"Odedi"

9.1

It's time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a nice one from Red Hills.

Dark purple in color with a purplish rim.

Fruity nose of blackberries, raspberries, black plums, oak, light vanilla, licorice, herbs, tobacco leaf, earth, spices, chocolates, dark coffee and black pepper.

Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with plums, cherries, black currants, oak, tobacco, licorice, peppercorn, coffee, cinnamon, earth, spices, light vegetables and herbs.

Medium plus on the finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very tasty Cabernet Sauvignon from Lake County in California. Fruit forward with lots of coffee and chocolates notes.

Needs a few hours of airtime to open up, but drinkable right out of the bottle too. Big tannins come out after a couple of hours of air.

Showing nice complexity with a nice mouthfeel, but still very young, and needs five years in the bottle to mature properly. Would be nice to revisit it in 3 years. Will age nicely in the next 10 years.

I had the 2017 vintage a year ago and it is very consistent.

Easy drinking and good by itself or with food. Will pair nicely with BBQ Meats.

14.3% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$75. — 3 years ago

Ellen Clifford

9.1

Can we give this a high five? It’s supple and also muscular like a power yogi who doesn’t need to end their sessions with an om. Ripe honey (probably not a thing but I feel it), and pickled golden delicious apple skins (also not a thing but whatevs) and goodness it is strong but smooth. It coats the mouth with a a slight kick. Chill and ready but fast moving. Ashtanga Fiano. — 5 years ago

"Odedi"

9.1

Time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Here is a nice one from Napa Valley.

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Fruity nose of blueberries, black plums, black cherries, spices, cedar, vanilla, earth, coke, chocolates, dark coffee, black pepper, pencil lead and light vegetables.

Full bodied with medium plus acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, vanilla, licorice, cloves, herbs, spices, dark chocolates, coffee, peppercorn, light vegetables, pencil lead and earth.

Medium plus in length on the finish, with fine grained tannins and tangy cranberries.

This is a very enjoyable Merlot from Napa Valley. Nicely balanced and fruit forward with a great mouthfeel. Showing nice complexity with more vegetables notes than I expected.

Still young and needs three to five years to mature, but already very yummy.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up (90 minutes).

I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

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

14.4% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$36. — 5 years ago

"Odedi"

9.2

It’s time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a delicious one from France.

Dark ruby in color with a purplish rim.

Strong nose of black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, vanilla, licorice, cloves, herbs, spices, coffee, eucalyptus, black pepper, dark chocolates, wet leaves, earth and leather.

Full bodied with medium plus acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco, dark chocolates, bitter herbs, vegetables, wet leaves and peppercorn.

Medium plus on the finish with firm tannins and tangy raspberries.

This young Bordeaux is already drinking very nicely. Needs at least five years to come to its own, and will be better in the next 20 years.

Showing nice complexity with a great mouthfeel.

Robert Parker 90 points.

This is the second wine from this second growth winery, and from a great vintage.

Very tasty, yet not fully balanced. Needs 3 hours to open up properly, but good right out of the bottle too.

A blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot.

I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$65. — 6 years ago

"Odedi"

9.1

Deep purple in color with a short purplish rim.

Fruity nose with black currants, black plums, cooked cherries, oak, licorice, vanilla, earth, vegetables chocolates, coffee, beef jerky, bell pepper, vinaigrette, light barnyard, dust, smoke and peppercorn.

Full-bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with plums, black currants, sweet raspberries, cherries, wood, licorice, bitter herbs, spices, light vegetables, dark chocolates, alcohol, graphites, earth, tobacco and peppercorn.

Long and spicy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a great Syrah from Santa Ynez Valley in California. Nicely balanced with a great mouthfeel and nice complexity.

Drinks way easier than it should, with all that alcohol, but still a little hot at the back of the throat. This is not a wine for the faint of hearts... Showing great complexity on the nose.

Needs an hour in a decanter to open up properly and remove some of the stinky nose. After an hour, it changes every 20 minutes. I love these kind of wines. Too bad it's my last bottle.

I had it 6 months ago, and it is already drinking better. Will age nicely in the next three to five years, and will probably get to 94 points.

Good by itself as a sipping wine and good with food. I paired it with Brie cheese.

A blend of 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier. Aged for 18 months in French oak barrels (70% new).

15.7% alcohol by volume!

91 points.

