Nicely balanced and fruit forward.

A fantastic wine from a great vintage. I've had a few different vintages of this, from older to younger, and this 2012 vintage is so nice right now. Will be even better in the next 10 to 15 years.

Thank you John for sharing this with me.

Rich yet elegant. Opulent and luxurious. Delectable and delicious.

Robert Parker 96 points.

Good right out of the bottle and much better after 3 hours of airtime. Fun wine for parties if it's in the budget. 😉

A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc. Aged in New French oak barrels for 24 months.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

97 points.

$250. — 5 years ago

GaryWEdwards

9.4

70% Tempornilla. 20% Garnacha and the remainder of 2 grapes with which I am not familiar. Stored in used American oak barrels for 5+ years according to WA. A beautiful blend from great winemaker. Thank you Morell Wine for the heads up — 7 years ago

with Logan

"Odedi"

9.0

Dark ruby in color with a purplish rim.

Fruity nose of black cherries, plums, blueberries, oak, vanilla, licorice, cloves, herbs, spices, dark chocolates, coffee, peppercorn, earth, light vegetables, pencil lead and peppercorn.

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

Dry on the palate with cherries, strawberries, red currants, licorice, tobacco, herbs, vegetables, spices, peppercorn, vinaigrette and spices.

Medium finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cranberries.

This is a great Amarone. Not fully balanced, yet enjoyable by itself or with food. Showing nice complexity and a great mouthfeel. Intense, smooth and rich

Needs a few years in the bottle to mature properly. Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up (2 hours). Died after 4 hour in the decanter, and became too acidic (... but there was not much left anymore😉)

I paired it with light appetizers, cheeses and smoked Meats.

Grapes were dried for 3 months before pressing. Aged for 30 months in Slavonian oak barrels.

A blend of 65% Corvina, 20% Rondinella, 5% Molinara and 10% Croatina.


15% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$55. — 7 years ago

Stas Medvedev

9.5

Pronounced vibrant aromas of honey, flowers of acacia, exotic fruits, white peach. Elegant perfume. Perfect 75:25 assemblage of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Very well balanced palate with the 20% new oak nicely integrated. The rest is matured in 2 yrs old Yquem barrels. Château d'Yquem has been producing rare gem “Y” since 1959 (though not every year) from dedicated parcels in the vineyard. The latest vintage of ‘14 is reminiscent of the ‘07 and ‘11 vintages from the winemakers viewpoint. Rating 4,5/5 — 9 years ago

Michael Hildebrand

9.0

Blend No. 2 with the summer releases. Pinot noir, gamay and gewurz.. I prefer the first, a highly enjoyable wine nonetheless! — 10 years ago

Andrew Lampasone

Owner Wine Watch Selections

8.9

Very rich bouquet peach Trebbiano and garganega new and 2 years old barrels 14 months 2009 great vintage grown on limestone rocks nice tongue tingly acidity very long finish. — 11 years ago

John Sweeney

9.5

One of the best CA Viogniers I have ever had! — 11 years ago

Thomas Hughes

9.5

2 years in oak barrels, followed by 2 years of bottle age, then released in the 5th year. Montalcino has made Brunello both a science and passion. In the most recent vintages, 2001, 2004, 2006, it didn't matter the vineyard ... Most are outstanding. But some stick out and this wine does just that. The fruit that initially hits the palate is mind blowing. How can this not be a Bordeaux blend? How can this just be Sangiovese? But it continues with the grace and balance of an old world red. Unfortunately, I haven't seen this bottle in at least a few years and I only have 1 bottle left. But for under $50, this definitely stands out! Cheers! — 13 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.4

A Cabernet Sauvignon mixed with 23% Carménère, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot from Puente Alto, Maipo that spent 19 months in French barrels. Reflecting a warm, dry year, the nose presents notes of black currant and raspberry jam, black tea leaves and sweet spices with a touch of kirsch. Gentle on the palate with firm, pleasant tannins, a loose structure, bold flavor and intriguing expression. A hint of menthol makes itself felt at the back of the mouth. (Joaquín Hidalgo, Vinous, March 2020)
— 6 years ago

Severn G

9.0

Nose has seashells, sea spray, fresh strawberries, cold butter or cream, washed lemons, lemon juice and over-ripe green apple.

Palate has lemon creme, (light) strawberry, lemon zest, mild oak, freshly whipped cream and wet flint.

Nice wine, our first time having this particular 1er Cru vineyard, but...the oak, while it is sort of neutral, it is the underlying impact to the palate. I'm thinking they likely do not use new oak, but 2-4 year old barrels, but just a little much for my palate on a Chablis. I'm really a fan of very neutral oak or all stainless steel treatment.

24 Hour Update: Wood notes are gone, all about (light) lemon curd, limestone paste and cut strawberry today, wonderfulness. — 6 years ago

Darren Dittrich

9.3

Vivid red Pinot-like color... perhaps like a dark Tavel in its clear-glass bottle. Sediment galore. Muted vegetal and blood orange flavors, rhubarb, sour cherry. 92/8 grenache/syrah at 11.8% ABV. Would be nearly impossible to nail this as McLaren Vale. Day 2: thankfully, still drinking well thanks to fresh acidity and light flinty edge. Except for the rhubarb, this could be mistaken for a lighter style Cru Beaujolais. Delicious! — 7 years ago

Rod Downey

8.9

Bold flavor, very enjoyable. — 8 years ago

Mark Eastom

8.9

So much going on for southern burgundy chard. Apple spice, lemon/lime, hint of 2-3 year old barrels, bright acid and downright delicious. Worked well with some "toro" tuna sashimi. — 8 years ago

with Douglas

A. R.

9.1

Pretty decent Cab Franc. Basically a nicely made Parisian "bistro wine". On the nose, classic green pepper and red fruit. In the mouth, rich red fruit, green peppers and raspberries. My guess is either stainless or really old barrels, zero oak influence. Good grip and acidity. Medium-long finish. Great QPR @16 bucks. Update on day two: +.2 points. Much more open and juicier. Yum. — 9 years ago

V M

9.5

Normally used in their cab sav the Malbec was so good in 2012 entre nous decided to make 2 barrels for friends of the winery. Dark ruby red with purple hues around the edges the nose exudes blackberry liquor, fresh cut flowers and a hint of oak. The palate explodes with ripe plum and dark berries with sweet yet dry and formidable tannins that resonate on the finish with notes of balsam wood and tart berries. No herbal notes at all which tend to dominate most new world Malbec . A unique and special wine this will improve with age as the tannins mellow. — 11 years ago

Andrew Lampasone

Owner Wine Watch Selections

9.3

Only 2 barrels produced 50 cases aged for 38 cases in 100 new French oak. Clones brought from cote rotie. Showing a good amount of dark cherry fruit winemaker Ben smith winemaker for cadence, some meaty notes with some savory herbs and earth notes. Smooth and velvety on the tongue with a nice amount of red berry fruit and a nice touch of spice and tangy mineral notes through the finish. Zesty spiced finish 45+ excellent + — 12 years ago