"Odedi"

9.2

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

Deep purple in color with a wide reddish rim.

Beautiful nose of sweet cherries, black plums, blueberries, Indian spices, cedar, licorice, chocolates, herbs, light earth, black pepper, tobacco and light black tea.

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

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

Long finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.

This delicious 8-year-old Merlot from Napa Valley is drinking beautifully now. Elegant and fruit forward. Soft and complex.

Needs an hour in the decanter to open up properly and show the complexity. Will continue to age nicely in the next few years.

Nicely balanced and spicy with a soft mouthfeel. I had this vintage a few times before, and it is always tasty.

Good by itself as a sipping wine, and paired nicely with the Italian beef Prosciutto.

A blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.

14.4% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$65. — 3 months ago

"Odedi"

9.2

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

Deep inky in color with a short reddish rim.

Fruity nose with black plums, black currants, blackberries, cedar, licorice, cassis, light vanilla, spices, tobacco leaf, herbs, light vegetables and chocolates.

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

Dry and fruit forward on the palate with plums, currants, oak, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, peppercorn, light earth, dark coffee and light black tea.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a delicious Merlot-based blend from Bordeaux. Complex and interesting. Fruit forward and elegant.

This 6 year old Merlot will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years. I had this vintage two years ago, and it would be nice to revisit it again in 5 years.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after an hour in the decanter.

Easy drinking and well-balanced.
The high alcohol is nicely integrated now, so watch out.

Good by itself as a sipping wine, and will also pair nicely with barbecue meats.

A blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. Kosher and not Mevushal.

15% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$50. — 8 months ago

Frank Kuo

9.4

Color of light tea. Nose is nice, full of ripe tropical fruits, mango, banana, and pineapple, ample fragrance. Taste follows the nose with addition of rind and spice, some mineral too. Less sweet than I thought. Crisper than I thought. Aftertaste of some more green apple, clean, medium long. Nice and refreshing. — 3 years ago

"Odedi"

9.4

It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish/brick rim.

Fruity nose with blackberries, black plums, dried figs, cedar, vanilla, licorice, tobacco, chocolates, spices, herbs, light eucalyptus, light earth, black tea and black pepper.

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

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, toast, light vanilla, licorice, light herbs, spices, light earth, chocolates, tobacco, peppercorn, coffee and cola.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a gorgeous Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Napa valley. Rich and extracted. Fruit forward and complex. Well balanced and elegant.

An iconic wine that still needs more time in the bottle to mature properly. Although it is 9 years old, it still feels very young. Will continue to age nicely in the next 25 years. This Single Vineyard is showing great potential.

Good right out of the bottle, and so much better after 3 hours of decanting.

Wine Advocate 98 points. Wine Spectator 96 points.

A great sipping wine that will also pair nicely with a big piece of steak.

14.8% alcohol by volume.

94 points.

$750. — 3 months ago

"Odedi"

9.2

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Full bodied, smooth and soft, with medium acidity.

Showing black fruits with cedar, licorice, light vanilla, tobacco, black pepper, dark chocolates and light herbs.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a really nice Cabernet Sauvignon from Atlas Peak in Napa Valley. Fruit forward and spicy. Rich and elegant.

Still very young, but already delicious. A good quality wine that will continue to improve in the next 10 years.

Tangy and entertaining with nice complexity. A good sipping wine.

Nicely balanced and good by itself or with food. Will pair nicely with a nice piece of steak.

A blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot. Aged in (40% new) American and French oak barrels for 15 months. Only 900 bottles made.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$80. — a year ago

Vino Joe

9.7

Sharp. Gripping. Nuanced and powerful. Lots of acid and minerality mixed with rich pear light fruit touches. Full mouthfeel and a long finish. Fantastic vintage. — 2 years ago

"Odedi"

9.2

It’s time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Here's a delicious one from Saint Emilion.

Dark ruby in color with a short purple rim.

Fruity nose of blackcurrants, black plums, vanilla, dark coffee, oak, chocolates, fresh herbs, tobacco leaf, light black tea and black pepper.

Full-bodied and soft with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, earth, vanilla, licorice, spices, peppercorn, tobacco, chocolates and dark coffee.

Nice length on the finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very tasty Merlot based red blend from Bordeaux. Showing nice complexity with a nice mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle and better after 2 hours of airtime.

I had it a year ago, and it is drinking much better now. Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.

Tasty and spicy. Rich and elegant.

I paired it with a Charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

A blend of 68% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged in French oak barrels (30% new).

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$50. — 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. — 6 months 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. — 8 months ago

"Odedi"

9.4

It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Deep purple in color with a short purplish rim.

Beautiful nose with lots of chocolates and light earth notes.

Full-bodied and elegant with medium acidity.

Dry and very fruity on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing black currants, cooked plums, cedar, tobacco, vanilla, dried figs, raisins, licorice, light earth, peppercorn, cola, spices and dark chocolates.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and crushed peppercorn.

This is a gorgeous Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley. Big and bold. Spicy and tangy. Showing nice complexity at this point.

This 6 year old is drinking beautifully now. Rich yet elegant. Extracted and easy drinking. Well balanced and really delicious.

A beautiful surprise. I had the 2016 a few years ago, and this is drinking much better now. I did not expect it from the 2017 vintage.

Thank you Mike for sharing this with me.

Good right out of the bottle, and good by itself as a sipping wine. Robert Parker 93 points.

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

15.2% alcohol by volume.

94 points.

$110. — a year ago