Pinotman /// Andreas

9.2

Cleaning out my cellar for a move or at least reduce what i have. All 3 E&M‘s 14,15,16 Liaisons should be consumed within 30 minutes upon opening they are good to go drink up! Within 2 hours they loose appeal. I stand corrected - this one went through a down phase and then came back after 24 hours. The freshest and brightest of my recent trifecta of E&M and also the most pale. Still quite tannic. Touch peach? Sour raspberry, hint lime 🍋‍🟩. Crushed marble. Quite acidic. The 14 was the clear winner. In all cases the cork was quite soft and almost all the way moist to the top. — 9 months ago

Austin Hohnke

9.4

Last bottle of this vintage. Heavenly. Rum raisin, cranberry, old strawberries, carob, fig, earth, tobacco leaf. Silky, delicate, and resolved. Loads of sediment, not out of life but on its decline. — 3 years ago

"Odedi"

9.3

#AgedWineTuesday

Dark ruby in color with a wide red/brick rim.

Pretty nose of currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, vanilla, licorice, herbs, light vegetables, pencil lead, light vinaigrette, olives, peppercorn, leather, tobacco leaf, earth and dark coffee.

Full bodied and elegant, with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with cooked black plums, ripen cherries, oak, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, earth, light vanilla and black pepper.

Tangy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cranberries.

This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Tuscany. Smooth with nice complexity and a great mouthfeel.

This 19 year old is Interesting and tasty. Not from the best vintage, but still very yummy, and at its peak right now.

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

Thank you Judy for sharing this with me.

Robert Parker 92 points. Wine Enthusiasts 91 points.

I paired it with a Charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. Aged for 24 months in oak barrels (30% new).

14% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$350. — 4 years ago

with Scott

Mike Saviage

9.7

From a great old looking bottle with a mid shoulder fill. Cork is fully saturated and the crud under the capsule had formed a strong seal. Slow-ox’d for a few hours, then decanted for an hour or two before taken to L’Escargot in Carmel. Amber tawny rims with a reddish tawny core. Crazy nose right from the start. Notes of sweet black cherries, tobacco leaf, plums, black pepper, ash and crusty wood, pencil shavings, some just unwrapped cigar and some menthol. Silky in the mouth with firm structure and soft but present acidity. Long and memorable finish. Outstanding performance over several hours. — 6 years ago

LM Segal

9.5

Outstanding and ready for business. Bay leaf and tobacco nose led a lush, velvety and completely integrated rainbow of dark red fruit, cherries and nutty earth. Perfect display of the potential of Tig in the good years. — 7 years ago

with Melissa

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! — 8 years ago

Rob Mayes

9.7

Outstanding. Winner of the weekend. — 9 years ago

"Odedi"

9.2

It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Let's bring Merlot back!

Nice color of dark ruby with a reddish rim.

Fruity nose of black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, licorice, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, spices, earth and black tea.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with black currants, black plums, blackberries, coffee, herbs, chocolates, light oak, licorice, spices, light earth, tobacco leaf and black pepper.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a delicious Merlot based blend from Saint Julien. Elegant and spicy. Fruit forward and chocolatey.

I've had a few vintages of this wine and it is very consistent and always delicious, especially with age.

This 7 year old 4th growth Bordeaux is starting to drink beautifully now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.

Well balanced, complex and interesting. Rich and inviting.

Good by itself as a sipping wine or with food.

A blend of 50% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc. Aged in (60% new) French Oak barrels for 18 months.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$150. — 9 months ago

Shengli Hu

8.9

A bit linear. Cranberry!!! Strawberry, strawberry leaf, strawberry yogurt. Long finish, medium+/elevated acidity. Silky tannins that — 4 years ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.0

Surprisingly youthful for 35y, served from a magnum.
Still deep in colour, with not much evolution towards the rim.
Uplifting aromatics with cigar box, tobacco leaf, cedar wood, some kirsch, but also some black currant jam.
Medium bodied on the palate with nice balance, the tannins still surprisingly grippy, though a touch dry.
Nicely poised, with good flow and high drinkability.
What a surprise! — 4 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.2

This went well with the tapas I had for lunch. Notes of soft, sweet red fruits, leather, spice, rose petal & hints of tobacco leaf. — 5 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.5

