Jan A

9.5

Really looked forward to this one, but a little bit too rich to warrant higher score. Missing the acidity/tension a bit.
Edit: and it was served too warm.. — a year ago

Willem Booij

9.4

Kickoff moment of our 35th marriage celebration. I love the pure and elegant but also rich style of this champagne. — 5 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.5

Last night in MT at the lake. Gave this several hours of air. Nice dark tawny color. Vibrant in the glass. The nose is great right away and stayed on point through the evening. Notes of black cherries, warm raspberries, old cedar, some plums and a little leather saddle. Rich and silky in the mouth. Velvet glove. Long finish. Great wine. — 7 years ago

LM Segal

9.1

Very good but not great Tig; younger than it should’ve been, rich. — 8 years ago

Daniel P. Drake

9.4

Welcome to Easter weekend and lets start the weekend off right with a wonderful Bordeaux Blend from Andrew Will, the 2011 Champoux Vinyard continues to impress. This is a right bank blend of 54% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon.

The nose is beautifully expressive with notes of blackberry, black cherry, black currants, tobacco, licorice, chocolate, herbal notes, spice, violets and fresh tilled soil.

On the palate there is well balanced notes of black cherry, blackberry, black currant, green bell pepper that I love oh so much, chocolate, graphite shavings, and floral notes.

This is a full bodied wine with medium + acidity and firm outstanding gripping tannins. This wine does not disappoint.

Everyone have a great Easter weekend and please take thing easy, be safe. Nostrovia! 🍷🍷🍷🍷 — 9 years ago

Jim Wagonfeld

9.3

Deep dark black 🍒 in color with no bricking. Potent nose dark fruit, earth, leather and mushroom. Dense fruit flavors with hint of olive. Smooth tannins. Elegant, persistence on the finish. Very fresh and vibrant. In a great drinking window. Makes the price of perfect storage worthwhile. @Andrew Schirmer there is more for you! — 10 years ago

with Judy

Robert Cunningham

Wine Educator DeVinimus, Wine Workshop

9.2

Very nice with rich spicy fruit — 10 years ago

Kevin Simback

9.1

Still showing a tad too much new oak but well structured and loads of fruit — 11 years ago

Austin Baird

9.3

Highly enjoyed this half bottle! Full bodies, rich, subtle notes of berry and chocolates! — 12 years ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.4

The first couple times I tried 08 I was definitely too quick to judge. It needs a ton of air, and it’s different from the rich, oxidative, nutty house style of the past, particularly the warm and ultra forward 2006, the previous release. 2008 is indeed young, tightly wound with a pulsating core of energy.

The first glass offers very little. Subdued, austere and youthfully reserved. But ensuing pours eventually unleash its core of powerful clean orchard fruit, coffee bean and grilled nuts. On the palate it continues to become so much more textural with crazy gains in weight, depth and fruit intensity as the night goes on. It really fills the mouth, saturating the palate with a satin-like texture, ripping citrusy acids and saline laced minerals that follow deep into its finish. Enjoyable now with enough air (needs 2 hours), but no doubt one to hold. To live forever. — 3 years ago

Greg Gosselin

9.1

2017 is fab. Great QPR. Intense with backbone. Give it a few more years. it doesn’t get much better at this price-point. — 6 years ago

Adam Beasley

9.6

Rich, weighty, complex and appropriately delicious. Tasted along with a few NV Champs, this was simply another thing all together. Brioche, apricot,salted lemon, and a ton of other flavors are so vivid. — 7 years ago

Andrea Watt

9.1

Smooth, rich cherry and smoke. — 8 years ago

Matt Brock

9.3

Brought out the good stuff for V-Day. Aerated and decanted this bottle of beast for over an hour. Intensely rich fruit, rounded out by tannins that have clearly softened given the age of this wine. So rare to experience a bottle of this magnitude. The first few sips have been absolute heaven, and the balance will surely get better. — 9 years ago

with Jennifer

Matt Gaydos

9.5

Rich and creamy. Great yellow color. Fruity, vanilla oak smell. Layered flavors. Vanilla, buttery, soft spice as it finishes. — 10 years ago

Pierre Arneaux

9.2

Wow. More flavor, much better than their regular cab. Silky, velvet, smooth. Chocolate. Rich fruit. Big, full flavor, lots of flavor. Not old world style for sure, not subtle. It's a big bomb. We would pay up to $75 for this so a bit overpriced to us.
— 10 years ago

Marie Stitt

Sales & Marketing Grassroots Wine Wholesalers

9.0

1988 out of magnum Xmas -- on point. Rich but acidity still very present — 11 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.5

1998 vintage. Earthy and roasted almond. Ripe lemon rind. Full bodied. Rich mouth feel. Mocha. Acidity not overbearing - touch light? Long concentrated finish. Excellent — 11 years ago

Z

9.9

Rich berry fruit with layers of Christmas spices and tobacco. Pretty damn close to perfection! — 13 years ago

Paul J

9.4

1hr plus decant. Dark red color. Cassis and dark fruit on the palate. Very sweet, like candy in a glass. Huge depth. Different style than most Napa Cabs but who doesn’t like candy! — 4 years ago

with Brooke and Geoff

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Been awhile since I pulled out an Insigna.

The 03 Pichon Lalande is the better wine and steak pairing. However, Napa Cabernet is the choice to finish steak and enjoy on its own after. You never want to do Napa before Bordeaux IMHO. It’s much harder to adjust from sweeter to something more earthy.

Enjoyed the 05 as my score reflects. I don’t remember it being as sweet as it was in previous tastings. Still quite good. It just tipped my sweet scale a little too much.

The body is, rich, lush & round. It’s achieved good evolution after 13 years in bottle and will continue to improve over the next 6-8 years and last another 15 years. As I mentioned, the fruit was ripe & sweet. Blackberries, black plum, black raspberries, plums, hints of blueberries and strawberries haunting the backend. Rich, dark earth, Rutherford dusty tannins and dry soils, purple cola, touch of fresh tobacco & graphite, light baking spices of; cinnamon, dash of clove, nutmeg and vanillin, anise to black licorice, saddle-wood, used leather, dry stems, some dry, crushed rocks/limestone with red, dark, purple and blue florals. The acidity round and nicely executed. The finish was similar wire to wire. It’s, lush, rich, elegant, touch too sweet, polished, well balanced & knitted with a soft, persistent, dark spice on the long set. Very enjoyable second bottle.

Photos of; Joseph Phelps Winery & sloping estate vines, inside lounge are with views of the back side, tasting terrace and front lobby/salon area upon entering past check in. — 6 years ago

with Christina and James

Brendan Baker

9.4

Rich and layered... love Krug MV ⚡️😋 — 7 years ago

Allison Rich

9.4

Rich, full bodied cab. Notes of toasted oak and coffee. Great finish. Delicious just opened and even better after aerating/breathing. — 8 years ago

Peter Keohan

9.2

Good color lovely nose rich and long clean — 10 years ago

Nick Stinnett

9.1

Smooth and rich with a great finish. — 10 years ago

Mick Foy

10

As good as it gets for my taste. Big dark full bodied red with rich flavor and smooth finish. — 10 years ago

Tobin Trevarthen

9.2

This was a true representation of the Champoux vineyard. Yum . — 10 years ago

Jonathan Klonecke

Sales Revel Wines

9.6

fantastic showing. no reason to wait here. — 11 years ago

J Ham

10

Great. Rich. Complex. Perfect balance of spice, fruit, and mineral. — 13 years ago