Joe D'Angelo

9.8

The 2016 ‘Insignia’ is an absolutely incredible showing, and is amongst the most compelling vintages I have yet to taste from the Estate. Composed of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 3% Malbec which spent 24 months in 100% new french oak. As this unwinds in the glass it begins to release its seductive aromatics of ripe dark currants, crème de cassis and blueberries along with fresh violets, pencil shavings, wild sage brush and exotic spices. On the palate this is full-bodied, with a gorgeous rich, opulent texture that is beautifully balance by a lovely touch if underlying acidity keeping it fresh and inviting all the way through the long enveloping finish. Displaying a remarkable combination of both power and precision, the 2016 is a total stunner and will go on to have a marvelous future for many years to come. — 6 years ago

Conrad Green

9.8

A treat. Dark in color, slightly cloudy. A powerful nose with dark, very mouton fruit. Incredibly aromatic, blackcurrant, mint,graphite, dried herbs, eucalyptus. The palate is extraordinary. So dense and powerful for a wine of almost 70 years. Dark fruit with a savory undertow- leather, thyme, sour cherry, dark chocolate. Really precise flavors and long. After an hour or two in glass there’s notes of coconut and soft wood. Extraordinary. Clearly there’s a lot of age on this but the sheer quality makes for a really dynamic wine. An exceptional bottle, and a teal treat. — 7 years ago

with Howard, Tony and 1 other

Bill Bender

9.6

This was just a blockbuster--lavender and pencil lead burst from the glass and warm blue and red fruit follow. Impressive precision and length. Lush, silky and just plain gorgeous. — 8 years ago

with Michael and romo

Robert Schneider

9.5

Drank this to celebrate my birthday. A celebration in a glass! Thrilling aromas of poached pear, toasted brioche, and citrus. Rich, long, and dry with just a hint of hazelnut oxidation creeping in. More please! — 9 years ago

Dade Thieriot

10

What could be more decadent than #JacquesSelosse by the glass ($50)???
Our dear friends at #SPRUCE have done the deed and we're thrilled they did--this "Initiale" is itself a decadent glass of bubbles that we could drink all day! #Brut #Champagne — 10 years ago

Eric Egan

9.7

Dense, a deep crimson with a solid core - it looks less than half its age(!); incredibly distinctive (unmistakeable) nose of driftwood bonfires, sweaty leather bike-saddles and tarmacadam, cedar, Trinidad tobacco - never mind the palette, the NOSE lasts for 30 seconds AFTER you've put down the glass. It's still lightly tannic - not ambivalently, but elusively complex, and forcefully insistent. This has truly cemented me as an Haut-Brion convert. I cannot imagine a greater expression of the Graves. Utterly sensational - though after an hour and a half it started revealing a hint of VA and lost an inch of its engorgement. Oh well, it's only the first of my bottles and had the lowest level by far (4.5 cm)... — 10 years ago

Eric Urbani

9.2

Thank you BTG in Salt Lake City for having this by the glass !! — 11 years ago

Carl Steefel

9.8

Informal gathering to drink some Bordeaux varietal bottles with steak.

1986 Cheval Blanc: This one showed suspect ullage, to the point where it had been hard to flip it. And in the end, it did turn out to be a controversial wine--was the orgasm 40 days, or was it 36 days? Hard to say... An extraordinary wine, classic in its own way, with fragrant dark flower and black cassis aromas wafting from the glass, and maybe more importantly for us, exploding in the mouth. Some of the more ordinary adjectives, like "smooth" and "balanced", are accurate enough, but obviously don't do this one justice. One could do a fluid dynamical description of the time evolution of this wine in the mouth, a broad attack that gave way in about 3 seconds to a sensation of acceleration and flaring across the entire breadth of the palate as the wine detonated, an oenological version of a jet... And then a persistent finish where the inner mouth perfume resonates as it fades slowly (or simply moved off to some parallel universe). — 11 years ago

