"Odedi"

9.2

It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Earthy nose with black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, chocolates, Indian spices, tobacco leaf, dark coffee, earth, dark chocolates, green vegetables and herbs.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with black currants, black plums, cherries, oak, dark chocolates, coffee, spices, earth, black tea, light green vegetables and peppercorn.

Spicy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a young Cabernet Sauvignon from Spring Mountain District in Napa Valley. Elegant and nicely balanced. Fruit forward and complex, with a soft mouthfeel. Feels like a Left Bank Bordeaux.

Needed 3 hours in the decanter to open up properly, so be patient.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 20 years. Has good potential to become a 94+ point wine.

I've had a few different vintages of this wine and this vintage seems to be more approachable at this young age.

Delicious by itself, and paired beautifully with the beef brisket.

A blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18% Cabernet Franc. Aged in (50% new) French Oak barrels for 18 months.

14.2% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$70. — 19 days ago

Austin Hohnke

9.2

Beast! Big, burly, brooding, and bawesome.
Rich and gamey with smoky olive brine and savory layers of earth. Tucking a couple away. — 6 months ago

Andrew McIntyre

9.5

Brilliant and complex wine. Personally i couldnt find any hint of sauvignon blanc on the nose and it reminds me more of a chardonnay. Great use of wood and acidity. Will improve in the coming years. Highly recommmend! Served with roasted cauliflower soup — 6 months ago

Ming L

9.4

The petrol note is pronounced, yet beautifully integrated. Citrus and tropical tones emerge on the nose, joined by a faint wisp of smoke. The palate has Viognier-like texture, lending weight and shape, while bright, clean-cut acidity is balanced by just a touch of residual sweetness.

It’s puzzling that Napa Valley can produce Riesling of this caliber! — 7 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Pale yellow in colour. A good combination of citrus and stonefruit on nose and palate. Slightly saline at the finish. This Chardonnay is a leading Australian Chardy made at their HQ in the Adelaide Hills. Barb and I first tried the 2019 at a structured tasting at the winery on 31/3/21. We were hugely impressed. This is my last bottle from the home cellar. I restock my cellar most vintages with the M3 Chardonnay. Their Chardonnay from the Lenswood Vineyard is also very good. — 9 months ago

Michele Hug

9.5

Opens up super nicely, immediately pleasant on the nose. Plummy and buttery, classic example of a good Napa cab. — 4 years ago

Frank Kuo

9.0

Color of bubbly purple, nice legs. Nose is fruity of dark berries, like blackberry and grapes, some ripe pineapple too, spice, a bit fermented cabbage, a bit peppery, and a bit coke cola. Taste is mellow tannins and a bit sweet, with bittersweet zest plus the notes from the nose. Aftertaste is a bit overpowered by bitterness. Average. — 5 years ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.0

After I tried through the other Champagnes. This came across as sweet. Just not a fan of this house. — 16 days ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.0

Not the champagne I had in mind for tonight, but sometimes circumstances play their part.

This is pleasant enough. It will go well with my almond tart later.

The mouthfeel shows nice mousse, somewhat lively acidity, bruised golden/red/green apple to apple sauce, bruised pear, white citrus blend-grapefruit w/ pith leading, quince, touch of brown sugar, some yeastiness, baguette crust, graham cracker, volcanic minerals w/ clay, white spice, caramel notes, vanillin, sea spray, grippy, grainy chalk, sea fossils-oysters, limestone marl, withering lilies, spring flowers, nice acidity and a well balanced, good length, elegant finish that lasts nearly 90 second and lands on mid intensity minerals and spice.

Photos of; the champagne house of Veuve Clicqoit and the widow herself. You see her under the metal gage and plated over the cork.

#DSLounge — 5 months ago

Ericsson

9.5

This is great value and ‘18 is one of my favorite vintages to drink now or savor later. Tasting great now. — 6 months ago

Jan de Weerd

9.0

We had the battle of the Shiraz at our family gathering over Christmas. A Shiraz from South Australia and South Africa. Both 2016. This Shiraz, despite from the Adelaide Hills where I think it is a little cooler, was very rich, very bold and broad and a slight jammy note on the edge perhaps. People liked it, but all the votes when for the Shiraz of Cederberg from South Africa. Fun!!! — 7 months ago

with Tammy

KP

9.8

Vibrant color. Wow, it’s like the Little Red Riding-hood porridge of wine. Not too dry, bold, acidic, long, short or tannic. Just right! Absolutely delicious. Would absolutely buy again and one of the best wines I’ve had in a long time. — 7 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Presented to me double-blind at Tasting Group. The wine is a deep, slightly hazy garnet color with a slightly orange rim and a near opaque core. Medium+ viscosity with pretty significant staining of the tears. Showing some signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of desiccated dark and red fruits: brambles, dark cherry, cassis, leather, green bell pepper, tobacco, cocoa, purple flowers, damp earth, and soft baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and extremely satisfying.

