"Odedi"

9.2

It's time for #MerlotThursday. Here's a great one from Columbia Valley.

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Fruity nose of blackberries, black currants, cherries, cooked plums, wood, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, smoke, dark coffee, mocha, earth, leather, coke and black pepper. What a great nose.

Full bodied with medium acidity and nice legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, cooked cherries, oak, vanilla, spices, espresso, chocolates, peppercorn, earth sweet vinaigrette, dark coffee and light mocha.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and cherries.

This 4 year old Merlot from Washington State surprised me.
Well balanced and enjoyable by itself or with food. Showing great complexity and mouthfeel.

Soft, spicy and smooth. Peaking now, and better now than a year or two ago.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up (1 hour).

I paired it with a filet mignon and grilled asparagus.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$20. — 7 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.2

By now I have run out of superlatives for Vajra, from whom you will find some of the finest, artisan wines being made in Piedmont today. At a time when prices for so many wines are skyrocketing out of control, Vajra’s prices are a breath of fresh air. The Barolos are made in contemporary traditional style, with longish fermentations and aging in cask. Vajra’s 2013 Barolo Albe is beautifully perfumed, sensual, and expressive in this vintage. The style of the Albe has always favored a more succulent expression of Nebbiolo yet there is an element of restraint in the 2013 that is hugely appealing. The Albe may be the single best value in Barolo today. As for the 2013, don't miss it! (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, Feb 2017)

— 8 years ago

Doctor No

9.0

This will be a very nice wine but needs time to integrate. Toasted oak spice and vanilla out of the gate, a mix of red and black fruit with blackcurrant liqueur and an almost unctuous palate. 14.9% and feels sweet and heavy to me because of it, but that is my bias. I think this wine achieves everything it wants to be. — 8 years ago

Jared O'Connell

9.5

What a wonderful wine. Really shines after some time out of the bottle. Saving the last glass of this for tomorrow night. How are there so many reviews for newer vintages on here. Are they errors? Or tasted at the winery? Isn't 2003 the current release? — 10 years ago

Mike Lee

Beverage Manager/Sommelier Catch Miami

9.0

Nice red, black fruit and cola notes. Savory herbs and organic earth mid-palate and on the finish. High alcohol takes it out of balance a bit. Needs time. — 10 years ago

Jeff Sidwell

Owner Bon! Gourmet

9.1

Dead sexy oaky says JD. Refined and balanced. Good right out of the bottle after opening can only improve with some time — 10 years ago

Chris McClellan

9.3

Loved this...DEF needed more time to air out. Tart red fruit, smoky campfire, slight grilled meats, whole cluster stinkiness, med plus acid....long finish. Great stuff, mote time in decanter and this is a super star! La La! — 7 years ago

with Justin, Chad and 1 other

Amy Rodriguez

9.1

Super light body, smooth, blackberry/blueberry, tart but not abrasive at all. Almost citric like a white. Oak comes out as it warms, vanilla. Decant. — 8 years ago

Shay A

9.4

Our monthly 4th Friday event at the storage facility. No requirements, just wine you want to share with others! Always an enjoyable time.

Special place in my heart for this winery. A few months ago, I had an '88 go celebrate my birth year. It was STELLAR. This is pushing forward easily...after an hour of air, the fruit and secondary earth and funk notes came out. So good! Thanks Walter! — 8 years ago

with Mark

Jonathan Wall

9.0

It's ALIVE! Sort of like a handsome young Frankenstein. Tasted over 3 days. Starts out spritzy, snappy, barnyardy... and mellows nicely after some time. — 8 years ago

r b

9.4

My mom said she found out about this app on the today show. Thanks mom, why can't you remember that time I won a karate competition by decapitation? — 10 years ago

Ian Brennan

9.3

2001 vintage lovely dense plumbs, currants, violets and spice on the nose. Rich and warm, headily inviting, with the perfume jumping out of the glass capturing and demanding attention. Tightly packed mouthful as well, surprisingly medium bodied, good fruit and tannin, but closed and needing time. Good aftertaste, probably needs 3 to 5 years before opening up to its best. — 10 years ago

