"Odedi"

9.0

This is a nice Cabernet Franc from Paso Robles. Dark in color and medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Showing black fruits with chocolate notes, earth, wood, vanilla, violets, licorice, peppercorn, spices, pencil lead and light vegetables.

Fruit forward with a nice mouthfeel.
Good right out of the bottle, tasty and engaging.

Nice finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

Still young and needs another couple of years to mature.

A blend of 95% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petite Sirah. Aged in French Oak barrels (40% new).

14.4% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$34. — a day ago

Mike R

9.7

Oh baby and I don’t mean maybe - winner winner chicken dinner - with the WNH gang on a Sunday night Italian IGT tasting via super Tuscan - this wine became commercially available wine in 1968 and since then it has risen quickly in fame - the 2015 as well as the 2016 are getting ridiculous scores from critics - like Bordeaux first growth scores - 97 plus from all - yes it a baby and as such I double decanted - i have more and I have much older vintages so this was my attempt to see what the hype was

Well the hype is real - patience is rewarded - 4 hour decant and every glass got better - in hour six this was incredible and went from a 9.5 to the 9.7 I gave it - 85% cab with 15% CF - reminds me of a great Bordeaux or great Napa blend like Continuum maybe a 2010 vintage as far as taste but leaves there and goes further - chiseled tannins integrated in a rich supple deep ruby color pushing red blue and black fruits elegantly- this could easily go another 30-40 years - and it will get better - in ten years this is 9.8 or higher - my face is broken from smiling so much! — 13 days ago

with Shawn, Joe and 3 others

Sipping Fine Wine

9.5

A blend of about 70% Cab Sauv, 20% Petit Verdot and 10% Cab Franc. Deep Ruby with slight purple edges, aromas of black fruits, floral and spicy notes. On the palate flavors of cherry and plum, full-bodied with notes of cacao and flinty notes. Fine layered tannins, long finish ending with fruit and earthy notes. Tasting Sample. — 13 days ago

Michael B

8.9

Collaboration between Time winery and Henry Mcwatters. Time winery is located in Penticton. They don’t grow their own grapes, rather they purchase grapes from surrounding vineyards in the Okanagan. This is a medium to bold wine that is well balanced with medium tannin. A mix of Cabernet Sauvignon 50%, merlot 35%, and Cab Franc 15%, matured in French oak for 15 months. Dark fruits, mostly blackberry, black currants and some blueberries, followed by mild acidity and round filling tannin. Some hints of tobacco at the back of the palate. Very enjoyable, dark fruit heavy wine. Can be enjoyed on its own or with meat centric dishes (duck, goose, steak). Lacks the complexity to push my rating over 9, but it’s a fair value wine that is delicious. 13.9% alcohol. Cheers! It’s pretty much in its prime now, and could cellar for another 3 years. — 3 days ago

Bob McDonald

9.3

Very dark Ruby in colour. Classic Bordeaux nose in this case right bank being 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc. Aromatic notes of Cassis muted plum and a tobacco note - nicely perfumed carrying on to the medium bodied palate. Very refined with good length. Angelo Gaja is a superstar of Italian winemaking having established his reputation in Piemonte, particularly Barbaresco, now has a base in Tuscany and, with this wine, coastal Tuscany as in Bolgheri - Italy’s answer to Bordeaux. One of the 1001 Wines. — 10 days ago

Phil Castellano

9.4

Glad I decided to open one after seeing the recent positive comments. The cab franc is really amazing in this blend. This is still developing but the fruit and oak are clearly up front on the nose. The tannins are smooth as silk but the alcohol is a bit high so drink closer to cellar temperature than room temperature. I believe this has room for improvement but is drinking fabulously right now. Glad I have a few more remaining. Cheers! — 11 days ago

Mike Saviage

9.4

Brought by a friend, PnP. Dark purple tawny. Opaque. Great young fruit nose. Notes of fresh berries.. blueberries, blackberries and a little bing cherry. Plus some cassis, dark chocolate, moist forest floor and some stones and herbs. Young and luscious in the mouth. Palate staining but in no way harsh or over the top. Great balance. Lots of upside to this over the next couple of decades. — 2 days ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Been awhile since I pulled out an Insigna.

The 03 Pichon Lalande is the better wine and steak pairing. However, Napa Cabernet is the choice to finish steak and enjoy on its own after. You never want to do Napa before Bordeaux IMHO. It’s much harder to adjust from sweeter to something more earthy.

Enjoyed the 05 as my score reflects. I don’t remember it being as sweet as it was in previous tastings. Still quite good. It just tipped my sweet scale a little too much.

The body is, rich, lush & round. It’s achieved good evolution after 13 years in bottle and will continue to improve over the next 6-8 years and last another 15 years. As I mentioned, the fruit was ripe & sweet. Blackberries, black plum, black raspberries, plums, hints of blueberries and strawberries haunting the backend. Rich, dark earth, Rutherford dusty tannins and dry soils, purple cola, touch of fresh tobacco & graphite, light baking spices of; cinnamon, dash of clove, nutmeg and vanillin, anise to black licorice, saddle-wood, used leather, dry stems, some dry, crushed rocks/limestone with red, dark, purple and blue florals. The acidity round and nicely executed. The finish was similar wire to wire. It’s, lush, rich, elegant, touch too sweet, polished, well balanced & knitted with a soft, persistent, dark spice on the long set. Very enjoyable second bottle.

Photos of; Joseph Phelps Winery & sloping estate vines, inside lounge are with views of the back side, tasting terrace and front lobby/salon area upon entering past check in. — 16 hours ago

with Christina and James

Michael B

9.2

Bought 2 bottles of this single varietal Cabernet Franc 6 years ago at Perseus Winery. At the time of purchase I was specifically told not to open either bottle for at least 7 years. So here we are in 2020, and first bottle opened tonight and decanted for over 2 hours. On the nose, dark berries, graphite/pencil, leathery muskiness. On the palate, dominant notes of dark cherries, raspberries, and dark chocolate, graphite. On the back of the palate the moderate tannins have aged elegantly. There is some mild white pepper notes with black liquorice and herbaceous. However, as the hours passed the tannins softened and subsequently complemented the dark fruit and chocolate notes to a higher degree. Overall, this was worth the wait. A delicious and excellently crafted wine that still may not be at its peak. Will cellar the 2nd bottle for another 2 years. Served with another round of Filet Mignon, traditional Caesar salad and portabello mushroom. Cheers! — 5 days ago

"Odedi"

9.0

Time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Here is a tasty one from Virginia.

Dark ruby in color with a nice reddish rim.

Fruity nose with blueberries, currants, bing cherries, honeysuckle, light oak, red candy, spices, dark coffee, vanilla, dark chocolates, light vegetables and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity and pretty legs.

Dry on the palate with cherries, sweet strawberries, black currants, light wood, spices, black pepper, earth, bitter herbs and tobacco leaf.

Medium plus in finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very interesting wine from Virginia. A nice Bordeaux blend that warrants food, although pretty nice by itself too. Tangy and soft, with a nice mouthfeel and mild complexity.

Needs 30 minutes to open up properly, but so much nicer after 90 minutes in a decanter, when it really comes together.

Could be mistaken for a California Bordeaux blend, except for the honeysuckle nose, that i usually find in wines from the Southeast of the US.

Nice and engaging with lively acidity and a tangy finish.

Would be nice to see how it ages in the next 5 years.

I enjoyed it with Brie cheese.

A blend of 41% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc, 23% petit verdot, and 4% Malbec.

13.6% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$38. — 11 days ago