From magnum. Opened and decanted 4 hrs before serving. Reddish tawny, regal color with lighter rims. Great old Bordeaux bouquet. Notes of dried cherries, tobacco leaf, cola, some rhubarb, forest floor and some old cherry wood. Well balanced and suave in the mouth. Paired well with steaks, and a great contrast to the younger Napa cabs. — 6 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Beautiful drinking claret showing red berry fruits, leather, tobacco leaf & rose petal wrapped up in an elegant & floral style. — 7 years ago

Rick Jordan

9.0

VINTAGE: 2004
BOTTLE: 375ml
APPEARANCE: Deep red, garnet meniscus, viscous legs.
NOSE: Allspice, white pepper, bell pepper, dark fruits.
MOUTHFEEL: Round, medium - acidity, medium + tannins.
PALATE: Cinnamon, tomato leaf, leather, hints of vanilla.
FINISH: Long with sandalwood throughout and some cocoa at the very end.
NOTES: Picked this up in December of 2017, thinking the 375 bottle will have made this ready to drink immediately. Was not wrong, it is drinking well, but there is sufficient backbone left in this wine to age for many more years to come, even in a 375. Nice layers of complexity that were fun to tease out, but still many notes that I don’t yet have the ability to properly identify. I look forward to trying again with more years under its belt. — 8 years ago

GaryWEdwards

9.5

Big lush, dark fruit that has not reached its peak window yet. But she ain’t far away. I was able to obtain a vertical of 01,02,03,& 04. My first foray into that vertical. No rush on this one but very impressed. Leather, pepper, if not cigar leaf here . Suffice it to say, there is a lot going on here and my lack of Cali knowledge has new intrigue — a year ago

"Odedi"

9.1

A pretty color of ruby, with a wide brick/ reddish rim.

Full bodied and elegant.

Dry on the palate with medium acidity.

Showing red currants, plums, cherries, wood, spices, coffee, dark chocolates, earth, tobacco leaf, herbs and black pepper.

Medium finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 15 year old Rioja Reserva is drinking very nicely now. Showing nice complexity at this point.

Still young and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.

Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel. A very tasty aged Rioja, and a good food wine.

Robert Parker 95 points.

I Had this vintage a year ago, and it feels pretty much the same.

A blend of 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha, 5% Mazuelo and 5% Graciano. Aged in used American oak barrels for 6 years.

13% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$55. — 2 years ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.3

At first ultra angry! Brown tinge. Needs a 5 hour decant! Really I am not joking. Store 5 -10 more years. Marble dust, cigar box, aged cherries, still very tannic, tight, lime, orange zest. Needs more time. This could be incredible - wait. I will stash it away and revisit 2027. Of the four 2009 - 2012 the most difficult. — 4 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Youthful & drinking like a 10 yr old Cab. Lots of red & black fruits, cassis, menthol, cedar, leather, licorice & tobacco leaf. — 6 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Great vintage for DB that is still showing up at 65 yrs with notes of dried cherry, berry fruits, cedar, leather, savory spices, dried herbs, forest floor, lead pencil & tobacco leaf. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

The nose is a little shy. It reveals; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, plum, touch of rhubarb & blueberries and strawberries. Vanilla, light cinnamon, clove and soft, dark spice, just slight whiff of green pepper, dark turned earth, limestone and red and dark flowers.

The 2012 vintage generally drank well right away. Now that this 12 has four years in the bottle, it’s very approachable. This said from someone who loves old(er) red wines. The tannins are round grainy. The body lighter than other Insignia’s. Blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, cherries, dry cranberries, plum, touch of rhubarb & blueberries and strawberries. Vanilla, light cinnamon, clove and soft, dark spice, suede leather, fresh tobacco leaf, steeped tea, dark turned earth limestone, crushed dry rocks with red and dark flowers. The acidity is fresh and lively. The finish is good yet leaner than previous vintages at this stage. It’s fresh and lively. Balanced but, the fruit is bright and really shines. It still a ways to go to get to where I would open one of my bottles. But, somewhat tempting now to open a bottle.

Photos of, JPV Estate vines, visitor center Insignia artwork, shot from a previous member party, and wine in barrel that ferments inside their visitor center. — 8 years ago