Kristen Grimes

10

Rich fruit aromas, blackberry and black cherry, and a little herbaceousness. The same on the palate with tart cherry acidity balanced by black pepper tannins and a slightly rounded body. — 3 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.9

The sample of 2019 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande sent to me last year was an absolute show-stopper. The bouquet needs a few minutes to open up, delivering intense black fruit, crushed stone and incense with time in the glass. Yes, the nose does remind me of Latour! The medium-bodied palate is endowed with unerring symmetry and poise. This is a powerful, multi-dimensional Pichon-Lalande, extremely precise, very deep and long. The 60% new oak is seamlessly integrated and feels just right. It reminds me of the 1996 in some ways, but with more finesse on the finish. Stunning. 14.12% alcohol (Neal Martin, Vinous, February 2022)
— 4 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.4

Tawny with reddish amber rims. Dark yet translucent. Great old Chave nose. Black cherry, wet forest floor, smoked meats, menthol, slate stone and rhubarb notes. Vibrant in the mouth right out of the gate. Lots of structure and pucker. Fruit present but starting to fade. This was at peak first two hours and then started slowing down, opposite of the Trimbach CSH next to it. Still this was really good ~37 yr old grape juice. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

Main course is a Beef Tenderloin Roast with Rosemary, Crispy Duck Fat Potatoes, Sautéed Greens. The beef is among the most tender (cut it with a fork) & flavorful we’ve had.

From magnum. The nose shows; dark currants/cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, plum, anise, dry soils, dry crushed rocks, some graphite, cigar, dark, rich earth, blue/purple fruit cola, very soft dark spice with blue and purple florals set in lavender.

The body full, lush & thick. The tannins, rounded, tarry and velvety chewy. The structure & tension have hit its stride but, a little leaner than I’m used to in a Phelps Cabernet. The length and balance are exactly what I expect from them. It’s elegant, ripe & juicy. Dark currants/cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, plum, anise to black licorice, cinnamon, soft clove, vanilla, nutmeg, dry soils, dry crushed rocks, moist clay some graphite, cigar, leather, limestone, dry herbs, dark, rich earth, blue/purple fruit cola, very soft dark spice with blue and purple florals set in lavender. The acidity is a gentle rain shower. The long finish is delicious and persists into a dark spice.

Perfect with Hedy’s Boeuf.

Wine is peaking in Magnum with another 5-8 years ahead.

The “Truth” which, is the very bottom, concentrated part of the bottle is a 9.3.

Merry Christmas! 🎄🎅🤶🎁🦌❄️⛄️🍷 — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

The nose reveals, ripe, brightly floral dark & red fruits. Blackberries, dark cherries, blue fruit heaven, black raspberries, baked strawberries & rhubarb, cherries, prune notes, and dry, slightly burnt cranberries. Mixed berry cola, steeped tea, vanilla, touch of clove, allspice, used leather, limestone minerals, dry stone, whiff of graphite, faint herbaceous notes, dry underbrush, old cedar, tobacco leaf, with withering red & dark withering flowers with violets.

The body is medium to full. The tannins round, nicely softened but still a little tarry. The structure, tension, length and balance are are harmonious and starting its climb to their peak. The mouthfeel is gorgeous and sexy. Brilliantly, bright, laced; blackberries, dark cherries, blue fruit heaven, black raspberries, raspberries, baked strawberries & rhubarb, cherries, and dry, slightly burnt cranberries. Mixed berry cola, steeped tea, vanilla, touch of clove, dark medium spice with heat, allspice, used leather, some sweet tarriness, limestone minerals, rich dark soil, dry stone, whiff of graphite, faint herbaceous notes, dry underbrush, old cedar, tobacco leaf, with withering red & dark withering flowers with violets. The acidity was very good and the finish showed it’s Saint Julien elegance. It’s a beautiful wine now and over the next 15-20 years.

Photos of, Chateau Leoville Barton, the “Gentleman of Medoc”, Anthony Barton, harvest work of their Merlot and their barrel cellar.

An hour and a half in decanter.
— 7 years ago

Tobin Trevarthen

9.1

Funky vegetal nose, opened up to a nice black cherry, tobacco, prune delivery with some Mediterranean spices added in. Cool year profile. — 7 years ago

Tom Garland

9.3

Enjoying some wine with Santa on Christmas eve.

