"Odedi"

9.1

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Black fruits on the nose with light oak, earth, dark chocolates, light vegetables, herbs and spices.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with black currants, cherries, light oak, spices, chocolates, light licorice, black tea and peppercorn.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This young Cabernet Franc from Stags Leap District in Napa Valley is starting to drink very nicely, but needs a few more years in the bottle to mature properly. Already nicely balanced and complex.

This Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc based Bordeaux blend will continue to age nicely in the next 7 to 10 years.

Good by itself or with food, and will pair nicely with lamb dishes.

A blend of 80% Cabernet Franc, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot and 2% Carmenere. Aged for 20 months in (40% new) French oak barrels.

14.6% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$125. — 9 minutes ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Opened and decanted about an hour before dinner. No formal notes. The 2007 B. Levet "La Chavaroche" is flat out beautiful right now. The aromatics are off the charts with gorgeous, ripe dark fruits, a bit of the animal, a veritable hillside of lavender, black olives, some deli case, black pepper, some leather and earth. The structure is still firm but everything is well integrated at this point; superbly balanced; great acid. The finish is long and has some ferrous minerals that I simply love. A sublime pairing with a Morgan Ranch Wagyu tenderloin served with corn purée, charred broccolini and juniper ash. The 2007's are absolutely ready to drink now with a short decant (mostly to remove any sediment) however, they will continue to drink well for another 10+ easy from good cellars.
— 3 years ago

Bruce Dunbar

9.0

This recently released 2020 Blend of Syrahs from historic vineyards across California is a rich purple in the glass, doesn’t open with much of a nose, and delivers a smooth, rich mouthfeel with hints of violet and a little oak. Maybe not the greatest of vintages for this wine but still an easy drinking wine and a great value at +/-$25. Update 3/25: Some three years later this has developed nicely with a big nose of dark fruit and underbrush, and a palate with similar fruit, earth, minerality and maybe a hint of licorice. Increased rating. — 4 years ago

Vanessa

8.9

This wine has a deep ruby hue.

First impression involved caramel, vanilla, anise, black licorice, plum, black currant on the nose/palate; as it opened, nutmeg, cardamom, earth, cured meat, leather, espresso, and chocolate came forward.

Lovely Bordeaux blend (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc) with great balance and nice complexity.

Was in the mood for Bordeaux this eve. It didn’t clash with the meal (spinach / aged cheeses, ravioli, flat leaf parsley, scallions, roasted aubergine) but didn’t much enhance the experience either. It was still very much enjoyable. No regrets.
@deked1

Clos du Jaugueyron (Théron), Haut-Medoc. Vintage 2015. ABV 13.5%. — 5 years ago

with Deked1

Michael Chelus

9.3

Black cherry, raspberry, blackberry, vanilla, cola, mossy earth and oak. Excellent structure and moderate tannins. — 8 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.1

The flagship of Clos Du Val is their Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon. The 1973 vintage was included in the Judgment of Paris. The 2011 vintage presents a similarly styled profile as the same vintage from Cathy Corison as well as Keenan. While it doesn’t hit the high notes achieved by those bottles, it’s a commendable effort considering the difficulty of the vintage. Olive tapenade and fire roasted peppers play well off the warmth of cedar and hot brick. The balance allows the currant and black cherry to sail through, leaving behind secondary notes of earth, graphite, coffee, and charcoal. — 8 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

2021 vintage. Tasted with the winemaker, Matt. Slightly more body (solid medium) than expected. Pretty nose with well-blended earth, delicate berries and brusque fruits. Concentration for daze. 4.10.24. — 2 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.5

This magnum was a gift from co-workers at my old job when I left to take a new one. Nice coworkers! So rich and resolved. This wine reminds me of Neil Young’s Vampire Blues. “I’m a vampire babe. Suckin’ blood from the earth.” Grenache pulled from God’s earth. Incredible intensity and length, but still entirely in balance. Length for days. Iodine, stones, blood. — 2 years ago

with Dan and Angelo

Jay Kline

9.1

Popped and poured; no formal notes. A mix of dark and red fruits with tobacco, earth and spices. The wine is finally matured and drinking very well now. It has lost all of the green tones that were more apparent in its youth. Everything is now fully fleshed out and should continue to drink well for another 5+ years. Really, these are some lovely (and age-able) wines from the Four Corners area of CO.
— 4 years ago

"Odedi"

9.2

Clos du Val Wine Company Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, California

Time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a delicious Cabernet from Napa Valley.

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Strong nose of black currants, cherries, raisins, dried figs, cedar, licorice, vanilla, spices, tobacco, black pepper and dark chocolates.

Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and very fruity on the palate with blackberries, sweet cherries, tobacco, cedar, vanilla, leather, spices, earth, chocolates and black pepper.

Medium plus on the finish with round tannins and cherries.

This is a delicious and a classic Napa Cabernet. Exactly what you expect from one. Rich, yet not over the top and very chocolatey.

Still very young, but already very tasty. A beautiful Bordeaux blend with lots of potential. Very engaging and approachable at this young age.

Good right out of the bottle, but needs time to open up and show the tannins (90 minutes).

Showing great potential to become a 95+ point wine, and will age nicely in the next 10 years. Already showing nice complexity with a soft and smooth mouthfeel.

Good by itself as a sipping wine, and good with food too. Will pair nicely with a big piece of steak. I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec. Aged for 19 months in mostly French oak barrels (58% new).

