Bettina Drake

9.1

From Date night at J. Gilberts. Some but not a lot of tannins, raspberry and other fruits, a good wine with steak and chocolate. — 2 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. — 6 years ago

with Christina and James

Ray Vanderhoff

9.3

Big and fruity! Great pairing with a Porterhouse Steak! Dark cherry, baking spice and a hint of bourbon on the nose. Big black fruit and cassis flavors with a touch of vanilla, graphite and dried herbs. Creamy and silky finish that goes on for a while. 15.1% Alcohol but it does not seem that “hot.” Soft and powerful at the same time! Should improve with age and I’m giving the next bottle a few years to sleep. — 7 years ago

Rick Heilbrunn

9.3

Drinking nicely. Lots of dark fruit. Blackberry and black cherry. Perfect with the steak. — 8 years ago

Joe Gillies

9.4

Drank in the outer banks for our annual steak dinner on vacation. Huge 2in thick Filets with blue cheese, mushrooms, onions, and roasted fingerling potatoes.

Decanted for 60 min. So silky smooth. Dark fruits, and chocolate. Finish is great.

This is the only caymus wine I really enjoy. — 9 years ago

Anne Marie Palmer

9.1

Dark and delicious. Meets it's name enjoyed with a nice grilled steak — 9 years ago

Martin Chang

9.5

Great value. Full body, dark, chocolate. Goes well with steak. $19 Costco. 2015 — 9 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

It’s a night of first year consecutive decades, 90 & 80. Enjoyed in reverse order

From the same technical team as Leoville Las Cases.

Another great Clyde Beffa direct purchase from the Chateau or Negociant.

Still ripe older Bordeaux fruits with smoothed out lead pencil. Blackberries, black raspberries that lean into pudding, black plum, darkest, cooked cherries, raspberries edges, baked rhubarb and hues of poached strawberries. There is nothing that bites back. Dark chocolate, smooth mocha, caramel, soften baking spices-clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & vanillin, old tobacco w/ ash, used leather, dry top soil, limestone powder, black licorice to anise, dry river stone, fresh & withering dark, red flowers, amazing, rainfall acidity and a well; balance, structured, knitted and smartly polished finish that lasts 90 seconds.

Steak slow cooked in the oven at graduating low heats and then seared at 1300 degrees, 30, 30, 30 & 30. .

“The Truth is Inside” is an expression about the very bottom of a bottle of wine. Tannin soaked & it never lies. Typically the best part of the bottle. 93 that lands 94 in truth. I always leave two-three inches of wine in bottle just because it is always slightly better than the rest of the bottle. It is more concentrated. — 2 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

One of my favorite go to wines for a grilled steak & a great vintage for GL that is drinking beautifully. Perfectly stored btls match my more than 2 dozen tasting notes listed below. — 6 years ago

Matt Duncan

9.5

Fred steak! — 7 years ago

Sandie Harris

9.8

Perfect with steak. — 9 years ago

with Jessica

Veston Patterson

9.8

Smoky and tannic. Absolutely perfect with steak. This bottle is an absolute Napa Valley favorite and absolutely delicious! — 9 years ago

Adriana Fabbro

9.3

Can't believe I've held on to this treasure for so long! Cedar and sandalwood on the nose. Silky with a bright and savory--almost vegetal--finish. Perfect with filet and steak-house style garlicky creamed spinach. These grapes were picked when I was still in high school! — 9 years ago

Tom Heckert

9.0

Steak and duck. Nice fruit. Solid finish. — 5 years ago

Ben Franco

Owner Winedown cafe & wine bar

8.9

Lush and ripe like many Orin swift wines but it worked perfectly with my tomahawk steak! — 6 years ago

Jeffery Owens

9.0

Jeffery had this 6 years ago

Elissa Norris

9.2

Great thanksgiving cab- taste tested against Joel Gott and has great flavor just not as bold — 6 years ago

Julian Gross

9.2

Unbelievable cab, perfect pairing with an excellent steak at one of the best chop houses in the country — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

When it comes to my B-day, there is only one fit, an old Pichon Lalande with my Ribeye. As a lover of Bordeaux, these two are my favorite pairing. It’s a very slow walk to the finishline. A small bite of steak and a sip of 89 Pichon Lalande. Then, repeat until finished. I had some concerns about this bottle. A slightly slippery and crumbling cork. The first sip was not bad, but not what you want or are expecting. After some time in the decanter, it really started to shine. On the nose; ripe, ruby, floral cassis, blackberries, dark sweet & sour cherries, baked strawberries, blue fruit hues, dry cranberries, baked rhubarb, saddlewood, soft, used leather, bay leaf, touch of sage, hint of spearmint, eucalyptus, vanilla, cinnamon, crushed dry crushed rock powder, black turned earth, dry brown soil with clay, tobacco leaf and perfumed red florals with violets. The body is full, round and silky. Tannins are well resolved at around 80%. The texture, length, tension and length are in a sweet spot. The fruits are ripe, ruby & expressively floral. Blackberries, dark sweet & sour cherries, baked strawberries, blue fruit hues, dry cranberries, baked rhubarb, saddlewood, soft, used leather, bay leaf, touch of sage, hint of spearmint, eucalyptus, vanilla, cinnamon, crushed dry crushed rock powder, black turned earth, dry brown soil with clay, scorched earth, tobacco leaf and perfumed red florals with violets. The acidity is just a little off but still nice. The finish is divided nearly equally in fruit, earth, florals and herbaceous. It’s very enjoyable but falls just a little short in longer, lingering length. This bottle had good storage, not great. Even so, still has another three to five years ahead. A bottle with excellent storage has another five years beyond this one. Photos of; the backside of Pichon Lalande, angled terrace view of their vines right next to Latour, my steak & twice baked potato (so good) and CEO Nicolas Glumineau. — 8 years ago

Steve Mitchell

9.5

Nice complex taste with a balanced amount of tannin. This 2011 will improve with time. Drink now or wait and enjoy with a nice grilled steak. — 10 years ago

with Jo