2 hour decant (moderate chunky/fine sediment). A prodigious dark crimson with some bricking. On the nose: beautiful notes of red cherry, cigar box, cedar, little barnyard funk, herbaceous. Taste: old school and elegant! with black plum, red currants, scorched earth, cedar, crushed stone, and tobacco. YUM! In a nice place with the decant and still time to go. — 3 years ago

with Brenda

Chris Allison

9.0

Smooth and a little sweet. Light bodied. Would get it again. — 5 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

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.2

The 2002 Guigal ‘La Turque’ is the finest Rhône wine that I have sampled from this challenging vintage. Flowering issues and problems obtaining phenolic ripeness plagued the N. Rhône in 2002 but the ‘La Turque’ was not lacking in richness. Black cherry, wild blackberry and huckleberry flavors connected with shades of iron and wet stone on the palate. Fresh and vibrant, this beautiful wine is drinking brilliantly now. Drink 2019-2029- 92 — 7 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.3

Tasted blind. Dark reddish purple color, opaque. Looks and smells rich. Notes of black berry fruit, tobacco, some cassis and a little anise. Chewy in the mouth. Powerful fruit and structure - this is still young. Easy to guess as a young Cal Cab, althought it wasn't that young. — 7 years ago

Brandon Boesch

9.3

Massive nose, massive wine. Huge fruit with jam, herbs, stone, and spice. Finish lingers with tannins and tart raspberry jam. Overall nice. Reminds me of a Santa Barbara Syrah. — 7 years ago

William Hughes

9.3

Aging beautifully! Still loads of currant and lavender. Add a touch of iodine and some more black fruit, mix with lean tannins and fine acidity. Here is to Maryland wines! — 7 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.7

Taken to Hawksmoor in NYC for our uncle’s 75th. Decanted in hotel for 7 hrs before dinner. Dark reddish amber edges with dark tawny color center. Opaque. Great aged Bordeaux nose. Notes of black fruit, tobacco and cigar, cassis, old desk wood, saddle leather, some anise, some barnyard and a little mint. Rich and silky in the mouth. Long finish. The bottle (mid shoulder) wasn’t in as good of condition as the one we had a few weeks ago, but the outcome was similar. Family and the Somm all loved it, as did I. — 3 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.7

Tasted blind... we're served three glasses from three brown bagged bottles. They all are similar in color: dark reddish tawny. This has black fruit in the nose, along with some prominent wood, some spice, some earthiness, slate stone and dark earth. More masculine than the other two glasses, but also becomes more floral over time. More inky and dense than the other two. We've figured out these are 1990 La La's, so which is this? I guess La Landonne, which it is. This bounced around during the evening from being the best of the three to a step below the other two. I liked the Mouline and Turque a little more tonight but I'm splitting hairs as this was superb and the ranking is more about preference than quality. — 5 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.3

A great balance between fruit and funk. In my opinion, this one is right at the peak of drinking, because it is only going to get Bordeaux funky from here. On the nose and entry, lots of black cherry in fig, baking spices give way to haymore weedy and herbaceous sign that turns to a hint of Brett and funk towards the finish. Although this wine is very good, someone who likes this style a little bit more may have rated this a couple of points higher than I did. Very enjoyable wines, and definitely belonged on the table next to a high-profile Napa cab, high profile Australian Shiraz, and twenty-year-old CDP. — 6 years ago

with Dan, Bradley and 2 others

Mike Saviage

9.4

Le Parc at Les Crayeres in Reims. Deep dark ruby color, opaque. Wild nose with notes of black cherry, violets, menthol, slate stone and some mocha. Very perfumed. Rich and silky in the mouth. Tannins integrated. This is ready for consumption. — 7 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.2

Compared to a Spottswoode 06, this one seemed to have similarities but and it was over all this one has more tobacco and slightly less of the dark mature raspberry and black cherry. However, this one even after an hour was still a little disjointed and out of balance. I don't know if this is just on the decline or maybe a little bottle variation. I'd think about drinking this. — 7 years ago

with Dan and Shay

Mike Saviage

9.4

Tasted blind. Tawny color, translucent with amber rims. Notes of black cherry, cedar, some spice and a little barnyard floor. Sweet fruit in the mouth, with tannins fully resolved. Guessed 1955 Calon Segur. Perfect looking bottle, the cork revealed this bottle was reconditioned by the Chateau in 2000. — 7 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.4

Straw gold color. Caressing aromatic nose of lemon curd, river stone, spices and a little apricot. Really good balance of structure, fruit and acidity in the mouth. Lasting finish. Textbook white burg. — 8 years ago