【Cabernet Sauvignon + Grenache + Syrah,Bordeaux and Rhone blends】
【Second growth Leoville Las Cases, a fine vintage wine from the Lion】
【Only 6,984 bottles are produced each year, and each bottle is individually numbered.】
【Wine Advocate 94 points】
【James Suckling 93 points】
ZF428 - Odyssee vin de France 2016
Special price: $330/piece
Origin: France
Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Syrah
Alcohol content: 14.5%
【Wine Advocate 94 points】
A blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Grenache, 12% Syrah, 9% Mourvèdre, 8% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2016 Odyssée has a medium to deep garnet color, charging out of the glass with bold scents of blueberry preserves, chocolate-covered cherries and blackberry pie, giving way to notions of smoked meats, blackcurrant pastilles, licorice and cracked black pepper. The full-bodied palate (14.5% alcohol) is full-on rich and seductive, delivering bags of savory-laced black and blue fruits with a gorgeous velvety texture and seamless freshness, finishing long with loads of pepper and mineral sparks. Delicious right now, it is still very youthful and primary. It should easily cellar for another 20 years or more.
【James Suckling 93 points】
Pierre Graf’s blend of Médoc and Rhône material is a thing of beauty. This has a riot of ripe red and purple-berry aromas with a wealth of fragrant, floral and cocoa-powder notes. There’s a smooth and succulent feel to the gently grainy palate that holds super fresh and seamless into the juicy finish. Polished and delicious blend of 63% cabernet sauvignon from North Medoc, 23% grenache from Rhône Valley and syrah from Rhône Valley. Drink or hold.
I believe that most of you have rarely heard of the grape combination of Cabernet Sauvignon + Grenache + Syrah. The combinations of the first 2 and the second 2 are common, and I believe that this is the only cross-regional blend of Bordeaux and Rhone! Some wine lovers will think of Palmer’s Historical XIXth Century Wine at this time, which also adds Rhone grapes, but the difference is that it only contains 15% Syrah and no Grenache. Both are produced by second-class wineries. Odyssee comes from Leoville Las Cases, but Palmer is more discussed (probably because of its top price), but at the same time the price is just as high, at least 5 times the price of Odyssee, but the scores are at the same level (Palmer: 2006 Vinous 93, 2006 RP 90, 2019 Vinous 94)!
The name of the Palmer wine also explains that this kind of cross-regional blending was actually very common in Bordeaux in the 19th century. Adding Rhone grapes was a legal and normal operation, so it seems very innovative but is actually a retro wine. I believe there is no need to introduce this super second-class winery, Leoville Las Cases. Several major wine critics have given it a full score of 100. It is one of Robert Parker's 156 greatest wineries in the world, and it is also one of the world's top 100 rare wines by Taiwan's well-known wine critic Lin Yusen. He called it one of the most stable and best in Medoc, and every vintage is close to perfect! In 2011, Pierre Graffeuille, who has a background in viticulture and enology, was hired as CEO. Odyssee is a collaboration between Pierre Graffeuille and his good friend Matthieu Dumarcher. Odyssee also means an epic journey, and the journey has just begun. The 2016 vintage, which is only the second year, has received so many high scores. Obviously, the smart ones should join as soon as possible.
The effect of this combination is well known. The tannins of Bordeaux Cabernet Sauvignon are softened by Grenache, while the traditional fruity style of Rhône shows the delicate and elegant side of Bordeaux, with good acidity, aroma of safflower, mixed fruits such as red and black bilberries and black currants, as well as aromas of slag, mint, fir, etc. It is smooth in the mouth and has the spicy stimulation of Syrah in the aftertaste. Although the level of the whole wine is not complex, the integration between the grape varieties and the producing areas is very high. Unlike other blind blends that are in name only, the direct penetration of the fruit is impressive, probably thanks to the skill of naturalist Matthieu Dumarcher. After drinking this Odyssee, I really want to try the wine produced by this winemaker in his early 40s in the Rhone River. The after taste is quite good. This wine is still young and it is estimated that there is still more room for development in the future. At that moment, I only thought of the Cabernet Sauvignon from Lion. Even the second label is not bad. Judging from the price, it is worth drinking.
