Dark inky in color with a short purplish rim. Not showing age at all.
Full bodied with medium acidity.
Dry and very fruity on the palate with nice complexity and mouthfeel.
Showing black currants, cooked black plums, cedar, licorice, chocolates, dark coffee, pencil lead, vanilla, earth, tobacco leaf, herbs and peppercorn.
This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from Alexander valley. Elegant and smooth. Fruit forward, rich and extracted.
This 10 year old Single Vineyard is peaking now.
Wine Enthusiasts 93 points. Robert Parker 94 points.
100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were aged in French oak barrels for 26 months.
14.7% alcohol by volume.
93 points.
$90. — 2 years ago
7/10/2021: Really good blackberry wine — 4 years ago
7/10/2021: Really good. — 4 years ago
What were you doing in 1970? It’s what I always think of when I have a very elderly wine. It also is the question I ask friends I share older wine.
Some 1970 highlights. The number one song was Simon & Garfunkel’s, “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” The President of the United States was Richard M Nixon and one of the kindest friends I have known was born. Last but not least, the Napa Valley was just beginning to rise. Louis Martini was one of those pioneers!
This bottle has survived & flourished over those 55 years and is a fine piece of history.
Many would say this is past its prime and they wouldn’t necessarily be wrong. But I am one who appreciates wine on its still solid downslope. While on its decent, this bottling still shows nice fruit, complexity and elegance that just can’t be mistaken for good young wine w/ a long decant.
The nose shows a fig & date quality. Older, brambly; blackberries, black raspberry reduction, sweet & sour cherries, that slide into liquor, baked rhubarb, slightly overripe strawberries. Soft sandalwood w/ dry cedar tones, undertones of rusted metal, dry soil & crushed limestone, vanillin, very dry twig, old, slightly used tobacco, reminisce of dark spices, tomato leaf, sun tea, dry & withering dark & red flowers, understated violets w/ a sprinkle of potpourri.
The palate is still fresh & ripe; older, brambly, blackberries, black raspberry reduction, sweet & sour cherries that slide into liquor, baked rhubarb, slightly overripe strawberries, figs & dates. Soft sandalwood w/ dry cedar tones, undertones of rusted metal, dusty top soil & limestone gravel, dry river stone, crumbled, grey volcanics, cherry cola, vanillin, nutmeg, cinnamon stick, clove, very dry twig, old, slightly used tobacco, dark spices still w/ soft but impactful palate backbone, tomato leaf, sweetened sun tea w/ a spritz of lemon, dry & withering dark & red flowers, understated violets w/ a sprinkle of potpourri, excellent rainfall acidity with an elegant, round, balanced, well knitted, still tensioned, polished finish that falls on sandalwood, earth and spice that lasts 90 seconds.
12% ABV which I have said many times is my strong preference like w/ all amazing Clarets. I wish it had never changed. 92 on the wine, but a perfect 10 on the history scale. — a month ago
7/10/2021: Not my favorite from this winery but still good. Blueberry. — 4 years ago
7/10/2021: Really good. Said it was peach, pear and orange but it tastes like raspberry to me! — 4 years ago
We were inspired to learn more about this producer – David & Nadia Sadie – a husband and wife team! 💕💕@davidandnadia
Their portfolio of delicious wines hails from the Swartland District of South Africa, often featuring Southern Rhône varieties, which are well-adapted to the sun-drenched, arid climate of Swartland. 🇿🇦 The climate naturally supports their dry and organic farming practices, both considered factors in growing quality fruit (e.g., lower yields, more concentrated berries), while also being environmentally conscientious. 🍇
This particular wine – Elpidios 2019 – is made with a blend of 38% Grenache Noir, 36% Syrah, 10% Pinotage, 9% Carignan & 7% Cinsault. Not only is it a blend of varieties, but also a blend of fermentation and maturation techniques, using some vessels made of concrete, others made of neutral oak (variable sizes), offering balance, depth, and texture (not oakiness). 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻
In the winery, they prefer a lower intervention approach with all of these aforementioned choices designed to promote an unadulterated, pure expression from the vineyard sites and soil types that bore their fruit.🌱🌱
Before serving, we gave this medium-bodied, ruby-hued wine a slight chill; as it warms up, layered aromas and flavors emerge from the glass offering notes of ripe black cherry, blackberry bramble, boysenberry, raspberry, red plum, red cherry, rose, black licorice, anise seed, clove, cardamom, leather, delicate peppery and cured meat, next to wet earth. 🍷🍷
This wine gracefully balances savory and sweet characteristics, with refreshing acidity that adds lift and creates tension with the juicy, ripe fruit notes.💯💯
David & Nadia, Elpidios, Swartland (2019). ABV 14%.
Cheers to wines that offer a bridge to another place and time.
Thanks again to @dutch_wine_apprentice for first introducing us to this producer. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🇿🇦🇿🇦
#davidnnadia # — 2 years ago
Pleasant cab…not sure that any wine is currently being made under this label. Recommended by a friend who shared this bottle and gave me another. He thinks he paid $10-12 at a close out sale. — 2 years ago
7/10/2021: Also not my favorite from this winery but still good. Blueberry and blackberry. — 4 years ago
Thomas Asa Rollins
Bay Bridge has really entered the upper echelon of the California Valley vineyards with this one. The light notes combined with bold taste sends you on a journey back to the Chino Hills. There’s nothing I can say that trying this 2024 vintage can’t do 10 times better. Highly recommend!! — a month ago