Pierre Gourinchas

9.6

A monster. Not a great year yet it easily outshone all the others. Really very impressive. — 7 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Double decanted two nights before service. The 2013 Insignia pours a deep garnet color with an opaque core; medium+ viscosity with significant staining of the tears and some signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing but still quite youthful with notes of tart and ripe dark fruit: dense brambles, purple flowers, tobacco, vanilla and baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. At 11 years of age, this remains tightly coiled and needs more time to open up and tell more of its story. All that being said, this is very good now…but to my palate, better after 2027 and through 2043. — 8 months ago

Anthony Cammarata Jr.

9.5

The 2001 Opus One is a masterful blend that truly embodies the elegance and structure of Napa Valley wines. The deep ruby color is immediately captivating, and the nose opens with rich aromas of black currant, dark cherries, and subtle hints of tobacco and cedar. On the palate, it delivers an impeccably balanced experience, with layers of ripe blackberry, plum, and a touch of dark chocolate, all interwoven with earthy undertones and a refined minerality. — 9 months ago

with Michael

Daniel P. Drake

9.0

I hope everyone had a great weekend? It was beautiful here in the Chicagoland area and it looks like fall is fast approaching. Tonight i have opened the 2019 McBride Sisters Collection Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand.

On the nose there is peach, lime, grapefruit, nectarine, white flowers and minerality.

On the palate there is lime, nectarine, white peach, grapefruit, herbs, white flowers, lemongrass and a nice minerality.

This wine is medium bodied that has a clean fresh mouthfeel and medium + acidity that leads into a long crisp citrus finish. Lets all have a great week and look forward to a wonderful new weekend ahead. Please be healthy and safe. Nostrovia! 🥂🥂🥂🥂 — 5 years ago

Shay A

9.4

Monthly WTF wine group night. Our theme was American oak vs French oak. All wines tasted blind. We started off with two bottles of bubbly and finished with two non-themed reds.

My contribution for the evening. I’m posting my previous review of this wine below as it’s been consistent the few times I’ve had it over the last 12-18 months. Love these wines!

Youthful. Icredibly perfumed with typical sweet dill and coconut American oak on the nose. Gosh, I could smell this stuff all day. Aside from needing time away, it needs roughly an hour of decanting to hit stride. Tobacco, cherry tart, and great herbal nuances on the finish. — 6 years ago

with Jack, Ryan and 4 others

MaJ CappS

9.2

My first of the big Antinori wines, and as a birthday present to myself, popped the cork this year.

A fog laden forest of chestnuts and cedar form a vapor lock around this vegetable and herb stew slowly cooking over the campfire. All of these tastes, and smells swirl in this wine. Decanted 3+ hours. Going deeper..

When a wines finish lasts for longer than 5 minutes... Wow. — 8 years ago

Louie Christensen

8.9

A smooth and easy drinking Cab with the flavor profile of a much bigger wine. Tannins are velvety, great finish but doesn't require as much chewing as some other Cabs its same age — 9 years ago

Sam Coturri

Winery Sixteen 600, Enterprise Vineyards and the Moon Mountain District

9.8

I only got a taste. But that's all it took. One of the most remarkable things I've ever had. — 10 years ago

Kelvin Woodfin

9.0

what a bargain! A great wine for the price made by TRB — 10 years ago

Joseph Moss

9.3

Gamay all day, every day! With some aging on it. Good to drink, still good to keep. — 11 years ago

Shay A

9.5

After missing a ‘70s and ‘80s Heitz vertical many years ago, I vowed to seek out a bottle as all the comments from the tasting were astoundingly positive. My last bottle of Heitz Martha’s was the ‘01 (which was great) a few years ago, but at 46yrs, this was quite the experience.

The ‘78 has a bit of a legendary status, so expectations were high. Upon opening, the cork was in good shape (sigh of relief) and the color was unbelievably dark ruby with some bricking (another sigh of relief). The singular signature menthol/eucalyptus began to fill the glass, alongside aromatics of red berry fruits, espresso, some sort of sweet brown sugar/caramel note, and a savory-graphite type note too. Beautifully elegant on the palate with more red fruit, herbs (bay leaf?), and even some pipe tobacco (subdued, not in your face), but it sports the classical old Napa cab profile that is pure. Spectacular wine, and I could simply smell the wine all day…the aromatics were so powerful the entire time.

Open in bottle for three hours and powered through the entire time. Wish I had another so I could have the same experience! — 7 months ago

Conrad Green

9.1

Honey and corn. Yellow flowers. Oak and sweetness. Decent acidity Pure. Intense. A bit much oak for my palate but quality — 9 months ago

with Jonathan, Paul and 1 other

Mike Beltran

9.1

Decanted and really opened up in little more than half an hour. 54 years and still has vitality. There’s still some fruit but it is mixed with subtle acidity and soft tannins. A delight to drink and share with friends. Our friend was given the wine and wanted to share it. We all were quite happy.👍🍷🍷 — 4 years ago

with Joe

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

It is really not fair to have their 06 after their 09. It’s good but, all you can think about is the 09.

