"Odedi"

9.2

#MerlotThursday

Deep ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Strong nose of blackberries, black currants, cooked cherries, cedar, licorice, vanilla, peppercorn, spices, dark coffee, espresso, tobacco, light alcohol and cinnamon.

Full-bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and very fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cherries, oak, vanilla, light vegetables, licorice, peppercorn, light earth, coffee, dark chocolates, coke, tobacco and spices.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

This young Napa red blend is already drinking very nicely. Tasty with lots of coffee notes. Smells like walking into a coffee shop. Loved that.

Needs time to open up properly, I gave it 90 minutes, but longer would be suggested.

Nicely balanced, although a little rigid right now. Showing nice complexity with a nice mouthfeel. Loved smelling on it for a long time.

A good wine to pair with a big piece of steak, but good all by itself as well.

Still young with potential to be even better in the next 5 to 10 years. I had the 2013 recently, and it showed so well, so be patient with this 2 year old.

Spicy, tasty, delicious and interesting.

A blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 7% Syrah and 2% Petit verdot.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$50. — 5 hours ago

"Odedi"

9.1

#MerlotThursday.

Dark inky in color with a short reddish rim.

Nice fruity nose of black cherries, blueberries, blackberries, vanilla, chocolates, coffee, light earth, tobacco, spices and peppercorn.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity and nice legs.

Dry on the palate with black plums, black cherries, blueberries, oak, light vanilla, Indian spices, licorice, coffee, herbs, peppercorn, earth, graphite, dark coffee, dark chocolates, coke and tobacco.

Long tangy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cranberries.

This is a very nice Merlot from Napa Valley. Soft, smooth and tangy. Elegant with a nice mouthfeel. Well made with nice balance and complexity.

Easy drinking and good by itself or with food.

This six-year-old from a good vintage in Napa would be better in the next 5 to 7 years.

This is not the big Napa red one might expect, but rather elegant, with a lighter mouthfeel.

Needs time to open up properly. I gave it 3 hours. After 4 hours of airtime it became very spicy. Interesting to see. I'd love to check it again in 3 years.

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

A blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged in 100% French oak barrels for 22 months. A small production of only 180 cases.

14.2% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$110. — a month ago

"Odedi"

9.2

Time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Here's a delicious one from Israel.

Inky in color with a short reddish/brick rim.

Fruity nose with blackberries, blueberries, black plums, cooked cherries, vanilla, light cedar, spices, cola, tobacco leaf, black tea, alcohol, coffee, milk chocolates, light herbs and black pepper.

Full bodied and bold with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with cooked plums, black currants, coffee, cedar, vanilla, spices, earth, milk chocolates, tobacco, peppercorn and light vinaigrette.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a wonderful Merlot blend from Israel. Showing nice complexity and well balanced with a great mouthfeel. Really enjoyed the nose here, even after a few minutes out of the bottle.

This four year old is already yummy right out of the bottle, but better after a couple of hours in a decanter.

I've had this before, and this time I decided to give it a slight chill, and boy it was delicious.

Nice buttery mouthfeel, even looks buttery when poured. Drinking very nicely now.

Very tasty and fruit forward. Dark, extracted and rich. Feels like a Napa Bordeaux blend.

A blend of 42% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 12% Petit verdot and 26% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged for 18 months in French Oak barrels. Unfiltered and Kosher. Mevushal.

15.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$65. — 3 months ago

"Odedi"

9.0

For this week's #MerlotThursday I opened a very nice red blend from California. Merlot is not the dominant grape here, but it works for me 😉


Pretty color of purple with a purplish rim.

Fruity nose of blueberries, black plums, black currants, vanilla, cedar, licorice, Indian spices, dark coffee, light tobacco, pencil lead and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with currants, black cherries, blueberries, wood, cloves, vanilla, spices, espresso, dark chocolates, peppercorn, leather and tobacco.

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

This is a very young red blend from Napa Valley, and it is already tasty. Nicely balanced with a soft mouthfeel.

Easy drinking, light and airy. Tangy and interesting. Good by itself or with food. I gave it an hour to open up.

Showing good potential, and would benefit from 3 to 5 years in the bottle to further mature and get more complex.

This Non Vintage was bottled in 2019.

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

A blend of 20% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc, 14% Syrah, 5% Petite Verdot and 1% Malbec. Aged in (30% New) French oak barrels. A small production of only 180 cases.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$52. — 7 days ago

"Odedi"

9.0

Time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Here is a tasty one from Virginia.

Dark ruby in color with a nice reddish rim.

Fruity nose with blueberries, currants, bing cherries, honeysuckle, light oak, red candy, spices, dark coffee, vanilla, dark chocolates, light vegetables and black pepper.

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

Dry on the palate with cherries, sweet strawberries, black currants, light wood, spices, black pepper, earth, bitter herbs and tobacco leaf.

Medium plus in finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very interesting wine from Virginia. A nice Bordeaux blend that warrants food, although pretty nice by itself too. Tangy and soft, with a nice mouthfeel and mild complexity.

