Stuart Pollack

10

What I dream about when I dream about wine. Perfect. Leather and tannins and earth and depth. Drinking at its peak now. The nose is sensational and hits as soon as the bottle is opened. The fruit is complex and dark with some bitterness. Worth its $90 price tag. — a month ago

Michael Chelus

9.3

Cherry, raspberry, eucalyptus, vanilla, cassis, mossy earth and oak. Full-bodied and soft tannins. — 4 months ago

"Odedi"

9.4

Cardinale Winery Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, California

#AgedWineTuesday

Inky in color with a short purple rim. Not showing much age.

Fruity nose of black currants, black plums, blackberries, vanilla, cedar, licorice, cola, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, spices and black pepper.

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

Dry and fruit forward on the palate with blackberries, black plums, cooked cherries, dried fruits, cedar, chocolates, figs, cola, vanilla, licorice, tobacco, herbs, spices and light earth.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and cherries.

This 17 year old Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley is still drinking beautifully. Rich and engaging. Elegant, soft and fruit forward. Beautifully balanced with a nice mouthfeel.

Needed 90 minutes in the bottle to open up properly and show great complexity, with good structure.

This gorgeous Cabernet is still drinking at its peak, but will not get better from this point on. Will continue to drink nicely in the next 7 years.

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

A blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot. Aged in all new French oak barrels for 22 months.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

94 points.

$200. — 4 months ago

Amy Forst

9.0

Happy Mother’s Day — a year ago

"Odedi"

9.1

#kosherwineSunday

This is a very tasty Cabernet Sauvignon from Israel. Feels like a Napa Cabernet.

Showing black fruits with cedar, vanilla, coffee, cola, spices, earth, chocolates and peppercorn.

Dry on the palate and fruit forward.

Full-bodied and bold with a nice mouthfeel.

Still young and needs a few years in the bottle to mature properly. Would Age nicely in the next five to seven years. Has good potential to become a 94+ wine.

Entertaining and engaging. Smooth and elegant.

Aged in French oak barrels for 18 months. Unfiltered. Kosher and Mevushal.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$53. — 4 years ago

"Odedi"

9.2

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

Dark ruby in color with a reddish, cloudy rim.

Strong nose of cooked plums, black currants, light violets, dark chocolates, spices, cedar, earth, vanilla, licorice, tobacco leaf, black coffee and black pepper.

Full bodied and bold with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate and fruity with black plums, cooked cherries, oak, vanilla, currants, tobacco, licorice, light earth, coffee, herbs and peppercorn.

Spicy finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very tasty Merlot from Israel. Fruit forward and rich. Well balanced with nice complexity, tangy and interesting.

This 4 year old is drinking very nicely now. Good right out of the bottle and better with air time. After 90 minutes, the complexity comes in, and it is showing a really beautiful nose after 3 hours of airtime.

Would be nice to revisit it in a couple of years.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with a charcuterie board of cheeses, vegetables and dried fruits.

Aged in French oak barrels for 20 months. Kosher and not Mevushal.

15.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$50. — 5 years ago

Nick DiSanto

9.4

WRW ? Love it. — a month ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.5

Strawberries, black cherries, dark chocolate and truffles. Very powerful. Apparently it is aged in 100% new oak, which is often not the best idea,but in this one it's perfectly integrated. Very long finish. — 3 months ago

Evan Roberts

9.1

Delicious and a perfect match for French food — 5 months ago

Lyn Farmer

9.6

An exquisite wine, understated and with great finesse. Luscious black fruit - cassis, black berry, black cherry, black plum, a touch of mint in the background, balanced with restrained cedar and vanilla. Opulent velvety tannins that never intrude on the fruit. Still a bit tight but there is so much here - it’s a wonderful wine that’s Napa at its heart but has Bordeaux in its soul. — 6 months ago

Josh Eichorn

9.9

A perfect wine? Perhaps. Not many Napa wines can have this kind of horsepower at 19 years old (I was always told Napa wines fall apart after 15 years). I’ve never had Screaming Eagle or Grace Family or any of the new “premier cru” wines. What I will say, though, is that I have a hard time imagining a wine being better than this. Plush, with a solid core. Very little fade. Let it breathe, but it was drinkable right out of the bottle, rich with refined tannins, so much fruit, so much pleasure. The oak is now seamless with the wine, not an addition, but a part of it. If you had told me this was a more recent vintage, I would have believed you. This was Cosentino’s top of the line and what a top it was. Age has allowed for more complexity (I did taste this when it was newly bottled) and development, but this is a young wine, still. Nothing out of place. It is one of the best wines I’ve ever tasted. Quintessential Napa, the best the valley has to offer. I forget the story of “the secret clone” but knowing what all the steps are in making great wine, having this clone was just one of the many right choices in making this. This one may outlive me. It is in its prime with no end in sight. Perfect? I’m not sure. But I’ve not had better. — 2 years ago

Heather Morren

9.0

Pretty good and didn’t make me super stuffed up. — 5 years ago

Randy Fuller

9.4

It is a medium dark wine with a savory nose, showing violets, licorice, forest floor and a touch of cardamom. The palate is spicy, with black pepper and herbs joining the black berry profile. The tannins are quite firm and the acidity is fresh. It is a youthful wine which will pair nicely with a pork roast. — 5 years ago

ESF

9.2

last had the 2020 vintage - this is just as solid! outstanding QPR as well — 2 months ago

Jeremiah Diaz

9.3

Clear, pale ruby in color; on the nose, it's clean with pronounced intensity primary aromas of hibiscus, black tea, and raspberries; on the palate, it's dry with medium acidity, low tannins, medium alcohol, medium body, and pronounced primary and secondary flavors of dried strawberries, candied cherries, and clay pots with a long finish. This wine is intense and well balanced. Overall, I rate this wine as very good. — 3 months ago

with Nellie and

Ted

9.5

Superb. Soft and Lucious. 4 years on lees. Sign me up for more. — 7 months ago

with Jeni

Lily Lee

9.0

Dark cherry chocolate and sweet undertones of figs — 3 years ago

Martijn

9.4

Fruit and chocolate and some fancy acidity. This is sit back and relax wine! Great stuff! — 5 years ago

Mark Turner

9.5

Clear purple but not opaque. Petrol, earth and tobacco on the nose. Elegant and smooth with layers of tobacco, boysenberry and led pencil with a long elegant earthy finish. Really elegant. Enjoyed it thoroughly. — 5 years ago

Ted Holland

9.3

I started keeping bees a couple of years back so couldn’t resist picking up this wine and what a treat! One of the best zinfandels I’ve enjoyed. A wine to sip and enjoy, complex and refined, grab a bottle to have with close friends! — 5 years ago