Jay Kline

9.4

Talk about an enormous wine. The 2005 is downright youthful and packed to the gills with fruit and character. Dark fruited with anise and black pepper. It was just so dense that everything seemed locked up right now…and we can thank Mourvedre for that. This was very tasty with cassoulet, Toulouse sausage and duck confit. If I were going to open another one of these, I would probably hold until 2030 and this will probably last for another 25 years beyond that. A massive wine with a long future yet ahead. — 2 months ago

"Odedi"

9.4

Light straw in color with a golden hue.

Beautiful nose of white flowers, light oak, spices, green and red apples, minerals, vegetables, honey, grapefruits and green tea.

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

Dry on the palate with lemons, citrus, green apples, grapefruits, bitter herbs, spices, light vegetables, minerals and black pepper.

Long spicy finish with almonds and spices.

This 7 year old is just gorgeous. Drinking beautifully out of the bottle, and better after 20 minutes of airtime.

Showing great balance with a smooth mouthfeel. Powerful, rich and elegant.

This 2015 vintage is showing lots of fruits, with a nice touch of earthiness.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.

Tasty by itself as a sipping wine. A great wine to share with friends and talk about.

Robert Parker 96 points.

I've had the 2014 a few years ago, and this is so much better.

A blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sémillon and 5% Sauvignon Gris. Aged in French oak barrels.

14% alcohol by volume.

94 points.

$150. — a year ago

E & K G

8.9

Talk about cost performance! If you ever find this on sale and like white burgs, load up. Some oak on it but plenty of tension, acidity that keep it all in check. Always a crowd pleaser and sure to surprise those that have yet to discover the potential of NZ wines. — 3 years ago

Willie Carter

9.1

Talk about over delivering. Drinking well above its price point and the designation. Medium intensity on the nose with green apples and flint initially. Citrus and floral aromas then come to the forefront after some time.

Well made with terrific balance and structure through and through. Nutty and citrusy with far more depth than you’re expecting for an entry level bottle. Expressive grapefruit and pears on the palate. Chalk, vanilla, and a smidgeon of butter complements. A really, really solid Chablis and an outstanding value.
— 6 months ago

"Odedi"

9.3

This is a delicious Bordeaux blend from Columbia Valley in Washington State.

Very dark in color, and looks very young.

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

Dry and fruity on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, raisins, dried figs, vanilla, cedar, licorice, cola, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, spices, earth and coffee.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

This 8 year old is peaking now, and will continue to drink nicely in the next 5 years.

Smooth and elegant. Rich and extracted, with a great mouth feel.

Good by itself or with food. A great wine to sip on and talk about.

Robert Parker 94 points.

Needs 3 hours to open up properly, but good right out of the bottle as well.

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

A blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Petit Verdot, 17% Merlot, 7% Cab Franc and a splash of Malbec. Winemaker is Philippe Melka.

15.4% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$65 (current vintage). — 2 years ago

Ian Hamel

9.2

2021/5/5-6 with mole chichilo and chicken, katsuo tataki, etc. I adore this wine; this year’s model is especially effusive and giving. Soaring raspberry, strawberry, cherry and flowers - it really is Burgundian, but with that twist of blood orange that says Chianti. Limpid like cool spring water but with a savory mineral depth. People sometimes talk about dangerously drinkable wines, but this is truly that - so delicious and moreish it’s hard to stop. — 3 years ago

TwiLea Fletcher

9.2

EO talk has no place when Cherry Pie is involved. — 4 years ago

with Neal

"Odedi"

9.5

#AgedWineTuesday

Ruby in color with a wide brick rim.

Beautiful nose of black currants, blackberries, blueberries, dried figs, raisins, light oak, licorice, light tobacco, light earth, chocolates, eucalyptus, light vegetables, herbs, wildflowers, cola and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and very fruity on the palate with blackberries, black plums, figs, dried fruits, coffee, light cedar, tobacco, chocolates, cola, vanilla, licorice, spices, light earth and peppercorn.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This gorgeous 18 year old Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley is drinking beautifully now.

This is a great surprise, as the cork totally crumbled, and I expected the worst, but it really delivered.

Shows nice balance, and great complexity with a velvety mouthfeel.

Easy drinking and good right out of the bottle. As it opens up, tannins come in (45 minutes), and make it more structured and interesting.

A great sipping wine to have all by itself and talk about. The nose is just gorgeous.

14.8% alcohol by volume.

95 points.

$80. — a year ago

Alex Lallos

Owner No Limit Fine Wines, Private Wine Consultant

9.1

Dark color. Black currant, coffee and cassis on the nose followed by damp forest floor. This is drinking really well at age 20! Still loads of fruit. Dense and opulent with some tertiary notes beginning to take hold. I can’t believe that a comparably aged wine in say 2005 (when I got into wine) would be a 1985. This also shows how far cru bourgeois has come. I would imagine the 2010 is a stunning wine. Hard to believe this likely costed $20-$25 on release. Talk about qpr — 3 years ago

Will Stanley

9.3

Easily one of the finest aromas I’ve experienced in a Rioja, and indeed any wine, in the past year, truly a beguiling and complex experience that begs your nose to remain in the glass. I must note for my own posterity that on the palate I was initially a little underwhelmed. I’m not sure why. I think because this is such a subtle and elegant Rioja, and that I’m so out of the habit of drinking wines from this region and perhaps even, by extension, subtle and elegant wines as a whole. But the more I tasted it, the more I enjoyed it. I had a similar experience with the Viña Ardanza 2010 (which at the moment I prefer to this). But this 904 Gran Reserva is a beautiful, medium to light-bodied Rioja, very fruit-forward with Burgundian delicacy and a charm so typical of the finest wines of this region. A melange of coconut, vanilla, dried cherry and Mediterranean herbs are followed by an impressively saturated palate with medium orange peel acidity and very fine, resolved tannins. I must admit I cannot yet calibrate this wine with the notes of prominent critics, who talk about power, acidity and tannin, but maybe time will tell. This should be a terrific wine to follow over the next ten to twenty (plus) years. — 4 years ago