Bob McDonald

9.4

A wonderful Australian Chardonnay - see previous notes here. Applejack is usually my favourite Giant Steps Vineyard for Pinot Noir but with Chardonnay there are a couple of contenders - like Sexton Vineyard and this one. Great balance of stone fruit and absorbed toasty oak. Wine shows adroit winemaking skills - somewhat “worked “ and showing creamy Lees character. Have the last one in 2027 when 10 years old. — 23 days ago

"Odedi"

9.3

It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Deep purple in color with a short purple rim.

Pretty nose of blueberries, blackberries, plums, cedar, tobacco leaf, light earth, herbs, spices, chocolates and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with black currants, plums, cooked cherries, spices, cedar, licorice, light vanilla, dark chocolates, tobacco leaf, herbs, black tea, peppercorn and espresso.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. Soft, rich and elegant. Fruit forward, easy drinking and not in your face kind of wine.

This Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is good right out of the bottle, and better after 3 hours of airtime, which I didn't have this time.

This 9 year old will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.

Good by itself as a sipping wine, and paired nicely with grilled Lamb chops.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were aged in (70% new) French oak barrels for 20 months. A small production of 7,200 bottles.

14.7% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$180. — 2 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

Could not see that I have rated this vintage on Delectable before. No formal notes. I recall it being fuller and more textural than usual with a certain creaminess. A good blend of citrus and stone fruit with the right amount of French oak. — 3 years ago

Mark Farrell

9.9

Dark ruby color with a nose of blackberries, cassis, potpourri, a touch of strawberries, leather, vanilla, and an interesting sea air freshness. Full-bodied wine with amazing fruit. The tannins are definitely there, but not so overwhelming as to close the wine and kill the fruit. Finish is long and pleasant at over a minute. This is my type of wine! Celebrating my 20th wedding anniversary with this. Couldn’t have made a better choice. — 4 years ago

"Odedi"

9.2

It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Inky in color with a short purple rim.

Fruity nose of blackberries, sweet plums, cedar, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, light earth and black pepper.

Full-bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruit forward on the palate with black currants, blackberries, cedar, cola, vanilla, spices, espresso, light herbs, chocolates and peppercorn

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

This 6 year old Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley is drinking beautifully now, and very approachable right out of the bottle.

This Single Vineyard Cabernet is powerful and spicy. Fruit forward and elegant. Easy drinking and good by itself as a sipping wine.

Feels young, but already delicious, and will continue to age nicely in the 10 years and beyond.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were aged in (70% new) French oak barrels for 20 months.

14.4% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$170. — a month ago

Jan de Weerd

9.2

We had some of our best Pinot noirs of Australia in Yarra Valley and Giant Steps was one of our favorites. Elegance is the one word that can best describe their wines, especially their single vineyard Pinots. Plenty of acidity integrated well with aromatic light red fruit and hints of minerality. Unbeknownst to us, they were actually just recently bought by one of the large wine holdings in California Jackson Family Wines but allowing to keep their unique boutique style approach to wine making. — 10 months ago

with RoAnne and Tammy

Jay Kline

9.3

Presented double-blind. The wine appears deep garnet with an opaque core. There appears to be a slight amount of sediment but otherwise no visual signs of age. On the nose, a beguiling mix of black, blue and red fruits with a pronounced hit of tobacco, green bell pepper, purple flowers, earth and baking space. On the palate, the wine is dry with very firm tannin that I would place in the medium++ category. Medium+ acid. The fruit set is confirmed along with the aforementioned non-fruit characteristics with some leather and earth for good measure. The finish very long and rich. While there is an undeniable amount of high quality fruit, I felt the non-fruit characteristics and the structure leaned more towards the old world. I called 2008 Paulliac from a classified growth. I didn’t even think about Australia! Anyway, this was awesome and came across almost youthful! I’ve long admired Roman’s work with Syrah…and now I know I’ve been sleeping on his Cabernet. This wine will continue to drink well for another decade+. — 3 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

This wine was lost in my cellar for a couple of years until I found it a few days ago. As a 2016 I probably would have drunk this a year or two ago. Now at 9 years of age it is a wonderful Chardonnay with more complexity and intensity. More on the citric than stone fruit side. A good example of mature Yarra Valley Chardonnay. — 2 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

This survived vacuum sealed in the refrigerator from last Saturday. Seems it benefited from its cork separation that long. 🤷‍♂️

I bought this two weeks ago and last weekend is the first time I’ve had this producer. So, why not make it an 07? I bought it for $69 two weeks ago from my new secret source. 🤫

Last weekend it was good but still fairly youthful. Tonight, round, softened, ripe fruit elegance. I like it this weekend better.

The nose is ripe, candied with just a faint hint of baked fruits; blackberries w/ some bramble, wild, black raspberries, black plum pudding, dark, slightly baked cherries/strawberries & raspberries glass edges. Melted, dark chocolate, black licorice, softly layered baking spices, dark & mid berry cola, steeped fruit tea, melted caramel, some eucalyptus notes, brownie, super soft earth of, dark, moist, rich, sweet soil, some light flinty hues, faint tobacco & leather notes, sandalwood with dark flowers and soft lavender & violets for days.

The entry is round, full, lush and juicy. Great mouthfeel. Ripe, ruby, candied with just a faint hint of baked fruits; blackberries w/ some bramble, wild, black raspberries, black plum pudding, dark, slightly baked cherries/strawberries & raspberries glass edges. Melted, dark chocolate, black licorice, softly layered baking spices, dark spice with some palate heat, dark & mid berry cola, steeped fruit tea, melted caramel, some eucalyptus notes, black tea, brownie, super soft, dark earth, limestone marl, moist, rich, sweet soil, some light flinty hues, faint tobacco & leather notes, sandalwood, moist volcanic clays with soft dark flowers, liquid lavender & violets. Round, perfect acidity. This finish is the definition of elegance, balance, structure, length, tension & and two-minute finish that lasts minutes. Perfect storage.

I expected this to be half gone and it is better this weekend vs last.

Congratulations Team USA on an excellent 2024 Olympics. Paris on being an amazing Olympic host aside from that whole toxic River Seine thing. Ladies soccer today & throughout. Shutouts 💪! Men’s B-ball delivering. What a storied career and a giant stepping up in the biggest moments is Steph Curry & LeBron James. Great watch. — 9 months ago

Peggy Hadley

9.4

Stagecoach vineyard and Sleeping Lady Vineyard with Cab Franc. Great dark fruit. Great year. — 4 years ago

with Jim