April 14, 2024 - raspberry blueberry notes. tarragon. seemed to be within drinking window.
December 24, 2020 - One of my favorite RdV vintages, the 2010 Rendezvous is lush with dark fruit, plum, and earthy finish. Seems to be holding up well so drink now or within next few years.
August 6, 2020 - 2010 Rendezvous has fully matured and tastes much better than the 2012 vintage. It has a sweet/floral overtone and opened over 24 hours+ nicely with surprising depth and resilience. Impressive!
July 16, 2020 - We pulled the RdV for a virtual tasting featuring both the winemaker, Joshua Grainer, owner, Rutger de Vink, and mentor, Jim Law. I just wanted to see Jim more than anything else. Both wines were excellent, but the RdV edged out the Octagon. Nevertheless, the RdV lacked balance and begins to tire the palate. The Octagon, while good, lacks the heft and satisfaction of the RdV. Both deliver sweet cherry, graphite, and rosemary. Chocolate on the finish of both wines. No pine resin in either. The Rendezvous is Merlot and Cabernet Franc while the Octagon is Merlot centric with Cab. Franc and likely some Cab. Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot. Some sediment. 14.9% alc. for the RdV as the Octagon clocks in at14.3% alc. With beef of some sort, but just don’t recall. Both wines are Highly Recommended.
September 4, 2019 - This is drinking extremely well right now. Way better than I was expecting. In balance. A little musty on the end. My recollection is this wine is merlot based, which may explain why it is drinking so well. Didn't have the green or underripe notes that plague VA CS based wines. Merlot seems to overall do better in VA than CS, but it seems like VA winemakers more heavily use CS. It's a Prestige Grape.
November 8, 2018 - Best Virginia wine I've ever had. By far.
August 4, 2018 - Drinking very well. Rich dark fruit and soft integrated tannins.
March 23, 2017 - WOW not a Virginia wine
May 22, 2015 - A decent Bordeaux blend. Impressive considering it's from Virginia. Excellent texture and flavor profile. Finish is a bid sweet and acidic. Could easily stand in for a California Cabernet.
April 25, 2014 - Compared blind with the Boswell 2003 (an off bottle) & 2004 with the Smileys. This wine took a split win shared with the Boswell 2004. The Smileys preferred this wine to the 2004 while DDB and I took the opposite view. But the decision was close and not easy. This fooled most people who thought it was a Cali Cab. For me, it lacked the depth and polish of the 2004 Boswell, yet it showed quite well. Sometime in spring or summer of 2014. With burgers.