Kate Leahy

9.0

Cherry fruit and bright acidity. Short,
spicy finish. — 6 years ago

Khanh Vi Le Hoang

9.7

Lovely bright medium ruby color with slightly purple reflection
Lot of fresh red fruit, lively, red flower, oaky note, sweet spice but super elegant. There something sweet on the nose like ripe red berries
Big body, high tannin, med acidity, medium alc but super velvety and sexy
Biodynamic wine — 7 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.1

Wonderful Sicilian natural wine! Deep gold (let’s call it light orange) in color. Hints of grilled lemons with a hint of smoke. Beautifully “funky.” A true winner! Great with appetizers! Thank you Franky Bella for this selection. — 8 years ago

with Kasey

Lyn Farmer

9.2

Medium ruby color and a pronounced nose of raspberry, violet and a spice note reminiscent of sandalwood incense. Lovely medium body with silky texture. Good acid balance for food pairing and a long lovely finish. Wonderful evocation of serious Beaujolais — 8 years ago

Keith Crump

9.0

2009 seems a little lighter then the last I tried good acidity — 9 years ago

Lewis Chester

8.9

2000 vintage. From Jay. 2000 Bartolo Mascarello - Brief Note from Galloni Historical Retrospective Held in London April 26, 2016. Black fruits, Black cherry with some menthol. Good sweetness on the entry. Good acidity. Weak on the rear pallet. Finish is somewhat weak. Nice ruby colour. More in the style of what Maria Teresa's father than her. Fruit is much more muted. It has integrated well over the years from the initial barnyard aromatics that it displayed when initially bottled. Drink no to 2020. 89/100 — 10 years ago

Kathi Hodgins

10

Very special!
— 10 years ago

Amanda Igra

9.0

Nice acidity & tart fruit flavor. — 10 years ago

Jimmy Smith

Director, West and North London Wine School

9.4

2001: going into a black olive, black truffle note. Rich meaty notes, vibrantly meated, smoky, leather, tobacco, cigar. Towards full, complex, chewy. Light liquorice, light black truffle. Tip top. — 11 years ago

Madeline Puckette

9.0

look: pale ruby red core with slightly garnet rim.  medium viscosity.

smell: medium intensity aromas of roasted red bell pepper, allepo pepper flake, raspberry sauce, roasted jalapeno.  overall, sweet and ripe fruit smells followed by slight iron-like gravel note.

taste: medium + acidity, nearly high acidity, medium - tannin, flavors of smoked tomato, sour cherry, ending with a note of sweet dried/roasted pepper.  

profile: flavor is 'bursty' and drops out quickly and then hangs in a very subtle low way on the palate.  
purchased with Somm Select. honestly, it could have cellared a few more years. — 11 years ago

Jade Th'ng

9.2

Really enjoyed this Pinot Blanc. Paired well with creamy food. — 6 years ago

Paul K

9.1

Nose is cedar, herb, and leather. Medium body. Raspberry, red currant, and dark chocolate with really nice tannin throughout. Long finish is currant and cranberry. This wine is delicate. Overpowered by aged Gouda. Drink with Brie and French bread.
I pulled a classic and was just a bit disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, still great, but for the anticipation... I have one more bottle that I’ll wait a long time and hope there’s a big payoff.
Interesting note, the 2013 Heitz Cellar in the background was remarkably similar in fruit, weight, and profile. 1/3 the price and I’m giving it a 92. — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.5

One of the highlights of the day was meeting @David T and his wife for a tasting at Joseph Phelps. I’d never had the privilege of trying Insignia, and we were given the ‘12 and ‘14 to taste today.

This vintage of Insignia had a splash of merlot, compared to the ‘14, which had zero. Gorgeous texture. Very smooth and elegant. Black cherry, cigar box, peppercorn, BlackBerry tart. Every note on the wine seemed put together...nothing was out of place. Gorgeous property and gorgeous wines! FYI, their viognier is awesome! — 8 years ago

Nancy Croisier, CSW

9.5

My favorite Pinot in a lineup from Tony Rynders. — 8 years ago

with Doug

Tom Kobylarz

9.3

Giving absolute credence to the reputation that the wines from the Margaux commune show, both displayed an elegance allied with a subtle power and perfect balance, especially 2005.

