"Odedi"

9.1

Pale lemon in color.

Medium in body with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing limes, lemons, green apples, light wood, earth, herbs and minerals.

Nice finish with limes and almonds.

This is a very young Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley in France.

I had a few vintages of this wine and it is definitely better with age. Needs 5 years in the bottle to mature properly, but starting to drink nicely now.

This 9 year old Sauvignon Blanc drinks very fresh and young. Elegant and easy drinking.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 45 minutes of airtime.

Good by itself or with food.

13% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$250. — 11 days ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.2

1989 vintage. Last tasted 3.28.24, 5.5.23, 4.4.23 and 12.9.22. Solid fill and cork. Recommended decanting but was denied. Mmkay. Eventually got clearance to decant after the bottle had been open for 1.25 hrs. Tasted after being open 5 mins, 45 mins and 2 hrs. Light-medium body throughout. Wine was funky and super tight initially. Had to talk a few of the “participants” down from their “this wine ain’t nothing” perch by telling them it needed at least an hour in the glass (since it hadn’t been decanted at that point). Wine threw expected sed on the decant. Started to loosen up at the 45 mins open stage and fairly exploded at the 2 hrs open (45 mins decanted) point. Dude that didn’t want to decant it gave me a wistful, regretful look at that point (since it blew the other 4 reds at the table away and was getting better) and it took waay too much willpower on my end not to say “Congrats on minimizing a fantastic wine experience, bro.” It wasn’t the best 1989 P-L specimen tasted semi-recently but feel this coulda delved into the 9.4 range without the unnecessary power trip from someone that didn’t even bring this wine to the shindig. Hopefully, this individual learned their lesson. 7.6.24. — 6 months ago

"Odedi"

9.1

Matar by Pelter Strauss 2020, Israel

#KosherWineSunday

Inky in color with a reddish rim.

Strong nose with black fruits, tobacco, oak, licorice, black pepper and chocolates.

Full-bodied and elegant with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and very fruity on the palate with black currants, cooked plums, oak, wild flowers, tobacco, licorice, light earth, coffee, bitter herbs, spices, tar and peppercorn.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a very tasty Syrah from Israel. Fruit forward and extracted. Nicely balanced and bold. Rich and good by itself or with food.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours of airtime. Really enjoyed the nose once it opened up.

I Had the 2017 three years ago, and it felt very different. This vintage feels like an Australian Shiraz.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 5 years.

Paired nicely with cheeses and crackers.

100% Shiraz grapes from the Galilee region were aged in French oak barrels for 16 months. Kosher and not Mevushal.

15% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$30. — 9 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.5

Medium light lemon yellow colour . Quite open and fruit driven , lemon peel , touch of seashell and ripe apple . On the palate a bit more of the citrus fruits with some brioche and ripe apple , mineral tinged finish . Very fresh and vivid . Long mineral tinged , citrus peel finish . Showing pretty young, really fresh and fruit orientated. This is still very nice now , but will obviously benefit from further aging especially in magnum . From now on, but better in 5-10 years and will last well a further 10-15 — 2 months ago

Ted

9.3

Light bodied. Packed with a ton of flavor. I have loved everything from this producer. Mint and wet gravel to go along with beautiful red fruit. — 3 months ago

with Jeni

Ming L

9.5

The “Black Label” edition of the ‘18 vintage for 50th anniversary of the winery, with 3% Cab from the Backus vineyard - a first time for Insignia. Not sure that makes a difference.
Truly an exceptional wine even by Insignia standard. Complex notes of blackberry, red plum, cassis, cedar, tobacco, baking spices, menthol, and light forest floor that do not try to overwhelm your senses. Power and grace on the palate with impeccable balance.
Drinking beautifully now but patience will be rewarded. — 7 months ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.1

Since Fass is offering the 2019 as a cellar release from the winery i went back to taste the vintage. 2018, 19, 20, 21 are all excellent and different. The 18‘ is more wild and rich, the 19‘ quite elegant and the 20‘big while the 21‘ is probably my favorite a combination of 19‘ & 20‘. The 19 is classic E&M i would drink the vintage and not keep it. Light and elegant, dark cherries, lime, chalk and this hard to define E&M signature best described as black forest meadow with thyme and other herbs. I could drink this by the bucket. — a year ago

"Odedi"

9.1

This is a very tasty, albeit very young, Cabernet sauvignon blend from Chile. Created in collaboration with Robert Mondavi.

Full-bodied with medium acidity.

Showing cedar, blackberries, sweet cherries, chocolates, coffee, cola, vanilla, licorice, spices, earth, light vegetables, tobacco leaf and herbs.

Tannic finish after 90 minutes of airtime.

Needs a few years in the bottle to mature properly. Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years. Has good potential to become a 94+ point wine.

Already showing great complexity, and would pair nicely with a big piece of steak.

Wine Advocate 98 points.

A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Malbec, 17% Carmenere and 6% Petit Verdot.

14% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$150. — 2 months ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Opened about 8 hours prior to service and Audouze’d. The 1989 pours a deep garnet color with a transparent core and a slightly watery rim; medium viscosity and light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of ripe and desiccated black and red fruits: brambles, poblano pepper, smoked and candied pork belly, leather, mint, damp decomposing earth, gentle spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+ and still pretty grippy. What’s wild is how relatively “modern” this wine comes across; especially considering the more humble Côtes de Bourg appellation. Drink now. — 7 months ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

2010 a strong vintage & still accending. Costco Ribcap vs Allen Brothers.

Sofia & I stayed in downtown Alba in 2015. Arrived early evening & sadly after their big wine festival. Pio Cesare was around the corner and down two blocks from our hotel. Historic as hell.

I bought this at Costco for around $49.

Nebbiolo young is a huge tarry grape. The Italian’s ferment this with a lot of new wood. They actually hold Nebbiolo/Barolo in bottle and extra year or more before release. Also, longer than most other world regions based largely on the grape & even more their wood use.

This is drinking nicely after a four hour decant, but it is still ascending and another 10-15 years of good drinking ahead…properly stored.

Even with this age, its tarriness is the first descriptor. Followed by heated dark spices, slightly, dry b lackberries, dry, slight tart, dark cherries, black raspberries, black plum, some strawberries, tea leaves, black licorice to anise, sandstone, limestone, dry crushed rocks, dry top soil & brush, dry herbs, dry tobacco, light; clove, nutmeg & hints of vanillin, forest floor w/ dry leaves, some mint, dry, withering, dark, red flowers framed in violets, excellent acidity with a nicely evolved, well; structured, tensioned, balanced, smartly polished finished that goes on & on! — 7 months ago