Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.6

2002 vintage. Nice fill, good cork. Decanted with a respectable amount of powdery sed. Smelled great during decanting. Tasted 1.5 hours after opening/decanting. Expected light body with delicate tendrils. Medium body with a light palate footprint. Holy shazzbaat. This was absolutely firing. Like top of the pops, straight up to number one. Exceptional knitting and in a perfect spot now. Go all the way back to the inaugural 1982 vintage with this winery’s cabernet…thought my all-time fave was the 1991 altho the 1986 and 1987 were special. The 2020, picked early, thus avoiding the fires, is phenomenal as well. This was on another level and have had approx 150 bottles of Spottswoode Cab in the last three + decades. It was probably the best out of all of them. Difficult to imagine Napa Cab better than this. Power and finesse on display. Not improving but can hold this intensity for another 4-5 years. 12.24.24. — 2 days ago

"Odedi"

9.1

#AgedWineTuesday

Ruby in color with a wide reddish rim and medium plus intensity.

Pretty nose with red and black fruits, wood, earth, tobacco, black coffee and spices.

Dry on the palate with raspberries, cherries, plums, light oak, spices, chocolates, licorice, peppercorn, forest floor, earth, black tea, vegetables and herbs.

Medium finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 16 year old from Margaux, is drinking very nicely now. Showing nice balance and elegance. Soft and very dry.

Good right out of the bottle, and gets much earthier as it opens up, with lots of earth and forest floor notes. Really enjoyed the nose.

The 2008 vintage was not a good one, and although it's still very tasty, I don't see it getting any better from this point.

I've had a few vintages of this Second Growth Bordeaux, and I found it to be all over the place. The 2016 was my favorite so far.

Wine Advocate 92 points. Wine Spectator 87 Points.

Paired very nicely with a burger and fries.

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

13% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$130. — 3 months ago

Ric

9.7

Wine was outstanding with notes of dark berries, spice, and oak, with a smooth finish. — 9 months ago

"Odedi"

9.6

#AgedWineTuesday

Here is a fabulous 99 point wine by Robert Parker.

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Great nose of blueberries, blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, earth, vanilla, Mediterranean spices, espresso, cola, light herbs, chocolates, tobacco and black pepper.

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

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black cherries, figs, cedar, chocolates, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco, herbs, light earth, cola and peppercorn.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a gorgeous Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley.

Showing nice balance and a great mouthfeel. Round and rich. Elegant and smooth.

This 22 year old still has a lot of power in it, and will continue to age nicely in the next 5 to 10 years.

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

So soft and powerful, with a great nose. This is a gorgeous wine right now.

A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec. Aged in all new French oak barrels for 24 months.

13.9% alcohol by volume.

96 points.

$250. — a year ago

A. R.

9.1

Just don’t open this yet folks. Took about 4 hours in a decanter to open up at all. Very classic dusty and graphite nose. Powerful red fruit and tannins. Good mid palate. Good acid. Very long finish. QPR not great. Needs min 10 years to calm down. — a month ago

Shay A

9.5

After missing a ‘70s and ‘80s Heitz vertical many years ago, I vowed to seek out a bottle as all the comments from the tasting were astoundingly positive. My last bottle of Heitz Martha’s was the ‘01 (which was great) a few years ago, but at 46yrs, this was quite the experience.

The ‘78 has a bit of a legendary status, so expectations were high. Upon opening, the cork was in good shape (sigh of relief) and the color was unbelievably dark ruby with some bricking (another sigh of relief). The singular signature menthol/eucalyptus began to fill the glass, alongside aromatics of red berry fruits, espresso, some sort of sweet brown sugar/caramel note, and a savory-graphite type note too. Beautifully elegant on the palate with more red fruit, herbs (bay leaf?), and even some pipe tobacco (subdued, not in your face), but it sports the classical old Napa cab profile that is pure. Spectacular wine, and I could simply smell the wine all day…the aromatics were so powerful the entire time.

Open in bottle for three hours and powered through the entire time. Wish I had another so I could have the same experience! — a month ago

Delectable Wine

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9.5

The 2012 Opus One is a terrific choice for drinking now. Silky and beautifully perfumed, the 2012 is wonderfully open-knit in this tasting. The purity of the fruit is alluring, There's still a good bit of freshness, too. Naturally, the 2012 reflects the medium-bodied style that is typical of the year, but all the elements are very nicely balanced. Crushed red berry fruit, mint, rose petal, spice and blood orange linger. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, May 2024)
— 8 months ago

Jay Kline

9.8

Forty-plus years on, people still talk about the greatness of the 1982 vintage in Bordeaux. There are multiple factors that contribute to this and it’s fair to say that Robert Parker’s reaction played a major role in the early popularity; certainly in the States. While some may say that 1982 was merely a “good” vintage by today’s standards, I think history has proven it to be empirically special; there was just so much quality from top to bottom. And yet, even with the high praise of the vintage, the tone shifts to hushed whispers when the 1982 Mouton gets mentioned. Up until that point, the Chateau had sort of underachieved after receiving its unprecedented promotion in 1973. But in 1982, a year full of great wine, they created a legend and firmly cemented their First Growth status. Today, I’m pleased to report the plaudits for the ’82 are all warranted.

Opened and double-decanted earlier in the day. The ’82 Mouton pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core with some sediment; almost youthful when compared to many of the other older wines poured on the night. On the nose, the wine is developing still; loaded with cassis, black berries, leaf tobacco, leather, and fine baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with fabulous structure. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and full of power. A stunning wine and well in its prime…a window I expect will remain open for a longtime to come. Drink now with bacchanalian abandon and through 2082. — 15 days ago

Vino Joe

9.5

The complexity has arrived! Lovely color on this one. Not all my 2007 looks this dark yet but this one had a rich depth and most toasted fruit notes. This is a very good but not great vintage. — 5 months ago

Mike Evans

9.3

Several years in the cellar have done good things to this bottle. — 9 months ago