Andrew Cullimore

9.4

Medium lemon yellow , fine bubbles . Quite restrained and mineral focused on the nose , then lemon confit , quince, touch of orange flowers, with some pastry notes , white flowers , honeysuckle also . Quite intense and mineral on the palate , fills out well with some lemon oil and pastry notes also , but this is reserved and elegant in style , more mineral , chalky and more intense than the 2013 had last week. Really refreshing acidity . Long and complex on the finish , I would imagine this needs more time than the 2013 too. Come back in 5 years , will show well for a further 10-15 years , perhaps longer. Very promising . — 2 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.6

2002 vintage. Nice fill, good cork. Decanted with a respectable amount of powdery sed. Smelled great during decanting. Tasted 1.5 hours after opening/decanting. Expected light body with delicate tendrils. Medium body with a light palate footprint. Holy shazzbaat. This was absolutely firing. Like top of the pops, straight up to number one. Exceptional knitting and in a perfect spot now. Go all the way back to the inaugural 1982 vintage with this winery’s cabernet…thought my all-time fave was the 1991 altho the 1986 and 1987 were special. The 2020, picked early, thus avoiding the fires, is phenomenal as well. This was on another level and have had approx 150 bottles of Spottswoode Cab in the last three + decades. It was probably the best out of all of them. Difficult to imagine Napa Cab better than this. Power and finesse on display. Not improving but can hold this intensity for another 4-5 years. 12.24.24. — 3 months ago

Conrad Green

9.2

What a treat. Showing its age. Darker than you’d expect given it’s a war vintage. Tea colored at the edges. Soft, faded fruit. Orange rind, some dried herbs, mushroom, black tea, cured meat. Some dried wood, dried roses. A slight tart tang. Softening out and adding done delicate sherry notes with time in the glass. An amazing wine given the age. Certainly not a powerhouse but really special- a taste of history — 2 years ago

with Walker, David and 1 other

Andrew Cullimore

9.1

No formal notes. Maybe slightly less dense ruby, wider rim . More refined and quite elegant , medium bodied , slightly more cooler greener fruits . This quite aromatic initially, mix of red and dark hedgerow fruits . A little more refined and small boned , perhaps a little light a shorter than others . This was impressive out of the gate , aromatic and charming quite mineral also , though it was the only wine that faded a little with time in the glass . This appears to be at its peak though probably will remain here for another 5 -10 years perhaps — 2 months ago

Kurt Schuster

9.0

Start out incredibly rich and concentrated, and with tongue coating tans, but after a couple of hours really opened up to show some delicate fruit and savory flavors. The nose also started out incredibly intense and a little jammy, but cleared with time to become something much more delicate and lovely with flowers and cold fruits and Deliciousness.  — 3 months ago

with Denise

"Odedi"

9.2

It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Ruby in color with a wide reddish rim and medium intensity.

Pretty nose of red fruits with light wood, chocolates, sweet tobacco, and Indian spices.

Medium-plus in body and elegant with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with sweet raspberries, cherries, plums, light oak, licorice, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, spices, peppercorn and light earth.

Nice length on the finish with fine-grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 8-year-old Napa Cabernet is drinking very nicely now. Soft and smooth.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours in the decanter.

Complex with good structure and mouthfeel. Spicy and fruit-forward. Delicious and interesting.

Wine Advocate 93 points.

I've had a few vintages of this wine, and it is always tasty.

Easy drinking and good by itself or with food. I paired it with cheeses and crackers.

A blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Petit Verdot. Aged in (60% new) French oak barrels for 24 months.

14.6% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$110 (at release). — 4 months ago

"Odedi"

9.2

It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Pretty nose of currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, earth, leather, chocolates, tobacco leaf, herbs, eucalyptus, peppercorn, alcohol, black tea and violets.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with plums, black currants, coffee, oak, vanilla, licorice, herbs, spices, dark chocolates, coffee, peppercorn, earth, pencil lead and light mint.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a delicious Merlot based Bordeaux blend from South Africa.

This 6 year old is starting to drink very nicely now. Nicely balanced with a smooth mouthfeel. Spicy and opulent. Fruit-forward and elegant with nice complexity.

Gets tangier as it opens up, and feels like a Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon.

Good right out of the bottle, and much better after 90 minutes in the decanter. Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.

Wine Enthusiasts 91 points. Robert Parker 90 points.

A blend of 54% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Malbec and 6% Petit Verdot.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$45. — 3 years ago

"Odedi"

9.3

It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Let's bring Merlot back!

Dark inky in color with a reddish rim.

Very pretty nose with black fruits, cedar, licorice, light vanilla, tobacco, chocolates, coffee, Indian spices, cola and light black tea.

Full-bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with sweet raspberries, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, chocolates, toast, light vanilla, dark coffee, Indian spices, light cola licorice and peppercorn.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a delicious 9 year old Merlot from Columbia Valley. Rich and extracted. Spicy and entertaining.

Peaking now and will continue to drink nicely in the next 5 years.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 3 hours of airtime.

Nicely balanced with a soft mouthfeel. Smooth and elegant. Fruit forward and tangy. The high alcohol is well integrated by now.

Good by itself as a sipping wine.

A blend of 75% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. Aged for 22 months in (85% new) French Oak barrels.

14.9% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$75. — 2 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

2017 vintage. Lemon zest and saline nose with toasty oak hovering about. Medium body with striking, brilliant yellow Chartreuse color. Initially and throughout, the wine was as taut as piano wire. Decanted 5 minutes after opening and tasted 30 mins after the decant. That toasty oak char came to play along with plenty of acidity. Quite the mouthful of wine currently. A tad tempestuous and in definite need of a mandatory, half-decade time out before being allowed to participate at recess again. 12.09.24. — 4 months ago

"Odedi"

9.0

Inky in color with a very short reddish/ brick rim.

Full bodied with medium acidity

Showing black fruits with earth, bell pepper, tobacco, oak, dark coffee, pencil lead, bitter herbs, earth, light roasted bell pepper and forest floor.

Soft tannins on the tangy finish.

This 10 year old Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is probably on its way out. Still very drinkable, but a little unbalanced and showing lots of earth notes.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after two hours of air time.

Showing nice complexity at this point, but a little bitter for my taste.

Although still good, I expected more from this second wine from this producer and this vintage.

90 points.

$80 (current vintage). — 2 years ago