Initial conclusions, this could be Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or a blend of Bordeaux varieties, Syrah or Tempranillo from France or Spain. I think this wine has too many non-fruit characteristics for me to place this in California, Argentina or Australia. Because I don’t get enough purple or any black pepper, I’m ruling out Syrah. There aren’t any olive/coconut/dill tones to put me in Spain so I’m ruling that out. I think there is a decent amount of Merlot in this because it’s has some elegance…but it’s just not quite plush enough for me to put this in the Right Bank.

So I’m going Left Bank. Final Conclusion: this is a Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine from France, from Bordeaux, from the Medoc, from Saint-Julien. Classified growth (I was thinking Saint-Pierre but wasn’t that sure of myself) with 20-25 years of age. Welp…I was in the right area. This bottle was hand carried from the chateau. Truthfully, I need to gain more experience to refine my ability to pick out subtle nuances within Bordeaux but I digress. The 2001 Smith Haut Lafite is bangin’. Drinking well now but you don’t have to be a huge rush.
— 3 years ago

Sagee Aran

9.5

Wow!!. A delicate and complex wine. Medium to full body, not overwhelming, perfection of balance. Nose - attributes of cacao, aged prune. Tanins are still powerful and give the structure. A beautiful wine. — 5 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.2

Arras — Blanc de Blancs 2013
Tasmania, Australia 🇦🇺

Overview
A 100% Chardonnay traditional-method sparkling wine sourced broadly across Tasmania, aged extensively on lees for over five years prior to release, delivering depth, autolytic complexity, and finely tuned balance. Cool-climate fruit precision meets long cellar maturation for serious Champagne-caliber structure and finesse.

Aromas & Flavors
Expressive notes of toasted brioche, lemon curd, baked apple, almond pastry, and subtle chalky minerality lead the nose. Layers of fresh citrus peel, pear skin, and gentle hazelnut evolve with air, framed by savory yeast complexity and restrained creaminess. The palate delivers precision rather than sweetness, with purity and tension driving the finish.

Mouthfeel
Creamy yet lifted, with fine, persistent mousse and beautifully integrated autolytic weight. The texture feels polished and expansive without heaviness, supported by vibrant acidity that keeps the wine energetic, linear, and refreshingly dry through the finish.

Food Pairings
Oysters and shellfish. Butter-poached lobster or scallops. Parmesan risotto. Roast chicken with herbs. Triple-cream cheeses or aged Comté.

Verdict
A compelling expression of New World traditional-method excellence, delivering maturity, balance, and serious structural integrity. Rich without excess, nostalgic in its yeast-driven complexity, and confidently positioned alongside high-quality grower Champagne.

Did You Know?
Tasmania’s cool maritime climate and long growing season allow Chardonnay to retain high natural acidity while achieving full phenolic ripeness, making the region one of Australia’s strongest candidates for world-class traditional-method sparkling wines.

🍷 Personal Pick
Blanc de Blancs is my home base, and this bottle absolutely delivers. The autolytic depth, precision, and balance hit exactly the profile I love, serious, expressive, and quietly luxurious. A sparkling wine that rewards attention, not just celebration. — 6 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.5

Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 2023 – Pessac-Léognan, BDX, France 🇫🇷

Overview
Elegant and highly energized dry white showing vivid tension and polish, driven by Sauvignon Blanc 90%, Sémillon 5% and Sauvignon Gris 5%. Bright citrus and stone fruit lead into subtle floral lift and gentle oak framing, delivering full flavor intensity without heaviness. The acidity is fully active yet beautifully controlled, giving precision, length, and clarity rather than sharpness.

Aromas & Flavors
Lemon zest, grapefruit pith, white peach, green apple, crushed stone, acacia blossom, subtle almond and light toast.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied, taut and linear with a silky mid-palate, vibrant acid spine, and a clean, saline-tinged finish that keeps everything lifted and fresh.

Food Pairings
Seared scallops, citrus-driven crudo, grilled branzino, goat cheese, herb-roasted chicken, light truffle pasta.

Verdict
A polished, terroir-driven white that balances energy and refinement effortlessly. Serious freshness without aggression, a textbook modern Pessac Blanc showing both drinkability and aging promise.

🍷 Personal Pick
This is my kind of white Bordeaux, fully alive on the palate, laser-focused acidity without fatigue, and quietly layered. — 6 months ago

Mary Perrotta

9.3

Light sweet and crisp more of a spring time wine than a fall but would definitely get again! — 9 months ago

Peter James

9.0

BHM Wine Tasting @ Netflix — 3 years ago

Robert Swart

9.0

Dry, bright, crisp, and balanced with notes of stone fruit, Granny Smith apples, floral, and peach. — 5 years ago

Ben Savin

9.0

Not so fruity, light, on the drier side. Very drinkable. Would buy again to drink while cooking. Drank while making Pati Jinich’s chicken tinga with Sami in a severe heat wave/drought and record dangerous levels of AQI due to Canadian wild fires. — 5 years ago