David Nicewicz

9.4

Layers of velvety tannins were the hallmark of this wine. Nose was a bit reticent but yielded dark fruit and graphite. But the real story was the palate that had incredible unctuous mouthfeel, juicy dark fruits with a touch of graphite and a very long finish. In a great young drinking window at the moment. — 4 years ago

"Odedi"

9.7

Cheers to my 6,000th review on Vivino. A Big milestone deserves a big wine. This was on my wishlist for a while now. Go big or go home!

Deep inky in color with a short brick rim. Unbelievable. Not showing age at all.

Fruity nose of blackberries, blueberries, black currants, chocolates, tobacco, mocha, leather, earth, Mediterranean spices, beef jerky, peppercorn, cedar, leather, vanilla and licorice.

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

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, sweet plums, vanilla, cedar, light vegetables, spices, smoke, tobacco, chocolates, coffee, cola, pencil lead and peppercorn.

Long finish with firm tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon based, Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley. Showing great complexity and a great mouthfeel. Big with bold tannins. Delicious and yummy.

This 19 year old is drinking very nicely now, and really shows like a young wine. Has at least 15 years in it.

After 3 hours of airtime, forest floor notes come in on the nose. Tasting like an aged left bank Bordeaux.

Wine Advocate 100 points.

This is a Fabulous wine to share with good friends. Very enjoyable by itself or with food. I paired it with BBQ ribs.

Thank you John, for sharing this phenomenal wine with me.

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

97 points.

$1,200. — 5 years ago

Stephen Redenbaugh

9.2

Ripe raspberry briar nose... dark blackberry note... 14.8 abv... jammy(in a good way)... perfect long finish... paired with short ribs and amazing grilled cornbread — 6 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; consumed over two days. Day 1: very primary, fresh, vibrant fruit with some tobacco but super compact. Day 2 was a different story with fresh raspberries, cassis, plums, and tobacco and wonderfully balanced. Loads of structure to go with. Finish is long and delicious. This bottle already exhibits a lot of sediment, expect more in the future. Best yet to come. — 6 years ago

"Odedi"

9.1

It's time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a great Cabernet from Washington State.

Dark ruby in color with a purplish rim.

Fruity nose with blackberries, blueberries, sweet cherries, figs, light oak, vanilla, spices, licorice, pencil lead, black pepper, dark chocolates, dark coffee, earth and leather.

Medium to full-bodied and smooth, with medium acidity and long long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blueberries, cherries, plums, oak, vanilla, licorice, spices, herbs, tobacco, peppercorn, espresso, dark chocolates and pencil lead.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a great Cabernet from Columbia Valley. Nicely balanced with great complexity and mouthfeel. Smooth, elegant and very tasty. This 4 year old is peaking now.

This is not an expensive wine, but with proper short term aging, it drinks wonderfully. Worth giving it a try.

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

I paired it with cheeses, nuts, dried fruits and light appetizers.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$15. — 7 years ago

Jake Rubash

9.2

Exactly what I wanted after a long week. Big F'ing fruit — 8 years ago

Fred McQueary

9.1

Very nicely drinking with short decant. Nice fruit with long lasting finish — 8 years ago

with Terri

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Randy Dunn makes wine for your retirement and perhaps your grandkids. This 02 is just coming into it's elegance/groove. When you consider it's been in bottle for basically 12 years, it's still a pretty big wine. Tannins are resolving but still packs a palate punch. On the nose, it's a wild berry blend, baking spices and a mix of dry and fresh roses. The fruits start elegant transitioning to juicy & finishing with dry medium tannins. Blackberries, black cherries, black plum, raspberries with very ripe juicy strawberries painting the back palate. The mix of fruit is incredible. Baking spices of caramel & vanilla, just a touch of spice; allspice & light sage, black tea, dessert style dark minerals that finish with dry crushed rocks, graphite & eucalyptus. Followed by; raspberry cola and acidity that is just short of perfect. The finish pierces the mid palate with dark tannins. However, the mixed berry fruit finishes long, juicy to dry & with sheer beautiful elegance. The finish lasts & lasts. It's simply a guilty pleasure. I have two more bottles. I'll have one in 7 more years and the last in 15 years. Love to note the changes! That's the really enjoyable part of cellaring wine. — 8 years ago

Justin Paterno

8.9

Finish is a bit short but nice wine — 10 years ago

Ryan Guy

9.0

Roasted plums, pine, lifted floral and mineral notes on the nose. Earthy plum and blackberry with a surprisingly long finish glistening with minerality. Drinking well after a short decant now, but will also last a few more years. — 11 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Deep Ruby, purple edges, with aromas of fresh berry fruits, cigar box spice and earthy mineral notes. On the palate rich ripe fruit, blackberry & black cherry with hints of dried spices. Good balance with slightly firm tannins, opened quickly, and lively acidity. Long finish, complex ending with oak, herb, mineral and earthy character. Will improve with short term aging, but don’t wait too long as you might be disappointed! Very nice Shiraz! — 4 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Family-owned and operated started in 1999 by Dr John and Karen Bergstrom. Dark Ruby with fresh ripe berry fruit flavors with floral spice notes. On the palate, cherry and raspberry flavors with complex herb and citrus notes. Fine tannins on long finish ending with slight earthy character. Drink now while it’s fresh, will benefit from short-term aging. — 5 years ago

Frank Heinz

9.4

Linda Rudolph brought this to us from South Africa — 5 years ago

"Odedi"

8.9

Dark ruby in color with a short purple rim.