2000 had a trace pyrazine note that I found unexpected, and quite frankly not that enjoyable. Outside of that the wine was perfect. The second bottle did not throw it as strong, so not exactly in the clear on this night.

The 2005 was in perfect shape, drink now or age it another 20 years easy, this was so enjoyable and balanced with perfect tannin integration and a seamless, dense and pure finish that sailed on forever.

#margaux #bordeaux #wine — 9 years ago

with Eric

Melissa Treadway

9.3

2 Flawless bottles make for a happy girl. Acid , minerality, brioche, white flowers, almonds, slight note of apricot and citrus. — 10 years ago

Sasha Agapov

9.7

What a beauty! Creamy, defined and rich. Perfumy with flowers, mint, sweet apples, minerality and very concentrated honest power. Acidity is angular, very bright and holds this huge palate together nicely (and oh boy, I wish I had a time machine to see how it evolves in 10 years). I'm still trying to crack that dominant aftertaste note — it's almost cake-like sweet, with some nutty backbone and caramel on the top. Absolutely in love. — 10 years ago

Max Kogod

Owner Kogod Wine Merchant

9.7

1977. Floored by extreme caramel note on nose and palate completely backed up by gorgeous purity of fruit, acid, levity and all the tertiary elements that make Martha's Vyd what it is. — 11 years ago

Carl Steefel

9.5

Great vintage, no doubt. Wild strawberry, with an almost Oriental spice note that emerges with an hour of air-one might think Burgundy. This shows great texture and nuance, certainly beyond the Nebbiolo from the same vintage. — 11 years ago

Kevin Walsh

Wine blogger doxologywine.com; Freelance Sommelier (Court of Master Sommeliers) Doxology Wine Consulting

8.9

2008. Dried cherry, black tea, dried mushroom and rose, prosciutto. Minerality is reminiscent of standing on a dry, dusty dirt road. Only criticism is that it falls off in the mid palate, but finishes with a nice gamey note. — 12 years ago

Andrew S

9.2

A lot of power, plenty of fruit and acidity for days. This is in a nice spot, but still on the way up. There’s a nice dusty/tar note, fennel, a touch of leather, maybe even a hint of violets. Best with a big rich meal. — 6 years ago

E & K G

9.2

So so goo! Just needs a bit of air in the glass to take on volume and toasty note. — 7 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.0

I will preface this note by disclosing that I am generally not a fan of Super Tuscans. I like old school Toscana. But I will try to be objective here. The nose is very evocative of a classified growth Bordeaux: lots of cedary, gravelly scents and some dark berry fruit underneath. In the mouth it is concentrated and soft, but develops weight in the back half of the palate. Some peppery heat from alcohol at the end too. I know it’s predominantly Sangiovese, but it really does taste very Left Bank, except for a little note redder fruit at the end. — 7 years ago

with Angelo

Mark Flesher

9.3

This wine had some tobacco and earth FUNK after it was opened up. The herbaceous and tobacco ash note on the nose was almost identical to the 1980 Beringer State Lane cab. This did blow off after an hour, but the wine was less fruit than I thought it would have been. Lots of dark figgy jam. Tobacco and cigar box. I'm sure the fruit came back after I left, but this would have been 2 hours after opening and just didn't have the time to see this one though, hence the "NR" rating. Impressed by this wine, and probably one of the older Monte Bello wines I've been able to drink. — 8 years ago

with Benjamin

Devin Bostick

9.3

Very complex and delicate Chardonnay. Nice front push, dry with slight note that comes through — 9 years ago

Amy Wood

9.4

1991 vintage. Rating 9.4. Beautiful garnet color. Incredibly smooth. Note the fire in the background in the outdoor fireplace. Lovely evening with my beautiful wife. Life could not be better! — 10 years ago

Dave Wood

9.2

Almost amber in color with tropical and floral nose. The color belies the fact this is not an over extracted sweet juice. Beautifully bone dry with great acidity. Super. — 10 years ago

J. Butler

9.1

Awesome — even after a day open — and with some basil, squash and quinoa salad. — 10 years ago

May-Line Pmt

10

Une petite note d'amertume mais c'est un régal — 11 years ago

Kell Mc

9.1

Slight fruit up front, dry finish — 11 years ago