"Odedi"

9.3

Drank from a magnum.

Delicious after 2 hours of airtime.

93 points — 5 months ago

Alder Yarrow

Wine Blogger Vinography

9.4

If you had to pick a wine that somehow managed to capture the zeitgeist of what deliciousness means today, this little beauty would be a candidate for sure. Forest berries, Rosemary, juniper, cedar and sour cherries all crunchy with crystalline acidity and a dusting of tannins. A fantastic, yes, even exotic, blend of Grenache Noir, Cinsault, Grenache Gris, Mourvèdre, and Syrah from vineyards across the Western Cape of South Africa. 2018 Thorne & Daughters “Wanderer’s Heart” Cape Red Blend. Stunner. — 3 years ago

Ellen Clifford

9.0

Very very good cab. In this last month of observation I’ve tasted too many not-mentionable cabs. This guy is solid. The acids are strong (solid plus point with me!) and the tannins oh so smooth (albeit me personally might like more but I am NOT the zeitgeist). The alcohol I guessed was 13.8 and I got...13.5 damn. Close.Then let us say blackberries, green vines, with perhaps some blackberry pleasure. Damn yummy wine with doable Napa price point. — 5 years ago

Ely Cohn

9.2

Has the same overt let your hair down bathe in the sun vibes I remember from JJM's Bourgogne Blanc. This is deeper, more vibrant, more concentration, more sun.

His wines are something - wild, clearly natural in the Zeitgeist sense, not what I think of when I hear Puligny Montrachet.

Pours hazy and looks sticky. Smells like sour starfruit, grilled pineapple, banana taffy, and jalapeno.

Goes down in thick textured blood orange and bitter grapefruit. Gobs of texture that wrap your tongue in a blanket of acid and says dammit I'm here and I'm alive and I'm staying for a bit. — a year ago

Ely Cohn

9.3

Occhipininti’s wines are part of the zeitgeist but are also incredibly well balanced and not overly avant garde or divisive.

Il Frappato is lucid ruby and her best expression by a long shot. Beautifully restrained red fruit and subtle wood doused in minerals. Exceptional texture - soft fruit with big grip. — 5 years ago

John Schutt

9.3

Good white. Not overly sweet. — 6 years ago

Greg Smith

9.0

Virgin Wines - yes! — 2 years ago

Pablo Cetlinski

10

What a Cabernet Franc!!! — 2 years ago

Lucy

9.0

BGR holiday reds — 5 years ago

Mason Balistreri

Sommelier, International Wine Guild; Balistreri Vineyard; Sales, Joy Wine and Spirits

9.2

Syrah seemingly in the zeitgeist right now so I picked up this 2011 Coulet. Wow - it's so different than the Cote Rotie I just had. I know syrah can run the gamut but this is radically different. Biodynamic, low so2, neutral oak & concrete. Not really Vin de Garde; Not really Vin de Soif...

So what then? Certainly intense. Plum & liqueur-like raspberry notes that are both in-your-face "sexy" & "scary" at the same time. Even more prevalent than the fruit are the aromas of menthol, acetate, & iron. Nearly akin to robitussin - & I mean that in the best way possible. It's weirdly delicious & syrah freaks will get it.

Unfortunately, the regular consumer might find it to be too much. The slight volatility is both good & bad. It dials up the fruit's sweetness, giving the wine body & texture. But also amps up the medicinal quality. This is not a wine to guzzle & ignore. Admirably, not subtle.

Coincidentally this wine reminds me Pax - who is getting a lot of attention right now & rightfully so. I have't tried the new 100 point Hillside bottle yet (though I have one ready), but I've always been a huge fan of his wines for a long time. My favorite site he works with is Griffins Lair & I believe I've tasted every vintage of it going back to 2002. Those original vintages are bigger & riper (which I still love & fuck you hipsters for not), but even back then Pax never used superfluous new oak, sulfites, yeasts etc.. Yes, they were broad shouldered wines but they were pure & unmasked - like this Cornas. Some of the early 2000s Griffins Lair had a slight volitility that came across as kirsch sweetness. It's an interesting balance that punctuates the varietal character perfectly - & it demands your attention while doing it.

This Cornas is not some delicate wine that somms gush over; nor is it a slick, parkerized wine without sense of place. It's something else. A wine for the true syrah aficianado. The audience is small but those who can appreciate it, will appreciate it. If you like weirdness, intensity, complexity & the flavors to scream at you from the glass, this is your wine.

#cornas #syrah #coulet #biodynamic #pax #coterotie #rhone #northernrhone #rhonevalley — 5 years ago