"Odedi"

9.2

It’s time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Here's a very tasty one.

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

On the nose plums, black cherries, light wood, licorice, eucalyptus, earth, light smoke, light vegetables wet leaves, black pepper, black tea, cola and light vinaigrette. The nose shows much like a Right Bank Bordeaux.

Full bodied with medium plus acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with blueberries, cherries, plums, raspberries, vanilla, licorice, wood, spices, peppercorn, chocolates, tobacco, graphite, dark coffee, vinaigrette, earth and tea leaves.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a great Merlot based Bordeaux blend from Israel. Showing nice complexity with a nice mouthfeel.

Well balanced with nice acidity, a tangy finish and a nice and elegant mouthfeel.

Needs a couple of hours to open up properly and show more complexity.

This 4 year old is drinking very nicely now. Good by itself and better with food. Delicious.

I paired it with cheeses and light appetizers.

A blend of 42% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc and 12% Petit verdot. Aged for 18 months in French Oak barrels. Kosher. Mevushal.

15.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$65. — 5 years ago

"Odedi"

9.0

Dark ruby in color with a short purplish rim.

Strong nose of blueberries, blackberries, licorice, cedar, cloves, vanilla, spices, coffee, earth, eucalyptus, peppercorn and graphite.

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

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black plums, black cherries, oak, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco, chocolates, light herbs and peppercorn.

Medium finish with fine tannins and spicy chili powder.

This is a very nice Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles. Very typical and consistent. Showing mild complexity with a nice mouthfeel.

Good by itself or with food. A nice sipping wine by the porch. The tangy ending makes it interesting.

Wine Enthusiast 87 points.

Good right out of the bottle and gets some more structure after an hour of airtime. Really enjoyable.

Aged for 18 months in oak barrels.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$20. — 6 years ago

"Odedi"

9.1

This Napa Merlot is always enjoyable by itself or with food.

Showing black fruits with chocolates, earth, wood, vanilla, vegetables, dark coffee, herbs, tobacco leaf, spices and peppercorn.

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

Nice fruity finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

Needs an hour to open up properly, but good right out of the bottle.

Needs a few years in the bottle to mature and remove some of bitterness at the ending.

14.7% alcohol by volume.

91 points — 6 years ago

"Odedi"

9.2

Dark inky in color with a short purple rim.

Very pronounced and fruity nose of blackberries, blackcurrants, sweet cherries, alcohol, wood, licorice, tobacco leaf, cloves, vanilla, cola, light green vegetables, earth, eucalyptus, smoke, spices and black pepper.

Full-bodied, bold, rich and jammy, with medium plus acidity and long long legs.

Dry and extremely fruity on the palate with blackberries, raspberry jam, raisins, dried figs, smoke, spices, bitter herbs, licorice, chocolates, mocha, dark coffee and peppercorn.

Long finish with soft tannins and tangy cranberries.

This is a wonderful Zinfandel from Russian River Valley in California. Balanced and enjoyable by itself, with a great mouthfeel. Spicy with nice complexity. The tangy ending makes it interesting. Showing a very generous nose, that is very enjoyable just to sniff on.

Drinking very nicely now, similar to the Caymus style of wine.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up (60 minutes.)

A good food wine too, that would pair nicely with burgers. I paired it with good music all by itself.

Aged for 18 months in French oak barrels. A very small production of only 55 cases.

This Single Vineyard Zinfandel is delicious

14.5% alcohol by volume.
$32 — 8 years ago

"Odedi"

9.1

Purple in color with a wide purplish rim.

Fruity nose of blackberries, blueberries, sweet strawberries, plums, wood, licorice, spices, dark chocolates, earth, pencil lead, peppercorn and tobacco.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity. Smooth with long legs.

Dry on the palate, and fruity with blueberries, cherries, plums, oak, vanilla, spices, licorice, earth, meats, green vegetables, herbs, chocolates and peppercorn.

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

What a great Zinfandel from Sonoma County, California. Getting into the drinking range now. Well balanced with nice complexity and interesting acidity.
Good as a sipping wine, all by itself or with food. Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up (1 hour).

This is not the jammy Californian Zinfandel one might be used to. Spicy and interesting. I really enjoyed it this time.