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$52. — 5 years ago

"Odedi"

9.1

A beautiful color of dark purple with a wide purplish rim.

Pretty nose of blackberries, sweet plums, blueberries, violets, black currants, cedar, earth, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco, dark chocolates, bitter herbs, vegetables, and pencil lead. Very nice nose.

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

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, oak, spices, earth, vegetables, graphites, dark coffee, chocolates, tobacco, beef jerky and black pepper.

Long finish with fine tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a great Syrah blend from Paso Robles. Easy drinking and tasty with a nice mouthfeel. Showing nice complexity with a gorgeous nose.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up (needs an hour). Drinking very nicely now, and will be better in the next 3 years.

I paired it with cheeses, nuts and dried fruits.

A blend of 60% Syrah and 40% Tannant. Aged for 18 months in French Oak barrels (20% new). Kosher.

14.4% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$55. — 7 years ago

Elle Scorcho

9.0

Made the mistake of drinking whiskey first. Tastes flat & dull in comparison. Earth, dark berries, cassis, & plum. Not overly bright or fruit forward. Leather, tannic, acidic finish. — 8 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

RRV has never been one of my favorite Zin regions, but an old vineyard like this trumps that. Even at this young age the nose is lively, with deep spicy blackberry fruit and gravelly earth notes. intense and quite structured on the palate, with full body and nice acids. I’m drinking it way too young. It will age beautifully. 9.32 right now, likely higher in a few years. — 2 years ago

Jonathan Wall

9.4

Rating refers to the last glass, which was the best. Our foul… upon opening it was almost a little thin and flat. But as we swirled it got better and better until there was quickly none left. Last glass had bramble, earth, caramel. Nice 1998! — 3 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

An “intermezzo” as we prepared for the reds flights. This was served blind. The 1978 shows really young for its age. Most at the table, including myself, were convinced that this was classified growth Bordeaux with maybe 20-30 years of age. However at least one of us thought it was Napa…and whoa. The color was dark and handsome though there was some sediment (to expected). The fruit was bright but I felt it was secondary to the dried leaf tobacco, earth and leather notes. There was good acid too. Tannins have integrated. Lots of wows when this was revealed while the Napa holdouts gave a smile. Bravo. This could easily live well for another 10 or so years. — 3 years ago

Martin Mata

9.0

Tart and lively with notes of pomegranate, strawberry candy, and earth. Easy-drinking and refreshing. Uncomplicated, but has good structure for a wine with such youth. Served slightly chilled. Purchased at Popina in Brooklyn, NY. — 5 years ago

"Odedi"

8.9

This is a nice Grenache from Dry Creek Valley in California.

Showing red and black fruits with earth, wood, spices, chocolates, tobacco and herbs.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity and nice legs.

Very nice nose. Easy drinking with nice complexity and mouthfeel.

Fine grained tannins on the finish with tangy cranberries.

Could use a few more years in the bottle to mature, but already drinking very nicely now.

14.2% alcohol by volume.

89 points. — 7 years ago

"Odedi"

9.1

A great Cabernet from Napa Valley. Showing red and black fruits with earth, tobacco, vanilla, licorice, spices and Cedar.

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

Aged for 24 months in French oak barrels. A blend of Cabernet, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.

Still young and needs 5 to 10 years of bottle time.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$80. — 7 years ago

Michael Chelus

9.0

Cherry, raspberry preserves, dark chocolate, mossy earth, vanilla and oak. Great structure and soft tannins. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

This is absolutely one of my top three favorite producers from Barossa. Dan Standish marches to his own drum when it comes to his Winemaking. He doesn’t follow trends or fashion in winemaking. Before he started his own Winery, he was the Winemaker for Torbreck and also traveled to other world wine regions before settling back in Barossa. I had the privilege of spending a couple of hours last April with him. What a joy to listen, learn and laugh with him. This wine comes from 100 year old vines. While it is excellent, keeps getting better and puts on weight in the glass, its just a notch under his “Relic.” He has no US importer as he sells out to his mailing list. He’ll ship it to you, but shipping charges from Australia are simply stupid. You’ll find some of his wines on the secondary market. On the nose; smoldering ambers, black plum, black raspberries, dark cherries, olallieberries, huckleberries, blueberries, loamy dry soils, crushed rocks, spice, sour dark liqueur notes, dry stones, light baking spices, dark turned earth, well done toast, dry lavender, lilacs and fresh violets. The body is rich, lush and beautiful. The tannins are about a year or two farther along than I’m used to tasting, 80% resolved. The palate is simply and flat out amazing. The fruits are; juicy, ruby, ripe and stun the senses. Black plum, plum, black raspberries, raspberries, dark cherries, olallieberries, huckleberries, boysenberries, blueberries with a mid red fruit mix haunting the background of the palate here & there. The dark medium spices are more refined than the “Relic” and have a perfect heat lifting intensifying quality off the palate. Loamy soils, black licorice, anise, cracked pepper, crushed rocks, dark turned earth, tarry notes, dry stems, an amazing blend of baking spices-clove, nutmeg & a whiff of vanilla, dry herbaceous quality, dry lavender & lilacs and fresh violets for days. Perfect round acidity, excellent; structure, length, tension and balance. Long beautiful finish that doesn’t end. This is First Growth Shiraz! Photos of his Winery and those 100 year old vines. @Paul Treadway Huntington Beacher — 8 years ago