Patrick Knöfler

8.9

The wine was medium to dark garnet in colour. On day one it offered red fruit, cherry, balsamic vinegar, cola, leather, mushroom, earthy and vegetal notes and a wet sewer component on the nose. On the palate the the wine showed red fruit, cherry, blackberry, tobacco and earthy notes, the acidity was quite pronounced, the wine became slightly drying and even more acidic after some time in the glass, and the fruit faded a bit. Two days later, on day three, the medium-bodied wine was more balanced and showed red and dark fruit, some chocolate, some tobacco, spices and earthy notes on the nose, and red fruit, cherry, leather, tobacco, earthy and balsamic notes on the palate, with just a faint touch of greenness, paired with medium-plus well-integrated tannin, medium-plus acidity and very good length. I had almost written-off the wine on day one and then, surprisingly, it showed much better the third day. Holding-up well. 90 — 11 years ago

Keith Lite

9.5

A big bold plumy purple bomb As dense and luscious as a wine can get in a glass. Decanted for 2 hrs and its still a baby with blackberry, dark chocolate licorice and pepper on the nose and on the palate. A long long finish and loads of tannins to sum it all up — 6 years ago

with Bruce

Peter Marks

Master of Wine, Educator Constellation Brands

9.0

Rose petal and violets mixed with fresh nectarine. Medium-full body for a rose and with nice dry texture on the long finish. — 7 years ago

with Adrienne

Delectable Wine

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9.8

The 1978 La Mission Haut-Brion is a candidate for the greatest Bordeaux wines produced during the 1970s. Without question, it is the highlight of the vintage. I have tasted it several times over the years and each time, my appreciation is heightened further. Still youthful in appearance, the bouquet soars from the glass with almost high-toned blackberry, cigar humidor, warm gravel and that signature trait of black olive. You could nose this all day. The palate is medium-bodied yet there is much more density than you will find on other 1978s. Notes of black fruit, bay leaf, graphite and earthy tones, the latter emphasized with aeration. Decanting is strongly advised because it responds to a long opening, deepening all the time, developing a sustained cedar tincture that lingers in the mouth. It is a fabulous La Mission Haut-Brion that at 40-years continues to give so much pleasure. Tasted at a private dinner in London (ex-château bottle). (Neal Martin, Vinous, May 2018) — 8 years ago

"Odedi"

9.7

Time to celebrate. Here's a wonderful wine for the occasion.

Deep inky in color with no rim whatsoever.

Beautiful nose of vanilla, soaked cherries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, figs, oak, leather, smoke, spices, wildflowers, candy corn and white pepper.

Full-bodied and bold, with a great mouthfeel, smooth and elegant, with medium acidity and great looking legs.

Fruity and dry on the palate, with blackberries, blueberries, figs, raisins, red licorice, tobacco, smoke, beef jerky, cloves, spices, earth and peppercorn.

Long finish with firm, yet smooth, tannins and cherries.

This is a wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon from the house of the Wagner family. Very enjoyable by itself as a sipping wine, on the porch, or with a big piece of steak.

Smooth and elegant with a great mouthfeel. Chewy and jammy, balanced and approachable. Will drink nicely in the next decade or more. Great wine, great vintage.

Needed two hours in a decanter to open up properly.

14.9% alcohol by volume. — 9 years ago

Steverino

9.3

Ok my first log in I admit I'm a Novice. Had a glass so dont know what year but this was fabulous. Nice and dry, very smooth. — 10 years ago

Nichole Mao

9.0

Dark berries, cherry, dried herb,
Same palate as nose, cigar box, coffee, high tannin, high but well balanced tannin, full body — 10 years ago

Jae Cho

9.1

Still tightly coiled, giving its perfumed nose after 1.5hours in glass. Medium to full with a focus long cab fruit — 10 years ago

Ian Brennan

9.3

2001 vintage lovely dense plumbs, currants, violets and spice on the nose. Rich and warm, headily inviting, with the perfume jumping out of the glass capturing and demanding attention. Tightly packed mouthful as well, surprisingly medium bodied, good fruit and tannin, but closed and needing time. Good aftertaste, probably needs 3 to 5 years before opening up to its best. — 11 years ago

