You’ll find some very unique wines among this week’s highlights of the 250 we tasted, with James rating a number of the history-steeped Rioja wines from Lopez de Heredia highly, as well as the latest release Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Georges de Latour Private Reserve 2017. And I tasted the newest releases from Sami-Odi, one of the Barossa Valley’s brightest new cult producers, which are absolutely their best wines to date.
The Sami-Odi Shiraz Barossa Valley Hoffmann Dallwitz 2018 (99 points) is our highest rated wine this week. This is a uniquely modern take on the powerful shiraz of the Ebenezer district of South Australia’s Barossa Valley with “essence-like purity and depth on the nose” as well as very clearly defined tannins carrying immense depth of flavor. It is such a bold statement and yet so resolved already and will drink well for two decades.
Sami-Odi’s Little Wine #9 NV (96 points) is a blend of shiraz from 2019 (42%), 2018 (37%), 2017 (13%), 2016 (4%) & 2015 (4%) and is a Beaujolais-inspired rendition of fresh but deeply flavored Barossa shiraz. Completely unique. The aromas of “deep black fruit …as well as darker notes of stone, tar and iodine” are youthful yet complex and the palate is already balanced and drinkable.
Joining a number of highly rated Eden Valley rieslings in our recent Barossa Tasting Report, the Tom Foolery Riesling Eden Valley Cut & Run 2020 (96 points) is another example of gossamer fine yet very intensely flavored riesling from Eden Valley in 2020. This shows all the “attractive, lemon and lime … a gently peachy edge” and a “pure drive of acidity and succulent fruit presence” on the palate. Drink or age this.
The highest rated wine in a series from López de Heredia tasted this week is the Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia White 2001 (98 points). James noted the “wonderful aromas of almonds, nougat, dried peaches and vanilla bean” that follow through to “a dense palate of ripe fruit and amazing, unique vanilla cream.” These wines are unique, complex and well-aged and a “historical taste of Rioja that every wine lover should try.”
Two younger vintages of this same wine both rated 97 points too. James described the 2008 as a fresh example of “pristine, classic Rioja with vanilla, lanolin, sea salt, light blanched almond and nougat.” The 2009 vintage is “unique” and showed “intense aromas of cooked lemon, dried apple, light vanilla and stone with some waxy and lanolin character” that has a “dense, layered palate with beautiful fruit, nougat and meringue at the finish.”
Another highly rated young white Rioja, the Granja de Nuestra Señora de Remelluri Rioja Blanco 2017 (98 points) is “Rioja’s answer to grand cru Burgundy” with "dried-apple, peach, stone and mineral aromas and flavors” in a layered and full-bodied style that is both bright and complex and has “seamless texture.”
