Jay Kline

9.3

I never would have anticipated drinking my birth year of Cheval Blanc out of a Solo cup yet, here we are. The ‘81 is ruddy still; deep garnet color with some browning towards the rim and loads of sediment. The nose shows some of the telltale green-ness of vintage but everything has found harmony: the fruit has blossomed and structure has integrated. Dark fruited with tobacco, dried purple flowers, mushrooms, herbs and soft eastern spices. Charming! No particular rush to drink these but lovely now. — 7 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.5

Medium ruby still , with some light bricking on the rim . Surprisingly open when opened , tobacco with mixed red fruits , truffle , grafite , lovely definition , touch of blackcurrant and marine , oyster shell . On the palate good weight and mostly ripe red fruits , almost like a fruit jelly in style , but with great acidity and balance , noticeable rounded fine tannins on the finish . Good length , tobacco and mineral notes . Great now , gets better , really grows in the glass . Now and for the next 15 years I would imagine . — 2 years ago

Richard Portes

9.2

17.5 still deep red, with amber rim. Good acidity, fruit better than I thought at the outset . Decanting wise, oddly the fruit emerged. — 5 years ago

Ricky Egeland

10

Sweet, but not overbearing. Fizzy and tasty. — 5 years ago

Jean-Francois Pelletier

9.3

Garnet color with a slight orange rim. Nose of lead pencil, dried herbs, soil and red cherries, with a hint of green peppers. Medium+ body, complex palate with the same flavors, and long finish. This softened considerably in the glass over the evening. Great wine. — 7 years ago

with Frankie

Krista Hood

9.1

Liked this. Not to dry but is fruity. — 8 years ago

Nathan Tenney

9.7

Sour cherries, frozen Welch's Framboise, berry pie, pie crust, thyme, sage, this wine evolved and morphed very quickly, very complex. The wild yeast comes through on the nose. Light alcohol and light body, but still very well extracted and viscous for under 14%. — 9 years ago

Kaitlin Ohlinger

9.1

Had the 2013 a while back, and I gotta say the 2014 is slammin'. Well balanced, quenchy, stone fruity, zesty. The force is strong for GB in Oregon. — 10 years ago

"Odedi"

9.6

Now this is a great wine. Dark in color, almost black with a purple rim.
Magnificent nose with blueberries, figs, plums, and herbs.
Sweet candies on the palate with blueberries, cranberry, dried figs, raisins, peppercorn.
Big, bold and beautiful with gorgeous legs.
Smooth and sexy long finish with bold tannins and ripen fruits.
Great right out of the bottle. After 2 hours in the decanter, chewy tannins on the finish. This is not my first, and definitely not my last. Very consistent from year to year.
Petit petite Ft. My son. — 10 years ago

Nick Holmes

9.0

Thanks Jimmy! Pepper jelly — 11 years ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.1

Medium ruby , quite wide garnet , terracotta rim . Quite spiced tobacco , red focused sous bois , warm spice , coffee and cacao , a little foursquare , rustic perhaps . On the palate better , quite juicy and rounded , spiced red plum , dark cherry , dry spice . This becomes more saline with time in the glass, balanced acidity and some slightly gritty tannins. This is probably in the middle of its drinking window , and will remain here over the next 5-10 years perhaps. Within the context of Haut Brion , this perhaps is just a little below par . — 7 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.4

Medium deep ruby , medium wide ruby rim . A bit more mineral , oyster shell, and dark cassis on the nose , wood spice touches . On the palate quite mineral and dark fruit focused , blackcurrant , cassis . Good focus on the palate , saline with good acidity and grippy but ripe tannins . Promising , though needs time , better in 10 years and will last a further 10-15 . — a year ago

Vanessa

9.1

Catching up on my March Issue of Decanter, which, among other things, celebrates the wines of Spain from regions such as Rioja, Toro, Rias Baixas, Alicante, Manchuela, Valencia, and Jumilla. 🍷🍷🍷 This Issue reminds me of how much I have yet to explore in this country. 🇪🇸 It inspired me to have a glass of Rioja made from the Tempranillo and Garnacha (Grenache) grapes.

👁 This wine has a medium ruby hue with garnet rim variation. 👃 It has a medium intensity of developing aromas. 👄 Aroma and flavor notes are concentrated and include black cherry, red currant, plum sauce, violet, black licorice, anise, balsamic vinegar, black olive, sweet tobacco, leather, cedar, nutmeg, vanilla, clove, earth, and peat. This wine has medium acidity, medium tannins, high alcohol, and a medium(+) finish. It’s complex; it has finesse.

This wine is from La Rioja Alta, S.A., Viña Ardanza, Reserva 2012, with an ABV of 14.5%. This wine is predominately Tempranillo (78%), coming from 30-year-old vines, which is blended with Garnacha (Grenache) (22%). It has extended American oak aging.