Coco&Lucie

9.6

One of my favorite of the appellation. Spice is perfectly balance with red fruit. It´s earthy, complex and refined. A piece of beef tenderloin on barbecue, fleur de sel and a glass of Beaucastel, what else?! — 11 years ago

Darren Davis

9.3

Yep - that's Cabernet! - still looking youthful 20 years on.. — 11 years ago

Scott Taddeo

9.2

Looking lovey with a breadth of character with still some primary fruit, but evidenced of secondary and tertiary at play. Still some florals and lush dark fruit, but that gravel and earthy vibe in tow with some touches of warm cedar oak. — 7 years ago

Jeremiah Allen

9.7

Pure magic! ‘67 is a legendary vintage, lucky to experience a flawless bottle. This was fully resolved and hauntingly aromatic. It’s was energetic and lasted in the glass. Probably another decade of life left for these Normale bottlings — 7 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.7

Tasted blind. Reddish tawny, translucent and old looking. Awesome nose. Notes of leather saddle, pencil lead, currants, cherry, soil, and some toasted hickory. All guessed 61 Bordeaux. This got better through the night and was at its best in the last glass. — 8 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.4

Fresh, light gold. Bright and vibrant in the glass. Even more vibrant in the nose. Exotic, notes of lemon peel, wet river stone, petrol, slate, apricot and spice. Great rich fruit matches some impactful acidity. Long finish. This is great juice, still young, and has some more to give down the road. — 8 years ago

jesus g

Hospitality Schramsberg Vineyards

10

After all the napa cabs directly from the barrel this weekend for premier, I was really looking forward to tonight. The Oscars call for bubbles, sauternes and dessert — 9 years ago

Russ Bus

9.1

Underwhelming right now. Looking forward to how this hotbed will open up in the coming years. — 9 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.2

2003 vintage. From Jay. Very nice. Much better than expected. Goes down all together way too easily when you're surrounded by snow! Deep ruby core washing out towards the edges. No bricking...yet. Nose is a preponderance of dark fruits together with blueberries and ripe cassis with slight under tones of cloves and a hint of graphite. This is a very fruity affair- takes me back to Christmas. The wine expresses on the palate as it does on the nose. Layers of rich fruit with traces of brown spice. There's a lovely sweetness here that makes the wine a pleasure to drink despite the relatively modest acidity. The tannins are soft and lush. The finish is good with a continued preponderance of fruit right to the very end although it is moderate in length. This is a very quaff able wine...could be at this all night with pleasure just sit me down in front of an open fire and hand me a Montecristo! 92+/100. Drink now to 2028. NB - no need to decant. This wine can happily be poured from bottle post opening and allowed to open in the glass. — 10 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.2

5-Oh Bday Dinner... From a half bottle. Deep red and purple color. Mostly opaque and thick in the glass. There is still some good fruit in the nose with gravel and soil notes. Very round in the mouth. The wine hung in there over the hour it was consumed. Nice experience with an 80+ year old wine. — 10 years ago

Robert McCall

9.4

Pours clean dark purple into the glass showing no age. I'll be damned if one couldn't enjoy the dark fruit aroma from 5 feet away. Wow. Dark fruit, leather and pleasant oak quality supplemented with a silky tannic structure that gave a 60 sec finish. Not the most complex Latour I've enjoyed at this point but this bottle actually tightened up over an hour after opening indicating much life ahead. Sheeeit! — 11 years ago

Lucas

9.3

My final bottle of red wine for 2014 paired with ribeye. Absolutely delicious, changing in character with almost every glass. I woke up this morning to read the sad news that Serge passed away yesterday. Rest in peace Mr Hochar. — 11 years ago

Paul Kaan

Winemaker/Blogger FilthyGoodVino.com

9.5

1993 Lynch Bages looking fresh. Paulliac structure perfect for a 4hr 70C rib roast #FilthyGoodVino #Bordeaux #FromTheCellar — 12 years ago