Andrew Cullimore

9.6

Medium deep ruby core , medium wide ruby garnet rim . Quite slow and fat tears. Quite exotic nose , slightly high toned, lots of ripe spicy blackcurrant , dark cherry , blackberry and underneath a grafite and earthy note , marine scents also . On the palate round, ripe and sweet dark fruits, blackcurrant , blackberry and dark cherry , touches of grafite and cigar box. Surprisingly good , even refreshing acidity , ripe ample tannins; there is great intensity here. Balanced alcohol even though it is quite decadent and rich, lots of glycerin . Very long and succulent but balanced finish with touches of mineral and tobacco. The plumpness and exoticism does come across as pretty atypical for Latour , though it is a real success for the vintage and an undeniably enjoyable wine. Drinking ok now , with a decant of an hour or two but really did improve over the 5 hours we had it open. Will obviously last and improve over the next 20 years and I’m sure go further still . — 3 years ago

Colin Cahoon

9.2

Tart cranberry, cedar, cinnamon, tart cherry, and raspberry. Medium light tannins, low alcohol, and high acid with a eucalyptus after note. — 4 years ago

with Susan

Doug Powers

9.0

Tad of a green note (asparagus?) up front, mature, resolved tannins, medium-bodied, medium-long finish, solid, if clearly unspectacular. — 5 years ago

with Jim

In Jin

9.1

This is very good wine for price. Good tanin full body not strong in acid but enjoyable — 6 years ago

Kate Leahy

9.0

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

Matt Sterr

9.4

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

"Odedi"

9.3

It's time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a beautiful one from Bordeaux.

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Fruity nose with black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, vanilla, spices, espresso, earth, tobacco leaf, herbs and black pepper.

Dry on the palate with black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, light vanilla, earth, wet leaves, herbs, peppercorn, pencil lead, dark coffee, dark chocolates and tobacco leaf.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.


This 7 year old, from the great 2015 vintage, is drinking very nice right now.

This Fifth growth Bordeaux is showing nice complexity, with a soft and elegant mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 3 hours in the decanter.

Young, but already delicious, and will continue to age nicely in the next 20 years.

Robert Parker 97 points.

Good by itself as a sipping wine, and good with food too. Will pair nicely with a nice piece of steak.

A Delicious wine that drank better than the 1996 I had 4 years ago.

A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and a touch of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Aged in French oak barrels (50% new) for 16 months.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$130. — 4 years ago

DomDoc

9.3

Read the reviews on the 2017 and was intrigued. Opened in the morning and sampled throughout day while raking leaves. Finished at dinner. The wine is precise, balanced and interesting. The tannins dominate and are refined, supple and then linger. The fruit is primarily plum with cherry. Tobacco comes a bit later. No clues how this will evolve but. note to self, wait till 2024 or later to rake the leaves again. — 4 years ago

Aren Larson

9.1

Really tasty wine. Total wine 🍷 has it — 5 years ago

Big Wave Dave

9.3

Complex nose. Bread, nuts, lemon merengue, slate, and a reductive smokey note. On the palate, the wine is stuffed with substance but is yet to unfurl and bubbles are quite pronounced which distracts from the flavour profile. Slightly disappointing but full if potential. — 6 years ago

with Racquel

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. — 6 years ago

with Laurene

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

Jay Kline

9.4

The first of my small tranche of 2019 Cuvée Reservée’s and I figured it would be fun to share with the Tasting Group. Popped and poured and presented double-blind. The wine pours a translucent, deep ruby with magenta rim, near opaque core, medium+ viscosity. On the nose, the wine was clean with macerated raspberry, cranberry, and pomegranate fruits. There were purple flowers, some black pepper and rocky minerality along with a slightly gamey note which was quite charming. Both the fruit and non-fruit characteristics were confirmed on the palate. The wine finishes dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. There’s a compelling sense of power and energy in this wine. Everyone was in the Rhône but most were in the North; from Saint Joseph to Cornas, citing that they believed this was Syrah. However, two in the group called Châteauneuf du Pape and one actually called producer (!!) but missed on vintage (2016). Universally, the wine was fawned over and the dude who called Pagaü thought he actually favored the 2019 over the 2016 he had a while back. While I’m not sure I would go that far, the 2019 is truly quite stunning already and seems to have the guts to see a very long and wonderful life ahead. These are currently enjoying their customary early drinking window however, that window will likely close within a year or so and then I could see this shutting down pretty hard until 2025 — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Classic Cabernet descriptors of Cedar, Tobacco, Red and black fruits and a herbal note. Lovely on the palate, drinking at its peak with excellent balance - smooth, fluid, resolved tannins. One could easily pick this as a Left Bank Bordeaux in a blind tasting. Shows more French restraint than the full blown Napa style for me. Medium + weight palate with balance and concentration. Probably my favourite Napa Valley Cabernet though admittedly I have not tried some of the big guns like Harlan. Post script: A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Petit Verdot. No Merlot was used in the blend for 2004. — 4 years ago

Frank Baldi

9.2

Nice aromatic nose of black fruits and currants deeply. It’s smooth and silky on the palate with tannins are softening. Nice depth and balance, with a long finish that still reveals a tannic note. — 5 years ago

Justin Kaneps

9.0

A wine to drink with a lover. — 6 years ago

Aaron Rankin

9.4

Gave this an hour decant. Straw color. Full bodied. Nose of lemon curd, subtle tropical fruits, melon, buttery popcorn, and a mineral note. The palette seems to float. Lots of glycerol, suspended on a ball of acid in the midpalette. The acid finishes long with bright citrus. — 7 years ago

Conrad Green

9.4

A yeasty, toasty nose with a settled lemon note. Broad and rich on the palate with beautiful acidity and light touches of sherry. Very complete, broad and satisfying. Delicious. — 8 years ago

with Alan, Jim and 1 other