Fruity nose of blackberries, sweet cherries, oak, vanilla, licorice, cloves, herbs, spices, dark chocolates, coffee, peppercorn, earth and pencil lead.

Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black cherries, raisins, vanilla, oak, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, mocha, coke, earth, light vegetables, pencil lead and peppercorn.

Nice length on the finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon is always enjoyable. Drinking nicely now as a 3 years old.

Fruit forward with nice balance. Showing mild complexity with a nice mouthfeel.

Wine Enthusiasts 90 points.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up and shows the tannins (45 minutes).

Nice enough to drink by itself, but pairs nicely with food too.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$17. — 5 years ago

"Odedi"

9.4

It’s time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a gorgeous Cabernet from Napa Valley.

Deep ink in color with a short Ruby rim.

A gorgeous nose of blueberries, currants, cherries, wild strawberries, dried figs, cedar, vanilla, dark coffee, light vegetables, tobacco leaf, earth, chocolates, eucalyptus, black pepper and Mediterranean spices.

Full bodied and gentle with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black cherries, sweet spice, vanilla, licorice, tobacco, chocolates, coffee, mocha, earth, graphite, leather, coke and peppercorn.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a wonderful example of a Napa Cabernet. Showing great complexity with a wonderful nose and a great, smooth and gentle mouthfeel. Very elegant.


Still not showing its 6 year old age and could age very nicely in the next 15 years.

Good right out of the bottle and much better after an hour, when all these flavors open up on the nose and palate.

By now, the alcohol is well integrated alcohol, although it is very high.

Good by itself or with food and a great sipping wine to have with friends and talk about.

15.2% alcohol by volume.

94 points.

$90. — 6 years ago

Chris England

9.5

1️⃣9️⃣9️⃣5️⃣

🗞 eBay, DVD, Atlantis 🚀 Mir
🎵 You Are Not Alone, One Sweet Day
🎥 Toy Story, Apollo 13
🗣 Houston, we have a problem
🌍 5.66B

Gorgeous old world Rioja @ £75

🍷 Garnet cherry w/ brick

👃 Smokey burnt oak, sweaty leather, ripe black cherry, caramel, sherry, herbs, earth, dusty cellar, potpourri, red currant & cocoa dust w/ liquorice & balsamic

👄 Med smooth body of slight tart & sweet bruised red & dark cherry soaked in earth, oak, sweet liquorice & cocoa

🎯 Long earthy oak cherry seduction — 7 years ago

"Odedi"

9.2

A nice Cabernet for my Friday's cab fix...

Inky in color with a short purple rim.

Fruity nose of blackberries, plums, sweet cherries, strawberry pie, licorice, vanilla, spices, oak, graphite, chocolates, mocha, earth, coffee, black tea, peppercorn and light vegetables.

Full-bodied, big and bold, with medium plus acidity and nice long legs.

Extra dry on the palate, with sweet cherries, blackberries, black currants, black plum, oak, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, nightclub mocha, dark coffee, cola, earth, pencil lead and black pepper.

Long finish with firm tannins, raspberries and black pepper.

This is a great Napa Cabernet with a very typical nose and palate. Well-balanced with nice complexity.

Still young, but already delicious, and would be even better in the next 5 to 10 years. Enjoyable by itself or with food and will pair nicely with BBQ grilled meats.

15% alcohol by volume. — 8 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.3

Super mineral, amazing precision in the aromas. Limestone. Just short of GG quality. Will age wonderfully. Sick aromas. Deep, ripe and wonderful freshness. Apricot and stone fruits, complex and mineral, dry and structured. Long, and so precise. 1.8 grams of RS. Almost tannic. Yellow orchard fruits. 12.5%. So clean. Long and salt finish. — 9 years ago

Daniel P. Drake

9.0

This afternoon was treated to this 1986 Chateau Talbot. On the nose was dark fruit, prune, tobacco, spice and dark cherry. After decanting for a short period of time at first taste the palate gives notes of black cherries, leather, spices, licorice and sandy tannins. There is medium acidity and medium tannins with a very nice long finish. I would say this at least has more life to go a good 5 years. — 10 years ago