$45. — 7 years ago

James Forsyth

9.3

Today is international beer day. I haven't been exploring my beers recently but if ever there were a day to do so, today seems appropriate.

This beer is a sexy, fruity, tropical with pineapple and papaya, yet bone dry, complex New England style double dry hopped double IPA. Make good decisions indeed. 👏🙌🎉 ... 🙈🙉🙊

#internationalbeerday — 7 years ago

with Gautham

Pat Taylor

9.0

Dark purple but notable bricking. It was a touch astringent at first, but with good length. It’s another lesson learned with Syrah - almost incomprehensibly better on day 2. I would have scored this three points lower at least on first taste. Five to six hours of air recommended. — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

See previous note from October 2019. As mentioned this garnered 98 points from prestigious UK Wine magazine, Decanter and only cost $24. Excusing the child like label, the contents are very good from a region in Henty/Drumborg better known for their superb Rieslings. Aromas of Carbonic Maceration - confectionery which developed into a dried cherry component and with time rose petals. A lovely savoury driven light to medium weight palate married nicely with the oak. — 4 years ago

"Odedi"

9.1

Time to get my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a nice one from Napa Valley.

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

On the nose blueberries, black currants, black plums, sweet cherries, light vanilla, wood, licorice, spices, tar, earth, vegetables, eucalyptus, pencil lead, tobacco, dark coffee and black pepper.

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

Dry on the palate with black currants, black cherries, wood, licorice, spices, dark chocolates, green olives, graphite, earth, leather, tobacco, bell pepper, vegetables, bitter herbs, peppercorn and dark coffee.

Spicy finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very enjoyable Cabernet Sauvignon from Spring Mountain District. Not the typical Napa Cabernet. Drinks more like a Left Bank Bordeaux.

Showing nice complexity with a nice mouthfeel. Nicely balanced and enjoyable by itself or with food.

This 5 year old is still young and needs another five years in the bottle to mature.

Needs time to open up properly. I gave it 3 hours. Tannins show up after two and a half hours and bring out structure, so please be patient.

At this point, the Cabernet Franc in the blend, is really showing dominance. Showing lots of earth notes at this point, which makes it very interesting. I would imagine that it will diminish with time.

Showing great potential to be much better in the next 5 to 10 years.

I paired it with cheeses and crackers. Went very nicely with the brie cheese.

A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Cabernet Franc. Aged in (65% new) French Oak barrels for 18 months.

14.3% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$52. — 5 years ago

Steve Anderson

9.4

Extra time has done this one well, taming the original 200% new oak. One of the three Bedrock expressions from the Hudson Vineyard. For ‘08. With all previous bottles from that group consumed five or more years ago, glad I saved this one. Loved it. — 5 years ago

"Odedi"

8.9

This is a nice Grenache from Dry Creek Valley in California.

Showing red and black fruits with earth, wood, spices, chocolates, tobacco and herbs.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity and nice legs.

Very nice nose. Easy drinking with nice complexity and mouthfeel.

Fine grained tannins on the finish with tangy cranberries.

Could use a few more years in the bottle to mature, but already drinking very nicely now.

14.2% alcohol by volume.

89 points. — 6 years ago

"Odedi"

9.1

A great Cabernet from Napa Valley. Showing red and black fruits with earth, tobacco, vanilla, licorice, spices and Cedar.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up (a couple of hours).

Aged for 24 months in French oak barrels. A blend of Cabernet, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.

Still young and needs 5 to 10 years of bottle time.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$80. — 6 years ago

David Shaw

9.0

I like their big tannic Reserve reds to lay down for five years plus. But what about their regular reds? Heavily pigmented purple-red in color. Briar, leather, cherry notes in nose. Touch of barnyard, mint-eucalyptus in nose as well. Black currant and cherry flavors, mild tannins initially, dry finish on palate. Plum flavor emerges with time. Skin astringency moderate; sharp chewy tannins emerge after 30 minutes, but soften two hours later. Red fruit finish and aftertaste. Well made for a basic-entry Cabernet; certainly there are more complex and costly Central Coast Cabernets but this is a solid choice in the mid price points. Better than I expected, tastes even better with time or decanting — 7 years ago

"Odedi"

9.3

This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. Showing nice complexity with a great, soft mouthfeel.

Dry on the palate and full-bodied. Smooth and elegant with medium acidity.