I have tried numerous wines from this producer – La Rioja Alta, S.A. – and have loved them all. — 4 years ago

with Deked1

Kaitlyn Jungblut

9.0

More sweet reisling — 6 years ago

Katrina Robertson

8.9

Riesling's are usually too sweet for me, but I love this dry one by Pacific Rim! — 8 years ago

Michael Schollmeier

10

Great sweet wine — 8 years ago

Jonathan Steeves

9.1

The 2008 vintage Indian Wells 100% Merlot Yielding from Washington State's Famous Columbia Valley. This wine is Inky deep ruby red with thick slow moving legs, and a thin ruby rim. Aromatics of ripe blackberry, plum, dark cherry, ripe raspberry, vanilla, allspice in the nose and palate. Velvet smooth, tart and rich, this wine leaves a tart cherry and blackberry persistence with a long finish. Medium plus acidity, medium plus tannins, medium plus fruits and high alcohol , this wine offers ageability and a drinking window from 2015-2025. Pairs well with Montreal smoked meat, BBQ chicken skewers or for the pescetarian, a wasabi tuna tartare. — 9 years ago

Kristie M. Connor

9.4

Floral 👃🏽 grapefruit, Apple. Good with sushi. NOT SWEET 👍🏿 — 10 years ago

Annika K

9.7

Todella hyvä jälkiruokaviini — 11 years ago

Diedra West

9.0

Red with a brickish rim, there are aromas of violets, red cherries, and balsamic. It's woodsy cherry on the palate, with a pleasant bitter almond finish. Nice tannins. 14.5% abv | $28 (Vermont) — 11 years ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.0

Deep purple , thin pink rim . Quite perfumed , floral , mint , herbaceous character , cassis and blackberry . Quite rich with sweet dark fruits on the palate , plum , cherry , blueberry , blackberry . Balanced acidity and spicy dark fruited finish , slightly meaty , medium length finish . This is needs time in order to round out the tannins , better in 5 years and will last well a further 10-15. — 8 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.0

Medium ruby , quite thin garnet rim . Quite dense slightly deeper , meaty notes . Touches of earthy , mineral notes . Quite rich with sweet fruit , dusty cassis , blackberry, touch of toasty oak. Quite gritty tannin , and enough acidity to balance , bit of alcoholic warmth noticeable. Medium length , probably needs more time , better in 3-5 years and will last well a further 5-10 years — 9 months ago

"Odedi"

9.0

It's time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Strong nose of black plums, black currants, oak, vanilla, licorice, cloves, herbs, spices, earth and peppercorn.

Full bodied with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with plums, cherries, oak, earth, vegetables, spices, tobacco leaf, dark coffee and black pepper.

Nice finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a young Merlot from Bordeaux. Showing mild complexity with a nice mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours of airtime.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.

A good food wine that I paired with pizza.

A blend of 68% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 12% Cabernet Sauvignon.

15% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$55. — 3 years ago

Jamie Cottam

10

The only red wine Ross knows. Excellent. Pretty spicy and bitter — 5 years ago

Kat Robinson

9.7

Sweet, crisp, fruity, clean — 6 years ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

9.2

Finally on the balcony...

I know I love this wine, so I should exercise patience. On open, it's crystal clean, ruby to pink to clear rim. Nose is evolving from initial raspberry and vanilla to mild petroleum and veggies. What I need patience with is the middle and end. Quite tart and the pucker carries through to the finish. Will update...

So the acidity balanced by about 20%. This makes this a good choice with a rib eye, but I max out at 92 points on this. — 7 years ago

Mvon Higgins

9.3

Deep violet glass with translucent red violet rim. Big deep nose of cassis, licorice, blackberry, black cherry, black plum, raspberry, strawberry, tobacco, licorice, leather, cedar and a hint of vanilla. Velvety smooth full body palate of a slightly sweet cocoa, cassis, the black fruits, coffee, and black pepper. Soft chalky tannins lead to a pleasing slightly dry long finish of leather, toffee and black pepper. Decant for a while to open aromas. Excellent balance and structure make this a very good value at 23.99 USD. — 9 years ago

Miguel de Leon

Service Director/Wine Educator Casa Mono

9.0

Negramoll and Syrah, each vintage getting a significant change in cepage depending on quality. Fresh, assertive, and sexy; bold fruits and judicious wood. — 10 years ago

"Odedi"

9.4

Inky dark color with a purple rim.
On the nose, Blueberries, figs, blackberries, spices, vanilla and black pepper.

Long, thin legs and 14.5% alcohol.
Bold, big and full bodied.

Smooth, sweet and sexy on the palate, with blackberries, dried figs, raisins, black pepper, vanilla and herbs.

Long lasting finish with smooth tannins and black pepper. Excellent!! — 10 years ago

Ilke Lander

9.7

Sweeter but nice crisp finish — 11 years ago