David Peifer

9.0

Very fruit forward with a hint of oak. Aged. — 20 days ago

John Willison

9.1

Strawberries and herbs. Tangerine and mint. — 2 months ago

Andrew McIntyre

9.4

Wifes birth year wine was so impressive. Smoke and leather, very polished. Reminded me of a great Pinot. Great experience — a month ago

Vino Joe

9.3

I am biased for Rioja but this is a very good demonstration of why. Great balance ripe reserved fruit in harmony with some slight puckering length. Better in 10 years. Totally fine now. — a month ago

Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.4

Austero e preciso. With the help of God and time it will reward your palate. 94+ — a month ago

Gor

9.5

Saddle leather, cedar, spice, lingonberry, plum, hint of licorice. Full bodied and structured with a long finish. Great stuff. — 2 months ago

Ira Schwartz

9.6

Tasting group meet up with many of the regulars not able to attend . I knew the organizer invited someone whom we had not tasted with in about 15 years . He certainly made an entrance bringing this, in magnum no less. When poured it showed a fine mousse but it faded quickly. A very broad nose that hinted of some age. In the mouth it was like a sports car traveling a highway. Almond , brioche and some oxidative notes sped thru my mouth. The flavors accelerated only to linger similar to when you take your foot off the accelerator. Coasted effortlessly with no need to step on the brakes — 2 months ago

John Malcolm

9.6

I felt guilty drinking such a young wine, but it was exceptional. Beautifully balanced and fresh right out of the bottle (no time to decant since we were in a restaurant). Tasted a lot of raspberries and blackberries. — 21 days ago

Steven Heydemann

9.1

The 99 is a favorite vintage for the sweetness of the fruit and the intense Mediterranean notes but this bottle was a little short on the finish. — a month ago

John Van Trijp

9.5

Very classic BDX style. The Owner and the winemaker of La Conseillante were convinced drinking Bordeaux left bank — a month ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

This had lots of rich dark berry fruit with notes of graphite, sweet, savory spice, cedar, leather & tobacco — a month ago

Shay A

9.2

Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.

Fun to do a side by side with the ‘88, and also check in against the Montelena. Profile wise, this leans ripe and modern stylistically. There is a kiss of brett that takes you to Bordeaux but it’s mostly red and black fruit driven with a vanilla pipe tobacco sweetness, leather, cassis and a little bit of a floral note, especially aromatically. Big structure for the vintage, but open for business now if you can give it a few hours in the decanter. — a month ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

This was a nice pour out of 9L served up by their Winemaker, Trevor Durling. He and his team are a great group of people.

Really excellent evolution. Classic Private Reserve George Latour style. Fine, dark tarry tannins, dark cassis, wet clay, sandalwood, used tobacco, light herbaceous notes, understated lead pencil, some baking spices, dark spice, withering dark & red flowers, excellent round acidity, balance for days, soft structure & tension and an elegant, round, plush, velvety finish that close to two-minutes. — 2 months ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Had to try it. Used to love their work prior to 2012. After that, their style changed to picking at higher brix levels thus creating a much sweeter profile. SS was one I’d hoped they’d left alone and they did not. Not quite as sweet as their regular Cabernet but sweeter than before. I made the pitch to the property to make Caymus Classic along side their new sweeter style wines. The 94 Special Selection was one of their best. — 2 months ago

Delectable Wine

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9.5

The 2012 Opus One is a terrific choice for drinking now. Silky and beautifully perfumed, the 2012 is wonderfully open-knit in this tasting. The purity of the fruit is alluring, There's still a good bit of freshness, too. Naturally, the 2012 reflects the medium-bodied style that is typical of the year, but all the elements are very nicely balanced. Crushed red berry fruit, mint, rose petal, spice and blood orange linger. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, May 2024)
— 22 days ago

Delectable Wine

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9.6

The 2012 Insignia is in great shape today. Bright acids lend tremendous energy to a mid-weight Insignia that is more about finesse rather than power. Sweet red-fleshed fruit, cedar, tobacco, mint and rose petal are all beautifully delineated. There's not much left to say. The 2012 offers tons of pure pleasure. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, May 2024)
— 22 days ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.5

Medium lemon yellow , persistent fine perlage . At first quite shy , needs a bit of time to get going . Then buttered pastry , confit lemon and roast nuts , quite bold and rich , just a hint of chalky minerality . On the palate the richer , deeper theme continues , those pastry and buttery notes , confit lemon and a creamy mouthfeel . Long balanced finish , the chalky acidity really helping to cut through richer , mouth filling profile . Coming back to this at the end of the meal , having sat 6 hours in the glass , this still shows remarkable freshness and life. This seems young to me still , certainly has everything for a long life ahead , better in 5 years perhaps and will show well a further 10-15 perhaps . — a month ago

Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.7

Fine and femminile nose, chewy and rich mouthfeel, deep expression of terroir on the palate. Austere aftertaste.
97-98 — a month ago

Peter Sultan

9.3

Broke out one of my cellared Raffaults for my homeboy who graced me with a home cooked Tuscan styled flank steak w rosemary & arugula, as well as Israeli cous cous w chickpeas, charred tomatoes, feta, & herbs. Light Cadmium red hued & strong color though ( good cork- not a guarantee w Raffault!); dense Hibiscus, fresh raspberry & some bramble on nose; on palate very clean & smooth mouthfeel, with the initial flavors repeated but a deeper blend of red fruits & a stronger presence of under brush. Super fresh & integrated. Elegant, & the Burgundy echo was hard to ignore. Not Uber complex but not monolithic either, which this line of Raffault can be in its youth ( or as it ages). Very impressive, & accessible now. Curious how my ‘02 & 07s will fare… — 2 months ago

with Owen

Tom Garland

9.5

+2 hour decant(decent chunky/fine sediment). A wondrous dark garnet with bricking. On the nose: perfumed notes of stewed plum, currants, old leather, cigar box, smoked meat, truffles, and touch of mint. Taste: silky, exquisite wine with red cherry/plum, old leather, dusty chiseled granite, bitter chocolate, cedar, and a dry graphite/coffee long finish. YUM! Drinks beautifully and should hold for more years of awesomeness. — 2 months ago

with Brenda