"Odedi"

9.1

Notre Vue Estate Balverne Forever Wild Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, Sonoma County, California

Ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked strawberries, spices, cedar, cloves, vanilla, leather, chocolates, tobacco, licorice, herbs, light alcohol, peppercorn and dark coffee.

Medium finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County. Fruit forward, rich and elegant.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after an hour in the decanter, when tannins show up. Really worth the wait.

Loved the chocolaty nose.

Still young and will age nicely in the next 5 to 7 years.

Good by itself or with food, and will pair nicely with a big piece of steak.

A blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 9% Malbec and 3% Cabernet Franc. Aged for 18 months in oak barrels. A small production of only 504 cases.

14.3% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$48. — a year ago

Antoine Cauchard

9.0

Bière surprenante, on s'attend en bouche et au vue de la couleur à une IPA et en fait non une lager au goût fruité et tout en légèreté. Quelques notes boisé et un petit arrière-goût d'agrume — 8 years ago

J Chisholm

10

Being previously acquainted with most of Herr Reisetbauer's handiwork, on first sticking in my snout and taking a lick I was disappointed and confused. This doesn't taste like a berry in a bottle! This smells of dry musty leaves, and sun on black earth, and, well musty in a nice way, and... earthy in a wholesome way, and, now that you mention it, it's almost like the smell of wading head-first into a sun-baked raspberry bramble- and then all at once you're in over your head, it's in your head, around your head, through your head- every last nuance of the most perfect, sunny, dusty handful of raspberries you've ripped from the thorns and smashed in your mouth. He hasn't put a berry in a bottle, he's put a halcyon dream of the perfect day spent picking raspberries in a bottle. Clearly the man is a wizard. — 9 years ago

Everett Waltrip

9.6

2012 vintage, opens with roasted peppers and dark fruit, dark earthy tones and briary tones. After some air it reveals more dark fruit, plums and black cherry, tannins are quite gripping, all natural tannins not wood tannins from oak. After a few hours the fruit has more presence, still shows a bell pepper tone on the nose followed by gobs of dark fruit and sun exposed earth. Some herbaceous notes intermingled with forest floor. Could age longer or drink now, all up to the drinker I suppose. I like the balance of fruit, earth, herbaceous tones followed by the grit of the tannins. No sediment when I got to the bottom of the bottle. It was a crowd pleaser and in a blind tasting people were stumped when it was revealed. They all thought it could have been an Italian Cabernet from a cooler climate region. Would definitely recommend, great quality and beats out almost anything in the same price bracket from other producers, foreign or domestic. — 3 years ago

David Valenti

9.2

Mocha, tobacco, cocoa with hints of cedar, sandalwood. Thick but round - a little dry - tannins on the palate. Pinch of bitterness on the tip of the tongue. Super good balance. — 7 years ago

Daniel P. Drake

9.4

As you know if you have followed me I am very partial to the Cabernet Franc grape as long as it is made well as it is in the Loire Valley my favorite place for Cabernet Franc. I was in one of the stores I frequent here in Chicago and ran across this gem. From what I understand this is the inaugural vintage of this wine that comes from Paso Robles, CA and the grapes come from the Templeton Gap AVA. There are only 125 case that were produced and I will be calling the store in Chicago to see if they have more available. The winemaker is Tyler Elwell and this new winery specializes in Cabernet Franc. On the nose I get fresh red fruit, strawberry, red plum, green bell pepper, and roasted jalapeño.

On the palate is very bright and juicy red fruit, sweet strawberries, red raspberry, bell peppers and vegetal notes that I love in my cab francs along with a nice minerality.

There is medium + acidity, medium + tannins with a good long finish. What a wonderful find and I hope to have more in the future. At this young age to be drinking like it is is fantastic. I can just imagine what it will be like with a few more years in bottle. Nostrovia! — 9 years ago

Doobie Fontaine

9.0

Full, fruit bodied, cloudy, but balanced by the nice gris freshness and acidity. Tannic on the finish 👌🏽 — 4 years ago

Daniel M

9.0

Pear on the nose and a cider thing that makes me think that it could benefit from some air before tasting. After a while the nose gets significantly better with white flowers, pear again, white pepper, lime. Wow. The palate is very wide and all velvety with a crisp due to its acid backbone. Pear again on the finish that lasts for ever. It complemented perfectly a seabass along with peas, aspargus, carrots and eggplant. Let it breathe ! — 6 years ago

with Jb

Alejandro Lopez

9.6

Dried cherries and tobacco take the lead on a wine that is precisely handcraft to perfection. Ready to drink now but highlights potential for further ageing. — 8 years ago

Martin Frowde

8.9

Light sparkling straw colour with a faint nutty bouquet. A hint of oil on the texture whilst the taste is lightly creamy and nutty, almost of sweetcorn with "tropical fruit salad" notes as others have flagged. Also some wood which adds an almost burnt / smoky tinge. Probably not the best vintage but not bad at all - this wine holds a number of memories for my father and myself on a trip to San Sebastián so perhaps comparisons to those prior halcyon days are always going to prove a difficult match. Special mention to the striking label design. Would go very well with paella, etc — 9 years ago