"Odedi"

9.0

Here is my #MerlotThursday for this week. A nice one from Bordeaux.

Dark ruby in color with a short, cloudy, reddish rim.

Fruity nose of plums, cherries, licorice, oak, vanilla, spices, chocolates, cloves, herbs, graphite, earth, light vegetables and black pepper.

Full bodied and bold with medium acidity and nice legs.

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

Medium plus in finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cranberries.

This is a nice, yet young, Merlot Cabernet blend from Saint Estephe. Showing nice complexity and a great mouthfeel.

Needs a couple of hours to open up properly. Starting to show the tannins after 60 minutes of airtime. Needs 5 years in the bottle to mature, but already drinking very nicely.

Feels like a blend of left and right bank. Nice and engaging.

I paired it with cheeses, crackers and fresh fruit.

A blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kosher.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$50. — 5 days ago

"Odedi"

9.0

It’s time for some #MerlotThursday. Here is a nice one from Washington State.

Dark ruby in color with a wide brick rim.

Nose of cherries, plums, currants, strawberries, cedar, earth, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, leather and black pepper. Gorgeous nose.

Full bodied and smooth with medium plus acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with plums, cherries, strawberries, currants, vanilla, cedar, leather, chocolates, tobacco, licorice, peppercorn, spices and light vegetables.

Medium plus on the finish with soft tannins and tangy pomegranates.

This is a great Merlot from Horse Haven Hills. Nicely balanced with a tangy ending.

This 8 year old is drinking very nicely, with nice complexity and a great mouthfeel. Peaking now.

Tastes very much like a Napa Merlot. Very Nice.

Needs a couple of hours to open up properly and show the tannins.

Wine Enthusiasts 91 points.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with a cheese plate and crackers.

Aged in French oak barrels.

14.8% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$22. — a month ago

"Odedi"

9.3

Time for some #MerlotThursday. Are two better than one?

Dark ruby in color with a short purple rim. Teeth staining color.


Fruity, yet subdued, nose of blackberries, black currants, plums, vanilla, cedar, leather, chocolates, tobacco, licorice, spices, light vegetables, pencil lead and peppercorn.

Full bodied, bold and smooth, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, cooked cherries, cedar, leather, vanilla, licorice, cloves, herbs, dark chocolates, coffee, mocha, tobacco, earth and spices.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a a delicious Merlot based Bordeaux Blend from Stags Leap District in Napa Valley.

Still young and needs another 5 to 10 years of bottle time to mature, but good right out of the bottle too. Nicely balanced with nice complexity and a great mouthfeel.


Needs a few hours to open up properly and show the complexity.

Tastes more like a Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa, rather than a Merlot, which is fine with me 😃

Loved the spicy and tangy finish. Delicious and yummy.

Robert Parker 91 points.

Thank you Shelby and Bob for sharing.

A blend of 77% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit verdot.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$100. — 2 months ago

"Odedi"

9.3

It’s time for #MerlotThursday. Here is a delicious one from Napa Valley.

Dark inky in color with a short purple rim.

Strong nose of blackberries, black plums, figs, dried fruits, cooked raisins, vanilla, cedar, licorice, cloves, light vegetables, cola, earth, chocolates, tobacco, mocha and black pepper.

Full bodied and bold with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and extremely fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, vanilla, cedar, earth, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, mocha and coke.

Long finish with firm tannins and tangy cherries.


This is a delicious Merlot from Napa Valley. Big bold and beautiful.

Showing a great mouthfeel with nice complexity, once it's opened up. Intense, rich and extracted. Teeth staining color. I've had it many times and it is very consistent.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up and shows some tannins. So give it time.

I've had this vintage 6 months ago and it is showing nicer now.

Good by itself or with food. A great sipping wine.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$40. — 12 days ago

"Odedi"

9.0

It's time for #MerlotThursday. Here is a nice surprise from Washington State.

Dark ruby in color with a purplish rim.

Fruity nose of blackberries, plums, currants, vanilla, licorice, spices, light earth, tobacco, cedar, chocolates, pencil lead, black pepper and light vegetables.

Full bodied and bold with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with plums, black currants, coffee, cedar, pencil lead, peppercorn, vanilla, licorice, light vegetables and earth.

Medium finish with soft tannins and tangy cranberries.

