Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.6

2005 vintage. Last tasted 11.23.23 (9.4), 11.15.19 (9.4), 06.01.17 (9.5) Last bottle. Respectable, low neck fill. Used a Durand and excellent cork. Decanted with sticky (to the bottle) sediment and not that much floating loose to navigate. Tasted after 30 minutes. Those inimitable, sexy Cos stylings. Medium/medium heavy (still!?) bod. Richness. Ample fruit. Slight amount of aged George Clinton/Bootsy funk. Highly restrained tannins. Woah. This. Did. Not. Suck. Time to reorder. 9.13.25. — 9 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

2004 vintage. Decanted and tasted after two hours. Used a Durand but cork was great. Top-notch fill. Super chunky sed..like vintage port. Nose good, not great, but biggie structure and balance all there. Medium body. Not a personal fave but may hafta pick up a few more of these for those inclined to partake. There will be 2004 Insignia going steady for quite some time. 12.22.23. — 2 years ago

SV

9.2

What is it about excellent Loire Chenin that just really really does it for me? Waxy, honeyed, gorgeous wine. — 3 years ago

Andrew Lohse

9.0

Gorgeous richness. Great QPR. — 4 years ago

Joe DAscoli

9.3

Corked shredded and didn’t have my Durand. Mess. Wine decanted almost 2 hours and oxygenated. Dense and super full bodied. Really needed food and the Wagyu tomahawks were perfect. Very excited to be collecting these now — 5 years ago

George Hesse

9.0

This is much better than yesterday’s SB. I would get again. — 6 years ago

Steve S

9.2

Dried apricot and white prunes, honey, almonds/hazelnuts. Really fun. With Marco and Tim. — 7 years ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.2

Vintage 2021 | Note to self: móre Rousanne. After tasting I put half a bottle in the fridge for 48 hours. Drank it with a baked dab, cichory and baked potatoes. Makes me happy. The wine is Rousanne 40 Grenache 30 and Clairette 30. Much violets in smell and a perfectly balanced taste. — a year ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.6

1982 vintage. Great, upper shoulder fill. Long, aging cork fully saturated but removed with a Durand. Splintered a little upon removal. Decanted and threw less sed than expected. Decaying leather, cedar, hot gravel and lightly roasted button mushrooms in the nose. Light-medium/medium body. All this + some undying cherry and plum flavors mixed in amongst remaining tannins. More thrust and fruit than anticipated with expected structure firmly in place. Really beautiful specimen. Based on this bottle, can hold steady without dropoff for another 4-5 years. 1.12.24. — 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

This bottle of 1976 Chateau Lafite Rothschild was cellared in a wine cave part of its life and a modern cellar the more recent part of its life. The fill for this bottle was mid-shoulder and the label had been tattered from back when it was in the cave. Using a Durand, I was able to pull the cork intact and it was saturated but seemed to have done its job. The color was good and the wine was sound; in fact, it was very much alive and full of character! Opened about four hours prior to service and decanted for sediment (of which there was plenty). No formal notes. At this stage in its life, the 1976 Lafite pours a garnet color with an orange rim. The nose is straight up old-money. Classy aromas of desiccated red cherries & red currants, dried tobacco leaf, graphite, a mix of organic and inorganic earth, leather and dried baking spices. On the palate, the structure was still quite palpable with tannins till present and acid doing its job with aplomb. Confirming the notes on the nose. The finish is long and graceful with some nice stoney minerals. Drink now but well cellared examples could hold longer if you wanted…but if you’re even thinking about it, just open it! — 3 years ago

TheSkip

9.1

Excellent value — 4 years ago

Matt Waring

9.1

Intense, but lithe and perfectly balanced blue and black fruit. A+ cru Beauj — 6 years ago

with Christine

Daniel McGeough

9.2

Bang for buck!! — 7 years ago

Jonathan Glazer

9.0

This is a delicious, crisp and light wine. — 7 years ago

Joe DAscoli

9.2

Good but not great. Soft cork that fell apart and required the Durand. Not a good start. Never really shined the way this vineyard should. — 2 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Hints of Maple Syrup in the nose.

This is still very fresh. Ripe, juicy; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, dark cherries, black plum pudding, strawberries, notes of blue fruits, dark spice, black licorice, mid berry cola, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanillin, anise, cedar to sandalwood, dry herbs, mint/eucalyptus, used leather, dry, crushed, rock powder, notes of maple syrup, caramel, dark, red withering rose petals with violets, waterfall acidity and an elegant, balanced, softly tensioned, well knitted, smartly polished finish that lasts minutes.

Color is still dark. Cork came out whole with a Durand but was completely soaked.

What a treat to drink well stored old Napa Cabernet. Will hold another 3-5 years.

Bottle semi-recently acquired from the property via a Somm buddy. — 2 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

1978 vintage. Great fill with a fully saturated cork. Used a Durand to remove and cork held up but big cork splinters shedding upon removal. Decanted and tasted over the course of an hour. Super silky, not chunky, sed. Light-medium body. Had to coax the nose out a little but revealed cassis, tobacco, dark plum, sandalwood and cherry pits. All these plus a slight, beef broth touch in the flavors. Not improving but can sustain another half-decade in this incarnation. Gorgeous, old BDX. Drink now till 2029. 12.8.23. — 2 years ago

Pooneet K

9.3

Final holiday season bottle. Our last bottle of the 97. What a wine. This bottle was probably slightly below the one we had last year but obviously still such a treat. Only 12.9% - love it! Cork broke but the Durand saved it. Dark fruit aromatics are off the charts. Doesn’t have the stinky leather of a top Bordeaux, but still obviously in the same family. Wonderful pairing with some tenderloin with a mushroom sauce. Finish is very long and though it doesn’t have the refreshing quality of the last bottle we had still delicious.

Pulled a bottle of 09 as well and need to decide when to drink it. — 3 years ago

Ellen Clifford

9.0

Goodness the value of a value Merlot based bottle of tastiness. Purpley it is. But it isn’t just purple drapes, there is a pot of hot spiced tea bubbling and someone is puffing a cigar just outside the window. Where are you looking to through this wine window? At your friends. Wearing purple masks but they are there for you. — 5 years ago

Lars Miller

9.4

Graphite, black peppercorn, and deep dark fruit note on the nose. After opening, a definite barnyard note with fruit undertones. A very different type of syrah, unadulterated and no tricks in the making of it. Quite nice! — 6 years ago