Joe Dunn

9.0

Red cherry. More brick-like with old world vibes. More tart on the nose. Forest floor characteristics. — 4 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

Todd Stone

8.9

A very good Pinot but seems more French style than Oregon. On the dry side with some earthiness, black plum too. — 6 years ago

with Peggy

Ken Z

9.2

Tasted 1/20/2017 At UGCB 2014 Vintage tasting in Miami. At the Biltmore.

Mixed black and red fruits on the nose, with a firm palate of cassis, earth, and and some wood. Nose a little more subdued, and lacking some of the richness of the Beychevelle at this stage, but this seems built to age and will likeley develop with time.

3/22-23/9/4/4 + 50= 92-93 pts — 8 years ago

Guillermo Pallete

9.5

Excellent blend low acidity balanced in wood a red fruits — 8 years ago

Glenn Nick

9.3

On the high chair. — 9 years ago

Mindy Arbaugh

9.5

Lovely, smooth and rich. — 10 years ago

with Stuart

B

10

1985 Sassicaia. Second red wine at Redd Wood lunch w A, S, and K. This wine was perfect. Epic. We could not believe how perfect this wine was drinking. Thoroughly enjoyed it- it was enjoyable the way truffles are- hard to describe, but pleasing to all relevant senses. — 10 years ago

Jake Hartmann

9.1

A blend that has the strength of character of a single grape. Earthy, complex, wonderful — 11 years ago

Christanna Honer

8.9

Oaky oaky oak. Dill and toast. Muted sour cherry. Would have liked to see a bit more fruit or earth, not JUST wood. — 11 years ago

Angela Brown

9.5

Stunning Chardonnay with beautiful balance of nuttiness and acidity — 4 years ago

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. — 5 years ago

Daan van Dam

9.1

Evesham wood is very good. — 6 years ago

with Eva

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

Peter Radics

9.5

Oaky, fresh, and delicious! — 8 years ago

Rebecca Smartis

9.3

Smooth with a hint of coconut and nice full bodied berry finish. Went great with my lasagna! — 9 years ago

Eric Belling

9.2

Surprisingly good — 10 years ago

Namho Kim

9.4

So good. Slightly peaty. Well balanced — 10 years ago

Linda Hawk

9.8

Wow. The first words out of my mouth were, "This tastes expensive." The nose is full and rich as well. Plenty of layers and complexity here. This is going on the very short list of "excellent." - 2012 vintage — 11 years ago

Michelle Kendrick

9.2

Total Wine - $13.50 — 11 years ago

Tim Ruckh

8.9

My first time drinking white Port and this one was very nice. — 4 years ago

Gunja Gargeshwari

9.5

Honey, port wine on the nose with a silky mouthfeel and perfect viscosity. The finish has a burn which is perfect not soft like an aberlour and it’s not sweet either. Masterpiece! — 5 years ago

Bart van Wijngaarden

8.9

Classic with very well integrated wood. A solid effort exhibiting nice secondary aromas but with a good life span still ahead of it. Nice one. — 6 years ago

Rick Baraff

9.1

That’s some nice drinkin’ stuff (circa 2017). Thanks to the local somm, Steve, at our Whole Foods for the recom... it was their last bottle and he sacrificed. — 6 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.3

Brownish tawny. Regal, clear and almost opaque. Sweet old Bordeaux nose. Notes of cola, cranberry, plums, dried fig, earth, spice and some wood. A bit thin in the mouth at the start but with air it firms up. Decent finish. Grows nicely in volume and impact. The fragrant nose is what you remember. — 7 years ago

Stuart Scheff

9.0

Complex perfumed Oregon — 9 years ago

Vic Petroff

9.4

Disgustingly yummy! Beautiful deep red fruit, tons of life & structure. 12.5% alcohol. Touchdown! Thank you, Russ. — 10 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.0

Blackberry, black cherries, black plum, black tea, gravel, lead pencil shavings, Provence herbs, wood shavings. Disappointing opening at this stage. — 10 years ago

Bruce Baldinger

9.5

Pepper, ash, wood. Lovely — 10 years ago

with Maryalice, William and 1 other

Colin McCartney

9.5

Deep, inky purple in the glass with generous blackberry flavors and a spicy, tannic finish. Never met a Hartford Zin I didnt like... — 11 years ago