This is a very nice Merlot from Yakima Valley in Washington State.
Showing nice complexity and a great mouthfeel.

Tastes like a Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon. A nice surprise. A Merlot for the Cabernet drinker.

Needs 90 minutes minutes to open up properly. Drinking nicely now and will be better in the next 5 years.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with Lamb chops on the BBQ. Good with cheeses too.

Thank you Wendy for sharing.

14.4% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$22. — a month ago

"Odedi"

8.7

It is Thursday, and it is time for #MerlotThursday.

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Stinky on the nose with plums, cherries, barnyard, wood, bell pepper, cloves, spices, pencil lead, smoke, black pepper and bitter vegetables.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity and nice legs.

Dry on the palate with black plums, black currants, coffee, oak, cloves, earth, vegetables, graphite, spices, bitter herbs and black pepper.

Medium minus on the finish with fine tannins and tangy strawberries.

This is a simple Merlot from California. A good everyday wine.

A little stinky, even after 90 minutes of airtime, but nicer on the palate.

A nice food wine with a tangy finish. I expected more at this price point, though. Would work well as a happy hour wine.

I paired it with Brie cheese and crackers.

14% alcohol by volume.

87 Points.

$19. — 2 months ago

"Odedi"

9.1

It's time for some #Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Here is a nice surprise from Italy.

Ruby in color with a wide reddish, cloudy rim.

Strong nose of blueberries, cherries, raspberries, red currants, oak, light vegetables, vanilla, spices, earth, beef jerky, dark coffee and light barnyard.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity and thin legs.

Dry on the palate with cherries, strawberries, red currants, oak, tobacco, vegetables, earth, light vanilla, wet leaves, green vegetables, herbs and black pepper.

Tangy finish with soft tannins and tart raspberries.

This is a very nice Super Tuscan Merlot. Showing nice complexity with a soft mouthfeel. Drinking very nicely now as a 7 year old.

Needs 3 hours to open up properly and show some tannins and complexity. After 6 hours, big tannins come in. This has many years in it still.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats and cheeses. Goes really well with the Brie cheese.

100% Merlot Grapes were aged in oak barrels for 24 months.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$40. — 19 days ago

"Odedi"

8.6

This is a nice and simple Merlot from California.

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Showing black fruits with earth, vegetables, spices, chocolates, tobacco, mocha and black pepper.

The nose resembles the palate, yet a little lighter.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Better than I expected from an inexpensive Merlot.

Found it for $4 and decided to take a shot. Not bad at all. Good enough for #MerlotThursday 😃

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

13.5% alcohol by volume.

86 points. — a month ago

"Odedi"

9.1

Today is #cabernetday so I'll have to wait with my #MerlotThursday. A nice Napa Merlot /Cabernet blend will fit in with the celebration.

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim. Not showing much age.

Nice nose of black currants, blackberries, wood, vanilla, chocolates, vinaigrette, graphite, leather, earth, wet leaves, vegetables, dark coffee, herbs, tobacco leaf and black pepper.

Full bodied and bold with medium plus acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with cherries, sweet raspberries, currants, cedar, earth, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, vegetables, vinaigrette, bitter herbs and peppercorn.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cranberries.

This Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley is interesting and tasty. Showing great complexity and mouthfeel.

This 12 year old is good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up and shows some tannins (90 minutes).

Reminds me of a 20 year old Right Bank Bordeaux.

Wine Enthusiasts 90 points.

The high alcohol is very nicely integrated by now, so watch out.

Thank you Wendy for sharing this with me.

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Organic.

14.7% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$75 (current vintage). — 2 months ago

"Odedi"

8.4

Time for #MerlotThursday. Here's one from California.

Ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Fruity nose of cherries, plums, red currants, oak, tobacco leaf, metals, vegetables, chocolates, spices and black pepper.

Medium bodied with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with black plums, cherries, wood, licorice, spices, herbs, dark chocolates, black pepper, light vegetables and pencil lead.

Short finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a simple Merlot from Sonoma County. Spicy with a light mouthfeel. A little unbalanced, but good by itself and better with food.

A nice everyday red wine, and good right out of the bottle.

Wine Enthusiasts 84 points.

A little expensive for what you get, but has a cool name and label.

I paired it with a Mashroom and Brie dip, with toasted garlic baguette.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

84 points.

$19. — 3 months ago