Bryant Bickel

9.4

The usually tight tannic punch has faded and melded with the usual Washington velvet, a dark abyss of blackberry, plum, black cherry, it's in a nice place, I honestly wanted the kick in the mouth, but it's more elegant than you would expect. And I'm okay with buying her dinner, cause she delivers! She wore the long dress, thought I'd be looking at a short skirt, but this long dress is taking me home, thanks! She got feisty after she opened up & she delivers impressed! Give it 1hr and she will sing in your ear! — 11 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. — 4 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

Cakebread wine offerings are among my Favs, Chard is no exception, consistent quality year/year. 95% of grapes sourced from Carneros, ‘18 saw 8 months on 1/3 new oak with about 20% of wine going through malolactic fermentation. Aromas of stone fruits, slight & honey scents. On palate complex flavors of apple, peach & lemon zest, balanced with good acidity & great mouthfeel. Long finish ending with fruit, wet stone and toasty character. Very nice, will benefit from short aging. — 5 years ago

"Odedi"

9.3

It’s time for #MerlotThursday. Here is a delicious one from Napa Valley.

Dark inky in color with a short purple rim.

Strong nose of blackberries, black plums, figs, dried fruits, cooked raisins, vanilla, cedar, licorice, cloves, light vegetables, cola, earth, chocolates, tobacco, mocha and black pepper.

Full bodied and bold with medium acidity and long legs.

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

Long finish with firm tannins and tangy cherries.


This is a delicious Merlot from Napa Valley. Big bold and beautiful.

Showing a great mouthfeel with nice complexity, once it's opened up. Intense, rich and extracted. Teeth staining color. I've had it many times and it is very consistent.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up and shows some tannins. So give it time.

I've had this vintage 6 months ago and it is showing nicer now.

Good by itself or with food. A great sipping wine.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$40. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.3

This is my second Herman Story wine. Normally, I’d sock my ‘16 Syrahs away for years, but I’ve seen reviews say this is so enjoyable young, so I decided to experiment. This is like rocket fuel...full throttle. BUT, it stops short of being out of balance/gloopy. These wines make me think this winemaker, named Russell, is like the Russell Bevan version of Paso Rhône varietals...big, bold, & delicious in style.

After only 30mins, this revealed some smoked meat, peppercorn, olive and underripe blackberry. Some sage as well. Massive on the palate...all sorts of dark, ripe fruit with a sweetened core. Bacon fat, roasted plum, and baked berry pie. This is hedonistic in style and not for the faint of heart, but it does a good job of restraining itself from where it could go. A fun wine. — 6 years ago

with Weston and Mark

Eric Naslund

9.2

This is a big wine and it paired nicely with spicy food. Lots of mouth feel and a long finish. Now that it’s done I am wishing that we had another! — 7 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.7

2014 vintage. At Chateau D'Yquem for lunch. Pale golden hue. High concentration on the nose - saffron and pineapple, white flowers and honey and short bread biscuit. Some stone minerality. On the palate, very fresh high acidity, sugar level seems quite restrained, medium body - silky, very very long. Fantastic. Drink 2025-2050+ — 8 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.6

1986 vintage. Chrismaka lunch at the house. Served after 3.5hr decant (which was probably a few hours short of what I would do next time round). Medium garnet hue - the only true sign of age I found in the wine. Strong pencil sharpening, creme cassis and smoke. Cedar. Very youthful. A lot of fruit. Amazingly youthful. Complex. On the palate, medium plus acidity and tannins - ripe. Medium alcohol. Medium plus concentration of flavour. Balanced. Very long finish. Depth and balance. This is so young still. Don't open for another 10+ years. Drink 2026-2056+. Wonderful potential, but still a baby. Is there a wine on the planet built for the long term better than Las Cases? NB: this is superior to the 1982 I had a month ago. — 8 years ago

Jerod Gunsberg

9.5

Stunning. So fresh and bright and concentrated without being overripe. Surprisingly deep color for a Grenache. Red flowers and cherry on the nose Same on the palate with baking spices and toffee on the long finish. Complex and special. Russell is rightfully known for his Syrahs but the Grenaches are in the same league. — 9 years ago

Daniel Murphy

9.2

Cork very soft, decanted 1 hour, beautiful dark cherry juice while decanting near light. Fruit nose, initial as smooth, tasty mild cab wine. Mid a little more earth and mineral. End tannins very short. No long aftertaste. Join when swallowed. Liked wine @ 90 — 10 years ago

Gary Vaynerchuk

Founder WineLibrary.com, Host WineLibraryTV

9.3

Honey, honey and a hint of asparagus on the noise. This wine is super thick almost dessert wine level fruit ... A hint of pear, apple and nectarine and finished long and strong - a ton of people would love this wine - it's fun if not a tad over the top but for tonight, breaking fast... It's perfect — 11 years ago