Andrew Cullimore

9.4

Medium ruby , hint of garnet , slight narrower rim , more garnet hue . Quite mineral , herbal tinged blackcurrant, seaside scents . Slightly aloof and austere, though this improves with time in the decanter . However on the palate this opens up with classic cedar tinged dark fruits , blackcurrant, grafite , sea shell and saline tinged. Complex , complete , classic , grafite and mineral tinged with pretty long length finish . Still slightly grippy tannins but these are well integrated and quite polished , fresh balanced acidity. This shows very well and is just coming into its prime drinking window, this also held up very well in decanter for the 4 hours we had it open , always retaining great freshness and verve. From now and over the next 10 to 15 years perhaps . — a year ago

David Nicewicz

9.3

Birth year Bordeaux and this has been excellent. Very old school nose of copious tobacco, forest floor and dark berries. Medium bodied but gaining intensity over the course of 2 h - tannins completely melted. Bricking is apparent on first pour but the color grows darker with time. Perfect bottle that is a little past it’s prime but fun to step back in time. — 5 years ago

Chris Zitzman

9.6

In its prime. I didn’t decant for fear of shocking it, and that was the right move. Pop it now if you have it because it’s a beauty from stem to stern. The nose pours out of the bottle with all kinds of flavors and expressions- pencil lead being a primary- but as it had a chance to breath and express itself it blossomed. Lush yet powerful, naturally as it’s blend would indicate it reminded me of some of what I like so much about Bordeaux. — 6 years ago

with Beth

Matt

9.0

Solid, muddled fruit wrapped in American oak. No formal notes but seems to be cruising past its prime drinking window (for me) — 7 years ago

Benjamin Keator

9.5

Unfortunately we were not able to give this a proper decant this time. Nonetheless the quality and finesse still shines through. IMO the 2003 is just now entering it prime drinking window. Tannins have softened nicely. Good fruit integration. Still needs a bit of time in the glass to open. Over the course of an hour it was only getting better and better. Wish we had had time to do a 4-5 hr decant. — 7 years ago

with Jimmy

Will Rogers

10

Fontana on Lake Geneva lake house dinner with prime ribeye from Regans in Glenview. Enjoyed with the family. Fantastic red wine. — 7 years ago

Dennis Mendiola

10

Best best with steak ! Had it at Prime in Ventura CA — 2 years ago

Leo Gentile

9.5

Deep purple with a hint of brick. Cassis and leather and meat in the nose. Pencil graphite cassis violet and a little tar. Rich jammy black fruit. Delicious. Serving with Prime grade rib roast. Sorry to have only one bottle — 3 years ago

Enrico Pallazzo

8.9

Way past it’s prime, edging towards undrinkable. Drank on 4/18/22 — 4 years ago

Michael Phillips

9.2

Brownish edge restrained nose leathery and garrigue at or slightly past prime but still lovely — 5 years ago

Philip Dobrin

9.1

A little muddled. Great nose but exhibits neither the complexity of a mature wine nor the structure of one its prime. — 6 years ago

Cory Bolton

9.6

I have an affinity to Mike Smith wines. Let this baby breathe for a couple hours and it opens up well. Prime for drinking now — bold, dense fruit flavor that you’d come to expect from a Napa cab powerhouse wine maker. Full body and long peppery finish. Still a winner in my book. — 7 years ago

Chad Thompson

8.9

Might be the bottle but just a bit past its prime. Still good - sweet core, good acid, dark fruits. — 7 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Perfect condition btl from an owc that is in its prime with many yrs left showing red, black fruits, currant, cedar, leather, earth, licorice, menthol, spice box & tobacco. — 2 years ago

Severn G

8.9

2003 | Birthday weekend for my lovely wife.

Green on the nose, is there substantial Cabernet Franc or Petit Verdot for the last 25%? Cedar-y cherry notes to the palate, but short finish. Will more air rescue this bottle...?🤞 Double decanted with notes at 5H. (Drink 2005-2007?)

Paired to USDA Prime Strip Steaks (baseball-cut), Allen Bros. Chicago. — 3 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.5

Dark reddish tawny. Herbal nose. Heavy tobacco leaf, black cherries, cedar, smoke, plums, and cut Cuban cigar. Angular in the mouth. Needed five hours to find its groove. Big and powerful wine, paired perfectly with smoked prime rib. — 5 years ago

Paul J

9.4

Happy Christmas Eve!! Slightly past prime but still very good! Went nicely with chicken stuff with mac & cheese. Classic Bordeaux nose followed by dark cherries and pencil shavings on the palate. Medium finish. Wine lacks some depth. — 6 years ago

with Brooke

Will Rogers

9.2

Prime 47 Combine doctor dinner — 7 years ago

Paul Krzych

9.1

Well worth the price. Drinking very well and perfect with prime rib. — 7 years ago

Bill Bender

9.6

From Mag with bone-in NY prime. This is finally in an approachable drinking window. An hour decant gave this wings. As “Bordeaux” an Insignia I’ve had in a while. I know it’s a Bordeaux blend but it’s never really performed that way for me. Great strength here, silky lines and some legit nuance. — 7 years ago