Daniel M

9.7

Blackberry jam, pepper, a bit of celer, tar, meat juice with a gamey note too. It's intoxicating and it calls for a quick dive. The palate starts with a very nice blackberry jam layer which expands on the width but soon comes a massive acid backbone which pushes the structure toward the end of the palate. It's super powerful yet very complex with different layers: some grip on the side, a buttery, creamy touch and mouthfeel, the acid backbone and some tannins which kick-start and expending finish, very fresh, with blackberry and pepper and a slightly bitter note, just underlined by the gently drying tannins. This is magnificent and comes easily in my top 3 wines all time. I love it and it's an understatement. #birthdaytreat — 7 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

Bob McDonald

9.7

An oxidative note initially which blew off to reveal Florals with notes of mint and Liquorice. On the palate normal transmission is resumed with black fruits and tobacco “mouth perfume “ A beautiful wine and probably my WOTN. — 8 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

Nathan Wegener

9.3

Stunning fruit filled flavour. Good depth and joyous with BBQ pork ribs + apple sweet potato bake! — 9 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.2

2004 vintage. From Jay. 2004 Bartolo Mascarello - Brief Note from Galloni Historical Retrospective Held in London April 26, 2016. Dark ruby colour. Fresh violets on the nose together with cherries. A little tobacco wrapper. Cracked cloves. Nice fruit on the pallet and very silky. This is both elegant and old school in all the right ways. 92+/100. Drink 2017 to 2028+ — 10 years ago

Tim Parkhouse DWS, CWE

9.8

Epic! Right in the sweet spot! absolute textbook G.C.C. that is perfect proof the 1855 is a joke! I sincerely hope it never gains the Unesco status some privileged Bordelais estates are hoping for, if this is considered 'fifth league'. Champagne & Burgundy bravo however! Truly deserving of their hard-fought Unesco world heritage status. — 11 years ago

Justin Hansohn

9.0

Simple and enjoyable. We do not need food for this. Refreshing rate is high with just the perfect amount of berries and LSD in my mouth. Pink wine with bubbles for this price is a novelty and just so barely acceptable even the bubbles and color do enough justice to just keep them coming...please more yes please thank you this balancing act is easy. — 11 years ago

with Arturo

Kell Mc

9.1

Slight fruit up front, dry finish — 12 years ago

Kate Leahy

9.0

Cherry fruit and bright acidity. Short,
spicy finish. — 7 years ago

Joe F.

8.9

Full bodied with a good amount of spice and dark fruit flavor..,paired well with grilled NY strip steaks with sweet potato. — 7 years ago

with Laurene

Austyn Biggers

9.9

Good consistent vodka — 8 years ago

Matt Sterr

9.4

Big citrus rind note ona very weighty fran. Big and delicious...as usual. — 8 years ago

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 — 9 years ago

Nancy Croisier, CSW

9.5

My favorite Pinot in a lineup from Tony Rynders. — 9 years ago

with Doug

Alessandro Ghizzardi

9.5

AJ 95/100 - Sboccatura tre anni, e questo aiuta la straordinaria freschezza insieme al fatto che diversamente da altri questa annata non ha fatto malolattica. Giallo paglierino limpidissimo, naso intrigante con attacco balsamico, note di mandorla, fiori di montagna, lieve pietra focaia, perlage finissimo e persistente, entra in bocca con incredibile freschezza e acidità, incredibilmente il tartarico mostra ancora i muscoli, forse anche un po' troppo per una simile annata: si perde un po la corrispondenza con il naso. Finale di grande persistenza. — 11 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

May-Line Pmt

10

Une petite note d'amertume mais c'est un régal — 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. — 12 years ago

Andrew Stueve

9.6

It's the ultimate food wine. Goes with everything. But at the same time, it is too much the chameleon. If it was to be drunk by itself, there isn't a dominant note to define the wine. — 12 years ago

Steven Beishuizen

9.2

Green apple crumble in a carpentry shop. The Granny Smith apple tartness is the principal note in my mind, but there's more to this one. A soft layer of sawdust in the corner? This is not an oak bomb by any means, but that powdery softness tames the acid of the apple flavors. This is one I've wanted to try for some time. A deep wine to be sure. Legend. — 7 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. — 7 years ago

Jan de Weerd

9.4

Celebrating our daughters Christmas homecoming after two years. Pipe tobacco drenched in dark dry fruit with an herbal under note of thyme and basil. Earthy organic hints of barnyard. Well integrated tannins. High acid and it took a while before it fully integrated. We decanted it for one hour. Could use two hours. — 8 years ago

with RoAnne and Tammy

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

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. — 9 years ago

with Benjamin

Keith Crump

9.0

2009 seems a little lighter then the last I tried good acidity — 9 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. — 11 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

Greg Kramer

9.4

Fabulous and would have been even more so save for a dominating tobacco note — 12 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