Michael Lavely

9.0

I have been drinking this for years and each year it has different notes. Great wine, great buy. — 4 years ago

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. — 5 years ago

with Christina and James

Johan Bogaert

9.2

Like always a true gentleman, somewhat lean but very sophisticated. Silky wine with fruit preserved. Very little signs of evolution. Very aristocratic but lacks some flesh. Still very enjoyable. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Beautiful dark cassis, mocha, caramel, dark florals, velvety texture and a beautiful finish. This will be even better when it’s had 10 more years of bottle evolution. — 7 years ago

Victor Nomi

8.9

Balanced. Nice blend of acidity, vanilla. — 8 years ago

Daniel M

8.9

The wine shows a nice evolution with an orange rim in the glas. The cork was fully soaked. The nose is discreet. Strawberry jam and some wet earth scents. The palate is not ample. The tannins are now fully integrated. A nice acidic touch makes it interesting with a slight saltiness and strawberry jam again. Not great, a bit discreet but a nice lovable wine considering the vintage. — 8 years ago

web bond

9.3

Elegant and seamless and much evolution ahead. — 9 years ago

Jaclyn McHugh

9.5

Perfectly balanced white blend! Not too sweet, tart, acidic, etc. Would be a total crowd pleaser, and would repurchase — 4 years ago

Anthony De Blasi

9.4

Spectacular! The evolution of this wine in the last 3 years is incredible. Again a proof that bottle aging is so important. This wine is currently in its prime, silky tannins, still lots of fruit but all integrated. And a finish that last for minutes! Wish I had a couple more... — 5 years ago

Ryan Guy

9.5

Toasty, custard, smoked pear, sugared grapefruit, green apple skin, accented by a string of minerality. This jumps out of the glass. Mouthcoating with rich, layered green apple, pear, and lime zest flavors. Asian spices pop with time. Balance is impeccable. Acid is still impressive, with length and evolution to finish. Wow! Paired with smoked salmon over a cream based pasta. — 5 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

My notes on this from May of 2017 still apply. Popped and poured. Drank well over two days. Immediately this wine impresses visually. Sure, the color is an expected deep garnet but what's most striking is the fact that it's never completely opaque at the core. You can just barely get the faintest amount of light to see through it. It's quite beautiful, really. The nose is initially a bit reticent but a few minutes of air in the glass does the trick and then it really begins to show off the most lovely perfume of mixed red and dark fruit; so fresh and pure with just a flash of garrigue. No perceptible heat on the nose. On the palate it's a veritable wonder of berries, Rainier cherries, black berry liqueur, and just a touch of fine white pepper. The body is perfectly proportioned and the finish lasts for over 30 seconds. In summary, this is an incredibly balanced 2010 CdP that is already hitting its prime. Personally, I felt it was really at its very best about two hours in which leaves me to believe it should be a great pop and pour for the next couple of years and potentially has the balance to be great for longer. That being said, there is no need to decant, just pull the cork, pour and enjoy the evolution in the glass. The hard part is allowing it to last for two hours and longer. It should be noted that this is dangerously quaffable wine and it wouldn't be hard to take the whole thing to the head. Might as well drink these sooner than later as I'm always a bit wary of CdP much beyond the 10 year mark, where I tend so find many of them fall apart on the palate. Perhaps others with more experience in the long-term ageing of CdP can chime in though. Absurd value at $30.

As a side note, this paired very nicely with pan fried pork savory bacon wrapped filet mignon. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

8.9

A glass of wine to finish up the night...good age, nice evolution and an extremely good value at $25. Recent direct Chateau purchase. While the 1998 Bordeaux vintage was panned by the critics as a whole on the Left Bank, Pessac-Leognan shined better than most on the Left Bank. It was Right Bank Saint Emilion that had the great year. This 98 Haut-Bergey is not quite the wine the 98 Haut-Bailly is. However, it is delicious for $25. Nose of; blackberries, dark cherries, cherries, strawberries leather, cedar, tobacco leaf, dry stones, vanilla, dark moist soils and fresh red florals. The body is medium to lean. Tannins are completely resolved. Ripe, lean, shining; blackberries, dark cherries, strawberries & cherries. Black moist earth, touch of funk, soft chewy leather, stones, crushed dry rock powder, cedar, tobacco leaf, steeped fruit tea, cola, dry underbrush, fresh & dry red florals, liquid violets with raining acidity. The finish has lean, bright mid red fruits, earth and dark spices. Nice wine for the $. While this will hold another 3-5 years, it's not going to continue to improve. So, drink em. Photos of; the Chateau, barrel room, view inside the Chateau and their shiny stainless steel fermentation tanks. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

Drink nicely. Good evolution in the bottle. Just a little past it's peak. Ripe baked blackberries, ripe blueberries, black raspberries, just a hint of strawberry compote. Star anise, soft minerals, black tea and sweet soft leather. Good rich finish but then falls a touch short on the long finish. The long finish improves after 45 minutes in the decanter. — 9 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.6

Bright medium ruby to the rim. Very ripe aromas of blackberry, cassis, licorice pastille, bitter chocolate, cocoa powder and minerals, lifted by a note of lavender; just this side of liqueur-like. Dense, sweet, silky and firm, with wonderfully suave, dense flavors of dark berries, bitter chocolate and violet dominating. This savory wine finishes with a slowly building whiplash of flavor and the sophisticated seamless tannins to support a long evolution and graceful evolution in bottle. I still give the edge to the 2016 for its energy and lift, but this very deep, youthfully medicinal wine is potentially great as well. Real nobility of texture here (it saturates every square millimeter of the palate) and outstanding palate-staining length. Lots to come! (Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, December 2020) — 4 years ago

Gregory Fulchiero

9.5

One of the most stunning aged burgundies I’ve ever had the privilege to taste. Soft velvety tannins and waves of lavender, mulling spices, and damp earth. Will be hard to replicate a wine of this pedigree in such a great place of its evolution. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Pontet Canet tasting and dinner with Alfred Tesseron.

The 96 is a nice surprise add from Clyde’s cellar. Thank you Clyde.

This 96 is beautifully floral. The evolution is right around its peak. The body is medium full and the tannins soft. It’s an elegant beauty.

The fruits are ripe and delicious. Leaner blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, strawberries and shades of raspberries. Soft earth; dry top soil, dry rock, limestone minerals, old tobacco, soft leather, cedar with dry and withering red & dark florals. The acidity is like a waterfall. The long finish is well balanced fruit & earth and in a sweet spot.

Photos of; our dinner group, tasting room at Pontet Canet, the horse plows they still use in the fields and Chateau Pontet Canet. — 6 years ago

Kristen Wilson

10

With regina and Ken at wild olive — 7 years ago

Amy

9.5

So drinkable. Great for summer. — 7 years ago

Phil Castellano

9.0

Pretty amazing. Great PQR. Italian varietals + Syrah, all grown in Oregon. Definitely an evolution in blending. — 8 years ago

Brandon Boesch

9.0

It was too young and overall very tight even with 5 hours of decanting. I think we opened this at an awkward time in its evolution. — 9 years ago