Showing black fruits with earth, chocolates, tobacco, spices, coffee, cedar, vanilla, licorice and black pepper.

This 7 year old is drinking very nicely now and will continue to age nicely in the next five to seven years.

This Single Vineyard needs a couple of hours to open up properly, so give it time.

Nicely balanced with a great mouthfeel. Spicy, soft and smooth. Fruit forward and rich.

Aged for 36 months in French oak barrels.

14.7% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$95. — 4 years ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

9.1

Still a solid 91+ in my book.

91+ points — 4 years ago

Will Stanley

9.3

This flagship Reserva from the CVNE stable is so young it almost has the character of a youthful Barbaresco that needs at least another five years in bottle. Incredibly fierce acidity and a tannic, bone-dry profile make it a tough wine to drink at the moment. The benefit to this, of course, is ageing potential - this should be a wine that sees its 20th birthday in fine form, and likely live for some years after that. There is a well of very ripe, rich red fruit beneath the structure that will reveal itself in time, and a terrifically long finish. 93 points for now, but potential for 95+ in 5/10 years’ time. — 5 years ago

"Odedi"

9.1

It’s time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Here's a nice one from Pomerol.

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

Fruity on the nose with blueberries, black cherries, sweet strawberries, black plums, vanilla, licorice, leather, earth, light vegetables, dark coffee, oak, pencil lead and peppercorn.

Full bodied with medium plus acidity and nice legs.

Dry on the palate with cherries, plums, earth, wood, spices, vegetables, vanilla, vinaigrette, black pepper, tobacco leaf, black tea, leather and wet leaves.

Medium finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cranberries.

This five-year-old Merlot from Bordeaux is starting to drink very nicely now. Starting to show some age and nice complexity. Elegant with a great nose, from a great vintage.

Nicely balanced now and good to drink by itself or with food. Will get even better in the next 15 years.

Needs 2 hours to open up properly, so do give it time.

A good quality wine. Tangy, easy drinking and very tasty. Kosher.

I paired it with cheeses and crackers.

14% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$100. — 5 years ago

"Odedi"

9.1

This is a tasty Napa Cabernet. Showing black fruits, cedar, vanilla, licorice, tobacco, chocolates, mocha and coffee.

Full-bodied and smooth with soft tannins with nice length on the finish.

Good by itself or with food. Showing a nice mouthfeel with nice complexity. Spicy and tangy.

This will be beautiful in 5 years.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$80. — 6 years ago

"Odedi"

9.1

A beautiful color of dark purple with a wide purplish rim.

Pretty nose of blackberries, sweet plums, blueberries, violets, black currants, cedar, earth, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco, dark chocolates, bitter herbs, vegetables, and pencil lead. Very nice nose.

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

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, oak, spices, earth, vegetables, graphites, dark coffee, chocolates, tobacco, beef jerky and black pepper.

Long finish with fine tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a great Syrah blend from Paso Robles. Easy drinking and tasty with a nice mouthfeel. Showing nice complexity with a gorgeous nose.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up (needs an hour). Drinking very nicely now, and will be better in the next 3 years.

I paired it with cheeses, nuts and dried fruits.

A blend of 60% Syrah and 40% Tannant. Aged for 18 months in French Oak barrels (20% new). Kosher.

14.4% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$55. — 6 years ago

Chris England

9.5

A wine I’ve been eager to try & found cheaper in 🇪🇸 vs 🇬🇧 @ €140 - Very Côte Rotie esq & a rather superbly made 🇺🇸 wine 😉 oh & Mrs E enjoyed in the hotel hot tub 😁 as you’ll see if you scroll on Instagram ⏩

📍 Cayuse Syrah Cailloux Vineyard 2013

🏵 95 points w/ more on age potential

💥 13.8% ABV

🍇 Syrah co-fermented with 5% Viognier

🍷 Opaque blackened ruby

👃 Loaded with smoked dry cured Iberian ham, cherry cola, dirty muddy piggy 🥓 & rock minerals w/ peppered raspberry liquorice, cocoa, olive tapenade, oak & black berries - just fabulous 😍

👄 Med+ body of chocolate infused blackberry & dark spiced cherry w/ wild sharp raspberry & herbs in med acidity

🎯 Long blackberry/raspberry/cherry mocha boom boom w/ a touch of dryness
— 7 years ago