"Odedi"

9.5

It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Deep inky in color with a short reddish rim.

Strong nose of black currants, cooked plums, cedar, tobacco, licorice, light vanilla, chocolates, peppercorn, pencil lead, dark coffee and light herbs.

Full-bodied, elegant and smooth, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and very fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, cooked plums, cedar, herbs, chocolates, tobacco leaf, light earth, Indian spices, dark coffee and light pencil lead.

Long finish with fine grained tannins, cherries and spices.

This young Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley is already drinking beautifully. Such a great surprise.

Well balanced with great complexity. Soft, with a smooth mouthfeel.

This 6 year old Cabernet is elegant and robust at the same time.
Rich and extracted. Powerful, yet restrained. Loved the nose here.

Good right out of the bottle, but so much better after 4 hours of airtime.

I had the 2013 vintage 3 years ago, but it wasn't as good as this one. Might have been that specific bottle.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 15 years. Would be nice to revisit it in 5 years and see how it evolves.

Such a great experience to drink it with the wine maker.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were aged in (70% new) French oak barrels for 18 months.

15.1% alcohol by volume.

95 points.

$400. — 15 days ago

Peter Sultan

9.1

A very proper, stand up white that happens to be a rose. Excellent concentration & legs in the glass, with a mesmerizing salmon color. Quite textured & dry on the palate, with quince, white flowers, & an impressive minerality. A lot of wine for 20$ on sale, & food will only help it. Pedigreed maker whose Chenin blancs sell starting 4/5x as much. Paired with harissa chicken & rice. — 3 years ago

with Owen

Jayna Fontenot

9.5

Good legs and a pale yellow color with a hint of green. Smells wonderfully citrusy, like bright lemon and passionfruit and apricot. Taste is crisp and well balanced with an acidic finish. Super good. — 5 years ago

"Odedi"

9.4

#AgedWineTuesday

Beautiful color of dark ruby with a wide reddish rim.

Strong nose of black currants, black plums, cooked cherries, dried fruits, cedar, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco and herbs.

Full bodied and soft, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate and fruit forward with blackberries, black currants, black plums, cherries, cedar, spices, dark chocolates, licorice, coffee, peppercorn, light eucalyptus, herbs, light vegetables, earth and black tea.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This 20 year old Merlot from Saint Emilion is absolutely fantastic now. Elegant, chocolatey and rich.

Drinking beautifully right out of the bottle, extracted and complex. Nicely balanced and powerful, with a great mouthfeel.

Wine Advocate 98 points.

Drinking it with the wine maker, from his personal cellar, makes it even more special for me.

Drinking at its peak, and will continue to drink nicely in the next 10 years.

Fruit forward and good by itself as a sipping wine.

A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Aged in New French oak barrels for 18 months.

94 points.

$350. — a month ago

S Lav

9.6

Great way to finish this crazy year of 2020 by drinking this nice fine bottle of well aged Opus. Paired it with new york strips and king crab legs. Yummy! — 5 years ago

"Odedi"

9.1

Zwebner Estate Vineyard 35.6.18 Red Blend 2015, Bethlehem, Israel

On a video call with the wine maker, drinking this nice Grenache blend from Israel.

Deep purple in color with a purplish rim.

Strong nose of blueberries, black plums, blackcurrants, cherries, strawberries, wood, licorice, tobacco, eucalyptus, earth, acetone, black tea, dark chocolates, herbs, peppercorn and wet leaves.

Full bodied and elegant with medium plus acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with plums, cooked cherries, oak, light vanilla, spices, dark chocolates, coffee, alcohol, peppercorn, wet leaves, vegetables, green herbs, mint, tobacco, spices and earth.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cranberries.

This is a delicious Grenache blend from Israel. Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel. Tasty and good by itself or with food. Tangy and spicy, elegant and rich.

Needs 60 minutes to open up properly.

This 5 year old is drinking very nicely now, and better than last year. Still young and needs 3 more years in the bottle to mature properly.

I paired it with baked Brie cheese and crackers.

A blend of 47% Grenache, 33% Carignan and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged for 12 months in 100% new oak barrels (American, French and Hungarian).

15.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$40. — 5 years ago

Meredith McGuire

9.3

Gorgeous! Picked up notes of fresh, ripe blackberries on the nose as soon as I opened it, and the blackberries came on strongly with the first sip. Faint tobacco and woodiness led into curbed-but-firm tannins. Crazy-deep viscosity; the legs hung on for long minutes! This definitely had another 4-5 years in it to smooth those tannins out, but it was truly delicious even in 2024. — 8 months ago

"Odedi"

9.2

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

Deep ruby in color with a wide reddish /brick rim.

Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity and mouthfeel.

Showing blackberries, black currants, plums, earth, cedar, leather, chocolates, tobacco, mildew, light vinaigrette and black pepper.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 25 year old Merlot is a tad tired, but still very enjoyable.

I've had this Merlot before, but it was a more recent vintage. I have a feeling it's this specific bottle that is flawed. It might be improper storage.

Big tannins show up after 4 hours in a decanter.

Helen Turley was the wine maker. Robert Parker 96 points.

Regardless of how it is showing now, it's always nice to try these kind of wines.

A blend of 85% Merlot with 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$100 (current vintage). — 3 years ago

Jan de Weerd

9.3

Wow 🤯 Crazy intense wine blowing the top of your head . Spice and deep dark intense fruit with a burnt baked edge. Lingering flavors of tar, cigar and baked figs. What an experience. Could only do that a few times a year. All that with Mourvèdre from McLaren Vale. Amazing. Everything and more than described by the wine maker. — 5 years ago

with RoAnne and Tammy

Jay Kline

9.5

A couple of years in the cellar is already doing wonders for this wine; evolving from a wine with huge potential into something absolutely spectacular. This was a pop and pour situation from cellar temp (57°F) and I immediately knew we were in for something special from the first pour. The bouquet was supercharged. Black brambles, dark cherries, pepper, spiced cake, anise with nothing out of place. The palate was richly endowed with a similar fruit/spice profile. But I would be remiss if we also didn’t discuss texture because that was the difference maker here. I’ve always though Saint Cosme was amongst the most polished from the region but this takes it to a whole new level and positively masterful; leaving me left to admire the purity and freshness of the fruit. Far and away the greatest experience I’ve had with a Saint Cosme Gigondas and it’s crazy to think that 2016 could turn out to be even better. Only time will tell. Glad I have a couple more in the cellar. Wish the pricing wasn’t getting out of hand though. — 5 years ago