Jeffrey Lew

9.8

We went 2/2 tonight. This bottle was a testament to perfect storage. Cork was perfect, and the wine was dark ruby with ever so slight bricking at the rim. Awesome. More approachable than the 90 and makes you wanna curl up with it for a long time. Better than the bottle I had at the Montrose vertical a month ago. Blind I would guess 10 yrs newer. For this price point and quality it's a must add. Edged out the Margaux. — 10 years ago

Jack Badavas

10

Mom and Dad in town. Busting out my favorite wine. Bulletproof every time! — 7 years ago

with Alex

GabWine

9.6

When we open from 1987, we expect everything. One thinks of its conservation in cellar, the risk that it is passed or incredible, with the tannins having evolved in this vial ... The cork pulled-out, in perfect state and one knows in advance that one hit the jackpot and that it will be phenomenal. A coppery robe, a complex nose with aromas of black and floral fruits. In the mouth, an explosion of flavors that take the length and makes us go back in time. A very large estate for an incredible wine, to fall 😍🍷 — 7 years ago

Martin G Rivard

10

What a beautiful person inside and out! I'm blessed beyond measure to be able to call him "Dad". Words can't adequately express how much I Love him. We opened a few bottles last night that I will hold near and dear to my heart forever. We are celebrating his completion of 6 rounds of chemo therapy in his battle against Prostate cancer. This is his 3rd time in the ring against this opponent and it appears that he's won with a unanimous decision by knockout at this time!!!!!! Love you dad!!!!! So proud of your strength through this process. My Father was born in 1940. A difficult year to say the least:
Germans entered Bordeaux in June of 1940. As dictated by Hitler himself, it was the sworn duty of each and every commander to search and seize whatever could be used for the advancement of the German cause. Bedlam broke out. Chateaux' were ransacked, wine cellars were looted if not used for target practice. The Chateauxs were forced to continue producing wines. It's poetic justice that Mother Nature provided the Germans with the worst growing season from 1940 to 1944!!!! The Germans left Bordeaux in 1944 to the cheers of the residents "Au Revoir Les Allemands"!!!! The 1940 bottle that we enjoyed this evening survived World War II. It Survived the ransacking, pillaging & plunder of countless German soldiers. It's outer capsule showed evident signs of its struggle but it's inner beauty was unblemished and glorious. I've had many, many vintages of Latour from 1928 and on but none have ever tasted as perfect as the one we enjoyed tonight. This 1940 was perfect. It was a fighter, it never gave up, it never relinquished in the face of adversity. That's my Father, that my role model. He's a beautiful person inside & out. I think 1940 is the best vintage that I have ever had the privilege to enjoy. Special thanks to my good friends Michael Troise whom provided me with much of the insights in regards to the incredibly difficult vintage and David Page whom gifted this bottle to me for our celebration this evening. I will never forget your generosity. It was a glorious evening to say the least!!! Wine has a way of bringing people together and encapsulating an evening and event. I couldn't think of a better way to rejoice in his victory than to open a Father & Son birth year wine. — 8 years ago

with Ryan, Christine and 1 other

John Lin

9.0

Had the 2010 Roll Ranch with Christmas dinner of prime rib, baby artichokes, asparagus, roasted potatoes. Had this after a 1999 Dalla Valle Cabernet. A little thin on first sip and not a as full as the regular cuvée. Losing fruit? Energized and vibrant for an older vintage. After some time in the glass, the wine filled out and is improving. Maybe decant? — 10 years ago

Stephen Jackshaw

9.0

Needs some time but should turn out very nice — 10 years ago

Jim Wallick

9.3

Coaxing it out of the glass. Needs time to blow off typical barnyard nose, leads way to dark red fruit and really long finish — 10 years ago

with Charles

Brittney King

9.5

Fresh out of the bottle - funky spice aromas. On the palate - bone dry and incredibly tight. Decanted for three hours. I can't tell you how much it opened up in that time. This wine is phenomenal. Incredibly smooth, smokey, surprisingly juicy. Just gorgeous. Must try! — 11 years ago