This 4 year old is drinking very nicely now. I had this vintage a couple of years ago, and it was not very enjoyable. What a difference a couple of years in the bottle has done...

Could use a few more years to become even better.

Wine Spectator 92 points.

14.8% alcohol by volume. — 8 years ago

Mike McGlone

9.4

Mahogany in color. Still good fruit and flavor for it's age. Great food wine with our prime rib dinner. — 9 years ago

with Ann

Dave Chambers

9.8

A year later and the petrol notes are really there! Nice match with dinner, haddock and spinach salad with pineapple salsa! — 9 years ago

with Heather

"Odedi"

9.2

Here is a beautiful Merlot for #MerlotThursday.

Deep purple in color with a purplish rim.

Strong fruity nose with black plums, black currants, coffee, cedar, vanilla, leather, earth, peppercorn, pencil lead, dark coffee, dark chocolates, coke, tobacco and alcohol.

Full bodied with medium plus acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with plums, cooked cherries, oak, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco, chocolates, bitter herbs, light vegetables, pencil lead and peppercorn.

Spicy finish with medium tannins and tangy raspberries.

This Napa Merlot is always enjoyable, although very young. Needs 5 years in the bottle to mature properly.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up (2 hours).

Tangy, spicy and tasty. Nice complexity and a great mouthfeel. A nice sipping wine.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with a beef burger and fries.

A blend of 80% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2.5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 0.5% Malbec. Aged for 15 months in 40% new French oak barrels.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$45. — 5 years ago

"Odedi"

9.0

It’s time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here's a great Napa Cabernet.

Ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Pronounced nose of red cherries, vanilla, blueberries, light oak, dust, tobacco, light vegetables, graphites, alcohol, spices, herbs, leather, earth and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with cherries, sweet raspberries, tobacco, cloves, vanilla, wood, earth, leather, coke, tobacco leaf, bitter vegetables, herbs and black pepper.

Medium on the finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a very nice Cabernet based Bordeaux blend. Showing nice complexity and a soft mouthfeel. A wine that keeps changing as it opens up, which is always enjoyable.

Feels more like a new world bold Pinot Noir. Very unique.

Good by itself or with food. Still young and needs another 5 years to mature. Has good potential to be a 92+ point wine.

Needs 90 minutes to open up properly and show some tannins. After 2.5 hours, it changes again, and the new world Cabernet shows up. Definitely still young. I've had the 2013 not too long ago and loved it.

I paired it with Brie cheese and roasted almonds.

A blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon 3% Petit verdot, 3% Malbec and 1% Cabernet Franc. Aged for 26 months in French Oak barrels.

14.8% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$90. — 6 years ago

"Odedi"

8.9

It’s #MerlotThursday! Here's a nice one from Napa Valley.

Dark ruby in color with a reddish/brick rim.

Fruity nose with blueberries, black plums, blackberries, light vegetables, black cherries, currants, oak, light vanilla, licorice, cedar, spices, earth, leather, chocolates, mocha, coffee, black pepper and pencil lead.

Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with plums, cherries, black currants, cedar, earth, vanilla, leather, chocolates, vegetables, vinaigrette, licorice, spices, tobacco, diet cola, light bell pepper, herbs and black pepper.

Long finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.

This Napa Merlot is still drinking nicely, but it's on the way out.
Showing great complexity with a nice mouthfeel.

Good by itself and good with food. Good right out of the bottle and better after 30 minutes of airtime.

Was better a year ago. Showing much more vegetables than last year, both on the nose and palate.

Very easy drinking, so watch out ...😃

I paired it with a few different soft and hard cheeses, but the Brie cheese really went well with all those green vegetables.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$15. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

On the nose, dark sour cherries, dates, burnt figs, grilled meats, burnt ambers, liquid smoke & dark dry florals. The core color is dark with garnet edges. The palate is; slightly sour but mostly sweet dark cherries, stewed plum, cooked strawberries, rhubarb, dates, figs, tomatoes, smoke, grilled meats, brewed coffee, light tarry notes, dry crushed rock powder, volcanic minerals, dark rich earth, dusty tannins, dry dark florals, soft chewy leather, nice round acidity with a decent, soft, elegant finish...50-50 fruit & earth. This is the largest co-op producer in Europe with 50 members. They collectively have 250 acres; which is about 1/6 of the total under vine. Photos of; the town of Barbaresco (their tasting room near the tower), Produttori cellar and their tasting bar. No appointment necessary. Close to Gaja and the town has one of the best one star Michelin lunches as well as the best service we've experienced. Just right of Gaja. Good with our Veal Bolognese. — 8 years ago

"Odedi"

9.0

My Mid week sanity. This time it is in a form of a very enjoyable Napa Merlot.