Needs 30 minutes to open up properly, but so much nicer after 90 minutes in a decanter, when it really comes together.

Could be mistaken for a California Bordeaux blend, except for the honeysuckle nose, that i usually find in wines from the Southeast of the US.

Nice and engaging with lively acidity and a tangy finish.

Would be nice to see how it ages in the next 5 years.

I enjoyed it with Brie cheese.

A blend of 41% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc, 23% petit verdot, and 4% Malbec.

13.6% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$38. — a month ago

"Odedi"

8.9

Time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.

Ruby in color with wide reddish/ brick rim.

Pretty nose with blueberries, plums, red currants, spices, wet leaves, oak, tobacco leaf, pencil lead, earth, black tea, thyme, light vinaigrette and black pepper. Very aromatic.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with plums, blueberries, cranberries, currants, oak, tobacco, earth, bitter herbs, spices, wet leaves, coffee, cola, pencil lead, black tea and black pepper.

Medium plus on the finish with fine grained tannins and tangy pomegranates.

This young Merlot based Bordeaux is starting to show its potential. From a great vintage, and still has a lot of room to grow. A good quality wine.

The nose is already beautiful and I loved smelling on it for a while.

Needs a couple of hours to open up properly. Would be nice to revisit it in 5 years. Still young and tight.

Still a bit unbalanced and better with food right now. I paired it with Brie cheese, olives and crackers.

A blend of 65% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot. Kosher.

14% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$50. — 2 months ago

"Odedi"

8.8

This week's #MerlotThursday is a nice Bordeaux blend from Virginia.

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

On the nose blueberries, cherries, black currants, strawberries, earth, wood, licorice, vanilla, tobacco, light vegetables and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with cherries, blueberries, raspberries, wood, licorice, earth, spices, peppercorn, leather, tobacco and dark coffee.

Medium finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cranberries.

This is a nice Merlot from Virginia. Showing a soft mouthfeel. Tangy with lots of red fruits and spices. A nice food wine. Light, bright and airy.

I enjoyed their Mountain Plain Merlot better. Would be interesting to see how this develops in the next couple of years.

A good everyday wine. For some reason it has an Italian red wine feel.

Needed an hour of airtime to blow off some of the acidity.

I paired it with cheeses and light appetizers, but would pair very nicely with Pepperoni pizza.

A blend of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Aged for 16 months in French Oak barrels (30% new).

12.8% alcohol by volume.

88 points.

$28. — 14 days ago

"Odedi"

9.1

King Family Vineyards Mountain Plains 2015, Virginia

Time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Here's a delicious one from Virginia.

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

Fruity nose of blueberries, black plums, black currants, vanilla, oak, licorice, chocolates, earth, coffee, diet cola, light vinaigrette, herbs and peppercorn.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity and long legs.

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

Tangy finish with soft tannins and tangy cherries.

This 5 year old Bordeaux blend from Virginia is very tasty. Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel and a tangy finish. Soft, gentle and fruit forward. A good quality wine.

I have had the 2016 not too long ago and this 2015 vintage has more of an old-world feel, especially after letting it open up for a while.

Good by itself or with food and needs an hour to open up. Only after 3 hours of airtime, tannins show up and bring in more structure. So be patient.

Very tasty and interesting.

I paired it with cheeses and olives.

A blend of 40% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc and 20% Petit verdot. A small production of only 2,928 bottles. Numbered. This is bottle 2,062.

14% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$70. — a month ago

"Odedi"

9.2

It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Here is a beautiful one from Virginia.

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Nose of blueberries, blackberries, blackcurrants, wood, licorice, tobacco, dark chocolates, peppercorn and light alcohol.

Full bodied, smooth, buttery and gentle, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with plums, black currants, coffee, oak, spices, light vanilla, tobacco, peppercorn, earth, thyme, espresso, herbs, light vinaigrette and pencil lead.

Medium plus in length on the finish with fine grained tannins and cherries.

This is a delicious red blend from Virginia. Showing nice complexity with a great, soft mouthfeel.

Very tasty now, and will be in the next few years. I gave it a couple of hours to open up, but 30 minutes was actually enough.

I loved the tannin structure, gave it such a nice mouthfeel.

If I had to guess it blind, I would have said Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon.

Good by itself or with food. I had it all by itself. Delicious.

A blend of 36% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc and 29% Petit verdot. A small production of only 2,100 numbered bottles. This is #401.

14.3% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$70. — 2 months ago

"Odedi"

9.2

#MERLOTTHURSDAY

This Napa red blend is always enjoyable. Showing black fruits with wood, vanilla, chocolates, tobacco, spices, peppercorn, coffee and mocha.

Dry on the palate, big, bold and very fruity, with a teeth staining color.

A good pop and pour kind of wine, and gets better as it opens up (2 hours).

This 3 year old is showing mild complexity and a great mouthfeel. Still young and needs 5 years in the bottle to mature properly and show more complexity.

A blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. Aged for 17 months in French oak barrels.

14.8% alcohol by volume .

92 points.

$35. — 3 months ago