Chris

9.0

Great! It's got a front end licorice to plum taste that I'm not a fan of. But still very dry and tannic. It wouldn't be my first choice again. — a year ago

with Jen

"Odedi"

8.9

It's time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Here's a nice one from Israel.

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Nose of cherries, blueberries, wood, earth, vanilla, licorice, spices, espresso, pencil lead, vegetables, herbs and black pepper.

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

Dry on the palate with blueberries, cherries, wood, licorice, light vanilla, light vegetables, dark coffee, herbs, tobacco leaf, spices, graphite and black pepper.

Medium plus in finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a nice surprise. I've had this wine for the last 4 vintages, and this is the best one yet. Easy drinking with mild complexity and a nice mouthfeel. Feels like a blend of new and old world wine.

Good by itself or with food. Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up ( 30 minutes). After an hour of airtime, tannins show up.

Drinking very nicely already, even by itself.

A blend of 36% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Syrah, 12% Petit Verdot and 9% Cabernet Franc.

Grapes are grown in the Judean Hills at 2,000 feet elevation, and aged for 10 months in oak barrels. Kosher. Not Mevushal.

14% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$35. — 4 years ago

Brock Rexius

9.2

Certainly not a port expert, but this is very good. Almost “jammy” with some nice legs. Was a TW recommendation from years ago that finally got opened. — 5 years ago

"Odedi"

8.9

It's Friday and I'm ready for my Cabernet fix. This week it's one from Washington State.

Dark ruby in color with a short purple rim.


Fruity nose with blackberries, blueberries, cherries, raisins, figs, vanilla, licorice, oak, spices, earth, leather, green tea and black pepper.

Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, sweet cherries, vanilla, spices, espresso, cola, vegetables, leather, earth, chocolates, peppercorn and pencil lead.

Medium plus on the finish with firm tannins and tangy cranberries.

This Washington Cabernet is drinking very nicely now. Well balanced with nice complexity and a great mouthfeel. Showing a nice structure with ample black fruits and a touch of earthiness.

Last time I had it, it needed an hour to open up properly. I used the #VSpin this time, for 10 minutes, and it did the trick, and brought in tannins and complexity.

Will be good in the next couple of years. Good by itself or with food. I paired it with a cheese plate, nuts and crackers.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$17. — 6 years ago

"Odedi"

9.2

It's time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a yummy Cabernet Sauvignon.

Inky in color with a short purple rim.

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

Dry on the palate and spicy, with nice complexity and a great mouthfeel.

Showing blackberries, black currants, cooked plums, raisins, licorice, cedar, light vanilla, tobacco, mint, chocolates, coffee, cola and peppercorn.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cranberries.

This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from Lake County in California. Fruit forward and rich. Smooth and elegant.

Shows nice complexity already, although still young. Would be nice to revisit it in 5 years. Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.

Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel. Opulent and delectable. Delicious and engaging.

Good by itself as a sipping wine. Good right out of the bottle, and better with some air time.

A blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petit Verdot. Aged in French oak barrels. A small production of only 300 cases.

14.3% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$75. — 2 years ago

Mindy Woytasczyk

9.4

Omg cherry notes, super dry and lady got legs. Won’t leave you hanging. Neva that.
— 5 years ago

with Jared

Mark Flesher

9.3

En Magnum. This wine just seemed very different. Not sure this is what I was really expecting from an 83 Montelena even from Magnum. I don't think I was expecting it to taste like a 2010 Spottswoode. Had almost a Bordeaux character to it, which I guess I'm really not surprised at all about that. At first, this wine was FUN-KY!!!! Was itching to get down to business though. Nose was mushroom, fig, cedar, anise. Palate was eventually consistent with the nose but the middle and finish is where this gained a substantial amount of aged blackberry and toasted oak. I really can't say that this wine was a show stopper, but it definitely got my attention in a slightly different way than I was expecting. If you have any of these in 750 or mag, I'd say it's time to start drinking them!! — 5 years ago

with Dan, Shay and 1 other

"Odedi"

9.1

It's time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Inky in color with a short reddish rim.

Fruity nose with black currants, black plums, blueberries, ripe cherries, light cedar, light earth, vanilla, black pepper, chocolates, coffee and pencil lead.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity and long skinny legs.

Dry on the palate with plums, black currants, coffee, oak, vanilla, vegetables, black pepper, spices, chocolates, dark coffee, herbs, tobacco leaf, leather and earth.

Medium on the finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very nice Cabernet Sauvignon based blend from Napa Valley. Still young and will benefit from some bottle aging. Has good potential to become a really nice wine.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 90 minutes of airtime. Really nice nose once it opens up.

Would be nice to revisit it in 5 years, however, already drinking nicely and showing nice complexity.

The Malbec seems very dominant at the moment. Spicy and tangy. Fruit forward and tasty.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with cheeses and olives.

A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot and 8% Malbec. Aged in mostly French oak barrels for 18 months.

14.2% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$85. — 3 years ago

"Odedi"

8.9

It's time for #MerlotThursday. Here is a nice one from California.

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Pretty nose with blueberries, black currants, plums, cherries, oak, vanilla, spices, licorice, dark chocolates, earth, light vegetables and vinaigrette.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, sweet cherries, vanilla, earth, wood, spices, peppercorn, chocolates, tobacco, graphite and dark coffee.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cranberries.

This is a very enjoyable Merlot from Santa Clara Valley in California. Showing nice complexity with a nice mouthfeel.

I've had this vintage before, and it is showing somewhat differently now, with more blue and black fruits. I'd like to see how it evolves in the next few years.

Needs an hour to open up properly and show tannins and structure.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with cheeses and olives. Goes really nicely with an aged Brie.

A blend of 85% Merlot with some Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$24. — 5 years ago

"Odedi"

9.2

It's time for #MerlotThursday. Here's a great one from Columbia Valley.

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Fruity nose of blackberries, black currants, cherries, cooked plums, wood, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, smoke, dark coffee, mocha, earth, leather, coke and black pepper. What a great nose.

Full bodied with medium acidity and nice legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, cooked cherries, oak, vanilla, spices, espresso, chocolates, peppercorn, earth sweet vinaigrette, dark coffee and light mocha.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and cherries.

This 4 year old Merlot from Washington State surprised me.
Well balanced and enjoyable by itself or with food. Showing great complexity and mouthfeel.

Soft, spicy and smooth. Peaking now, and better now than a year or two ago.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up (1 hour).

I paired it with a filet mignon and grilled asparagus.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$20. — 6 years ago