Aaron Tan

9.1

From publicly snubbing the saké authorities to collaborating with Pharrel and Nigo, Ohmine is as cult as it gets as a saké producer. So colour me surprised when the Ohmine saké's became available in Malaysia. Gosh, our local saké scene never ceases to amaze me.

The 2 Grain's probably a Junmai Daiginjo, but with their rejection of typical saké terminologies, we will now "never" know. Clean, pure, and fruity, with a weighty glycerol-texture and prominent rice sweetness in the back end (sugary almost). In fact, this was one the cleanest sakés I've ever had. The wife loved it for this very reason! KK found it a little too rich, which I understand - the sweetness and ripe stone fruit profile can be too much without more acidity. For me, I found it enjoyable. My only gripe was the noticeable alcohol despite being low in alcohol in the context of saké. I think it could have benefitted from more air. — 2 years ago

Severn Goodwin

9.6

Happy Father's Day 2020 to all; I'm posting pictures of our fur-kids, an independent and somewhat self-interested bunch. Two boys (9) and two girls (3), all rescued from various locations across the East Coast of the US. They generally bring the utmost of joy to my life on a daily basis.

Nose has blackberry jam on moist leather, minor cedar, very light barnyard notes, grilled blackberry,
blueberry compote, brewed dark roasted coffee, wet garden soil, chocolate vines candy and dried orange peel.

Palate has over-ripe blackberry, wet tanned leather, dark chocolate syrup, dehydrated black cherry, chocolate covered blueberry and moist cedar.

Silky smooth, intense finish running +2m, still showing tannins. Expect this bottle to easily hold another 10+ years without concern, in proper storage.

Decanted ~5h. Paired with well salted (in advance), medium-rare, grilled NY strip steaks from my favorite, local farmer in Columbia Co. NY (Kinderhook Farm) and sauted, early season, baby squash in ozro with our garden herbs.

INAUGURAL vintage on this wine, I certainly didn't realize that fact when we bought it in September 2005! This has been in storage for the prior 15 years, just coming back home in January 2020.

Merlot 50% / Cabernet Sauvignon 40% / Petit Verdot 10% — 4 years ago

Aaron Rankin

9.0

Rich, red fruit / black cherry nose. The nose carries through with some roundness on the mid-palette, but nice acidity all around. The finish is mild, if not somewhat numbing in an Asian spice way. Overall, this went well with grilled food, but i wouldn’t drink it without fatty or rich food. I’d prefer a proper Spanish Tempranillo, even if that’s an unfair comparison. — 6 years ago

Trevor Rowedder

8.9

Forwent the recommend Burgundy glass and took advantage of the twist of cap while sitting in my car outside Safeway. Whole bottle went down smoothly. New world wine that tastes like old world, great tannin and acidity. Slightly salty hints but that could have been the tears of joy running down my face at the idea that such a good wine is affordable and doesn’t require a proper opener. #twistoff — 2 years ago

Dwayne Pean

9.1

Exactly how proper champagne should taste. Cheers! — 4 years ago

Severn Goodwin

9.4

We recently pulled some cases out of storage, which haven't seen the light of day for nearly 15 years, so I'll have some fun posts in the next several months.

Nose has dried vanilla bean, dehydrated cherry, oak sawdust, mashed blackberry, used coffee grounds, dried strawberry and dried blueberry.

Palate has tanned leather, very dried cherry, over-ripe plum, plum skin, hardwood charcoal, dried raspberry with a mildly tannic grip remaining.

This bottle is in its sweet spot, likely will hold here (in proper storage) for another 5-8 years before decline. Don't ever count out Chilean wines for longevity!

Paired with a beautiful merlot steak from a local farmer in Columbia Co. NY (Kinderhook Farm), boiled then smashed red potatoes finished with a compound herb butter and fresh, local asparagus. I'm finally grilling, and it's barely May!

(Also a stellar pairing with dark chocolate peanut butter cups!) — 4 years ago

Andrew Schirmer

8.9

Better on day 2. Fresh, luscious, slightly off-dry, mineral finish. Lovely mouthfeel. Need to drink more saké. 🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵 — 4 years ago

with Alsu

"Odedi"

9.4

It's time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a gorgeous one from Napa.

Very dark ruby in color with a pretty reddish rim.

Beautiful nose of black currants, figs, vanilla, cedar, sweet strawberries, cooked cherries, licorice, eucalyptus, bell pepper, earth, mint, tobacco leaf, spices, vegetables, celery, pencil lead and black pepper.

Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, plums, cooked cherries, dried cedar, leather, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, light vegetables, graphite, vegetables and peppercorn

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a delicious Cabernet Franc from Napa Valley. Showing a gorgeous nose with great complexity.

Already very tasty, although still young. A little hot right now, but that will go away with proper aging.

Would be nice to revisit it in 6 years, and will age nicely in the next 20 years. Showing great potential to become a 97+ point wine, and already delicious by itself.

Needs a couple of hours to open up properly, show the tannins, and the beautiful nose, so be patient.

This Single Vineyard is so interesting and unique. Nicely balanced with nice complexity and a great mouthfeel.

Soft, yet powerful. Rich and extracted. Elegant, tangy and fruity.

A blend of 91% Cabernet Franc and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged for 20 month in (90% new) French Oak barrels. A very small production of only 18 barrels.

14.7% alcohol by volume.

94 points.

$120. — 3 years ago

Severn Goodwin

9.3

We recently pulled some cases out of storage, which haven't seen the light of day for nearly 15 years, so I'll have some fun posts in the next several months.

Nose has dusty cherry, dried blackberry, tanned leather, old cedar cigar box, shriveled blueberry, dried black currant, violets, mashed blueberry and dark roast coffee.

Palate has rehydrated blackberry, dried cherries, dried blueberry, dry potting soil, over-ripe black currant, chocolate powder, medium tannins, long finish; polished and beautiful!!

Paired with enchiladas with my homemade sauce from the summer of 2019 tomato harvest, local beef from Columbia Co NY; the dish and the wine lifted each other.

Could hold this bottle until its 20th birthday in proper storage, likely a little more. A perfect and supple cork pull tonight.

Listening to the beautiful vocal prowess tonight of Catherine Russell, life is good. No COVID-19 lockdown in MA yet, but it's gotta be around the corner...

$38, September 2005. — 4 years ago

Severn Goodwin

9.1

Dinner with co-workers during one of my monthly visits to our greater Atlanta office.

Decent bottle, needed lots of air to get going, luckily proper stemware was provided.
Mostly ripe, dark fruits, dried cherry, licorice, enjoyable. — 4 years ago