The nose reveals, slightly stewed to cooked fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb and bright cherries. Steeped tea, limestone, licorice, dry crushed rocks, cedar, dry tobacco, soft, used leather, dry crushed rocks, dry stones, underbrush, dry stems, dry top soil, understated baking spices, light graphite, dry herbs, light, dark spice and withering red & dark florals.

The body is lean, not quite full. The structure, tension, length and and balance are just ok to good and reveal the shortcomings of the 06 vintage. slightly stewed to cooked fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb and bright cherries. Steeped tea, limestone, licorice, dry crushed rocks, cedar, dry tobacco, soft, used leather, dry crushed rocks, dry stones, underbrush, dry stems, dry top soil, understated baking spices, some v/a or bandaid, light graphite, dry herbs, light, dark spice with some heat across the palate and withering red & dark florals. The finish is nice and elegant but, lack the fullness and beauty of most really good vintage Palmer’s. It finishes with nice persistent dark spice on the long set. Just give me another taste of the 09. 😜

Photos of; Chateau Palmer, their barrel room, a photo of their vineyard soil structure-if you didn’t know where all that earthiness comes from, a picture is worth a thousand words and their tasting room. — 6 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.7

Tasted blind. Reddish tawny, translucent and old looking. Awesome nose. Notes of leather saddle, pencil lead, currants, cherry, soil, and some toasted hickory. All guessed 61 Bordeaux. This got better through the night and was at its best in the last glass. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.0

A wine from Anthony that's finally ready. Just kidding. It's the volatile acidity holding this wine together. Completely resolved tannins. Ripe lean; blackberries, dark cherries, blueberries. It's almost all fruit with just a hint of earth and minerality. Fun to drink. I always like to ask, what were you doing in 1978? Nice of Lilian Barton to model the bottle for my photo. Thank you for bringing this wine. A real treat to try. — 8 years ago

Charles von Breitenbach

9.2

All those intense tannins one associates with Silver Oak have softened into what would pass for a very nice second growth — 9 years ago

Matt Perlman

9.4

1990. Slow burn with this one--firing on all cylinders with 2 hours of air. Hits all the aged pauillac notes — 10 years ago

with evie and V

Peter Plaehn

8.9

1995 from Mag. A beast that evolved all night. — 10 years ago

Paten Hughes

9.9

My favorite :) thinking of my Olga's, Masha's & Irina :) — 12 years ago

with Kevin

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

2002 vintage. Last tasted 10.06.22 (9.4). Similar "gliding along" impressions with feminine characteristics. This bottle (nice fill, cork and decent sed) was a goody. Decanted and tasted after 5 mins, 30 mins and 2 hours. Bit more structure evident after two hours open as to be a different, yet fantastic, wine. Funny how some of these underwhelming, less than aggro wines can take on another life of their own, on their terms, by gently removing all doubt. Still another 5-7 years-easy. 11.21.24. — 7 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Served alongside beef short rib, xo sauce, pickled mustard seed, cumin stir-fried asparagus. Yes, the 2003 Dominus is big. However, it is also balanced and showing classic Napa typicity with beautifully ripe and some slightly wizened black and red fruit, tobacco, cocoa, some purple flowers and baking spices. I found this to be quite balanced after all the air it saw. Wonderful structure for continued aging as well. Drink now through 2043. — 8 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Opened several hours prior and decanted off sediment and a portion of the cork that had broke and crumbled before returning to the bottle. The 2007 “Howell Mountain” pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core and very slight rim variation. On the nose, the wine is developing with gorgeous notes of dark fruit: black currants, blackberries, tobacco, leather, earth and gentle spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and savory. This is firing on all cylinders right now and the structure suggests the power of the 2007 vintage is not slowing down anytime soon. Drink now with a decant and through 2037 with ease. — 9 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Happy 4th of July everyone.

I can’t think of many other N/V Champagnes we’d rather kick-off the long 4th of July weekend.

Happy Birthday America & Cheers! 🍾🥂 🇺🇸 🧨

Numerous notes all apply. — 5 years ago

Rob McCormish

9.5

Had two bottles of these to serve at a dinner for my daughter’s 21st birthday. They were wonderful wines, still lively and with plenty of full mouth for its 21 year age. But it also had that long finish of earth and dark cherry pit that well aged Bordeaux can have. It was enjoyed by all present. — 6 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.4

Tasted blind, from magnum. Old dark ruby color. Amber rims. Notes of black cherry, spice, earth and something like pencil lead. Ok in the mouth, refined, but lacking energy. With the meal this was enjoyable but was somewhat sleepy all night. Likely at peak and given the magnum format, it's time to drink up 750s. Guessed 62 Latour. — 7 years ago

Louie Christensen

9.4

Everything you'd expect and more. All the rich dark fruit, chocolate and lush purple flowers, but none of the sticky over-ripe flavors. So balanced. — 8 years ago

Mike Mentesana

9.6

One of the best Bordeaux I've had in years, great structure and mouth feel, well defined and deep fruit and that touch of leather we all love. Amazing bottle! — 9 years ago

Garth Hodgdon

Sommelier Bouchon

9.9

1971. All the elegance and finesse with so much beautiful bottle age. A stunner — 10 years ago

Matt Baker

10

Z-Best!!! My personal fav of all time!!!! — 10 years ago