92pts The Wine Advocate– 2014 vintage

FOR THE 2014 VINTAGE
The 2014 Rendezvous, the Right Bank version of a Bordeaux blend, is a blend of 42% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc and 15% Petit Verdot, aged for 22 months in 60% new French oak. It comes in at 14.3% alcohol. Few in Virginia are producing Bordeaux blends that have this quality of fruit. The intensity of flavor, while keeping the mid-palate finesse, is impressive. It finishes with complex nuances, including a touch of herbs and lead. The team at RdV said the 2014s are closed down, but the flavors seemed rather expressive and exuberant to me, adding some cherries and cassis. There is that purity and clarity to the expression of fruit. This doesn’t have the concentration of the 2015, but it is far more appealing right now—although not quite ready. The tannins are controlled but real. This is beautiful, and it will age well.

93Pts The Wine Advocate– 2015 vintage

FOR THE 2015 VINTAGE:
The 2015 Rendezvous is a blend of 45% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Petit Verdot and 11% Cabernet Franc, aged for 22 months in 40% used French oak. It comes in at 14.3% alcohol. This opens soft, seductive and fresh, but it shows more intensity with time. As it sits and expands in the glass, the brilliant structure comes out and through. The concentration is subtle because the wine has finesse, but there is plenty. It coats the palate to prove it. It’s terrific. The longer it sat, the more interesting it became. I do think the Lost Mountain 2015 is better—I generally think that, which is odd in Virginia, where Cabernet Sauvignon is the more difficult grape—but RdV’s attention to terroir has paid dividends. This subtler red isn’t too far behind this year—and, hey, it’s $50 cheaper.