Deep purple in color with a purple rim.

Nice fruity nose with blueberries, plums, black currants, sweet cherries, vanilla, oak, licorice, cola, light vegetables, peppercorn, earth, cloves, nutmeg, spices, chocolates, sage, eucalyptus, pencil lead and smoke.

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

Dry on the palate with cherries, plums, blackberries, currants, earth, vanilla, licorice, pine, chocolates, dark coffee, spices and peppercorn.

Long finish with firm, green tannins and cherries.

A very nice Napa Merlot. Still young, but already enjoyable, and needs an hour to open up. A good sipping wine, once it is opens up, and also good with food. Paired very nicely with grilled meats on the barbecue.

Would be much better in 3 to 5 years, once more complexity comes in. Not fully balanced, but shows nice complexity potential.

I enjoyed it just by itself. A good sipping wine. The nose is not intense enough yet, but the palate is very rewarding. Alcohol is still noticeable at this point, but time will make it all better.

14.2% alcohol by volume. — 8 years ago

Mike Varley

9.0

Great cab franc- smooth flavours with a very clean finish. A delight. — 9 years ago

Allison Lyzenga

8.9

Brilliant pale ruby; medium plus intensity aromas of red plum, ripe blackberry, ripe raspberry, red and black cherry, bramble, subtle earth; dry, high acid, medium minus tannins, medium alcohol, medium minus body, medium plus intensity flavors consistent with aromas; very bright and surprisingly complex and concentrated, a good food wine, very good — 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. — 6 years ago

"Odedi"

9.2

Dark ruby in color with a purplish rim.

Pronounce nose of blackberries, sweet cherries, black currants, cedar, earth, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, mocha, coke, earth, light vegetables, pencil lead and peppercorn.

Full bodied and bold with medium acidity and long long legs.

Dry and very fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, sweet cherries, raisins, vanilla, cedar, licorice, cloves, cola, earth, chocolates, tobacco, spices, mocha, vegetables, leather and peppercorn.

Long spicy finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

A beautiful Monastrell blend from the house of Juan Gil. Showing nice complexity and balance with a great mouthfeel. Big bold and grippy.

Good by itself or with food. Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up and shows some tannins.

I love anything Gil makes, and this is a delicious example.

Still young and could use a few more years in the bottle to mature, but already drinking very nicely.

I paired it with Brie cheese, almonds and crackers.

A blend of 60% Monastrell, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Syrah. Aged separately for 18 months in French and American oak barrels.

16.5% alcohol by volume (watch out)

92 points.

$32. — 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

Pooneet K

9.1

Love Lopez and this is no exception. Certainly will be better in a few years, but this still has layers of dark fruit flavors, deep earth, and good acidity. A touch tannic without food, but still excellent. Had at Casa Mono. — 8 years ago

"Odedi"

8.9

This Friday my Cabernet fix is from Washington State.

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Nice nose of blueberries, plums, cherries, vanilla, cedar, cloves, chocolates, light green bitter vegetables, earth, tobacco, beef jerky and peppercorn.

Medium to full bodied with medium acidity and nice legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, sweet plums, green pepper, earth, vanilla, licorice, spices, oak and peppercorn.

Long finish with firm tannins and black pepper.

This is a nice and pleasant Cabernet Sauvignon from Columbia Valley. A bit unbalanced now, but very enjoyable by itself or with food. A good sipping wine too. Resembles a good quality
California Cabernet.

Drinking nicely now and will be better in a year or two.

14.5% alcohol by volume. — 8 years ago

Craig Thorn

10

Deeply in love with this wine. — 12 years ago