Conrad Green

9.6

Dark and brooding with great rich fruit. Dark plum, leather, cedar, a whiff of iodine. Still tight and pure. Very good. Years ahead. — 2 years ago

with Garth and Matt

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

Mike Saviage

9.5

Deep yellow gold, heavy in the glass. Great leesy old white burg nose. . Notes of sweet lemon, apricot cardamom spice, more lemon peel and some river stone. Rich in the mouth. Tons of structure and acidity. Needed 5 hrs of air to really come on. — 7 years ago

Andrea Watt

9.1

Smooth, rich cherry and smoke. — 8 years ago

Richard Hylton

9.3

Fantastic. Rich dark berry fruit with leathery sweet nose. Really lovely paired with roasted wild ducks. — 8 years ago

Matt Gaydos

9.5

Rich and creamy. Great yellow color. Fruity, vanilla oak smell. Layered flavors. Vanilla, buttery, soft spice as it finishes. — 10 years ago

Pamela Peterson

9.0

Fabulous! Smooth, rich and deliciously jammy. — 10 years ago

Marie Stitt

Sales & Marketing Grassroots Wine Wholesalers

9.0

1988 out of magnum Xmas -- on point. Rich but acidity still very present — 11 years ago

Austin Baird

9.3

Highly enjoyed this half bottle! Full bodies, rich, subtle notes of berry and chocolates! — 13 years ago

Z

9.9

Rich berry fruit with layers of Christmas spices and tobacco. Pretty damn close to perfection! — 13 years ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.4

The first couple times I tried 08 I was definitely too quick to judge. It needs a ton of air, and it’s different from the rich, oxidative, nutty house style of the past, particularly the warm and ultra forward 2006, the previous release. 2008 is indeed young, tightly wound with a pulsating core of energy.

The first glass offers very little. Subdued, austere and youthfully reserved. But ensuing pours eventually unleash its core of powerful clean orchard fruit, coffee bean and grilled nuts. On the palate it continues to become so much more textural with crazy gains in weight, depth and fruit intensity as the night goes on. It really fills the mouth, saturating the palate with a satin-like texture, ripping citrusy acids and saline laced minerals that follow deep into its finish. Enjoyable now with enough air (needs 2 hours), but no doubt one to hold. To live forever. — 4 years ago

Greg Gosselin

9.1

2017 is fab. Great QPR. Intense with backbone. Give it a few more years. it doesn’t get much better at this price-point. — 6 years ago

Adam Beasley

9.6

Rich, weighty, complex and appropriately delicious. Tasted along with a few NV Champs, this was simply another thing all together. Brioche, apricot,salted lemon, and a ton of other flavors are so vivid. — 7 years ago

LM Segal

9.1

Very good but not great Tig; younger than it should’ve been, rich. — 8 years ago

Philip Kestell

9.5

Got this for our anniversary. It was amazing. — 8 years ago

Peter Keohan

9.2

Good color lovely nose rich and long clean — 10 years ago

Nick Stinnett

9.1

Smooth and rich with a great finish. — 10 years ago

Pierre Arneaux

9.2

Wow. More flavor, much better than their regular cab. Silky, velvet, smooth. Chocolate. Rich fruit. Big, full flavor, lots of flavor. Not old world style for sure, not subtle. It's a big bomb. We would pay up to $75 for this so a bit overpriced to us.
— 10 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.5

1998 vintage. Earthy and roasted almond. Ripe lemon rind. Full bodied. Rich mouth feel. Mocha. Acidity not overbearing - touch light? Long concentrated finish. Excellent — 12 years ago

J Ham

10

Great. Rich. Complex. Perfect balance of spice, fruit, and mineral. — 13 years ago

Willem Booij

9.4

Kickoff moment of our 35th marriage celebration. I love the pure and elegant but also rich style of this champagne. — 5 years ago

Paige Martin

9.4

Nice, pretty sweet Riesling. — 6 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.5

Last night in MT at the lake. Gave this several hours of air. Nice dark tawny color. Vibrant in the glass. The nose is great right away and stayed on point through the evening. Notes of black cherries, warm raspberries, old cedar, some plums and a little leather saddle. Rich and silky in the mouth. Velvet glove. Long finish. Great wine. — 7 years ago

Brendan Baker

9.4

Rich and layered... love Krug MV ⚡️😋 — 7 years ago

Allison Rich

9.4

Rich, full bodied cab. Notes of toasted oak and coffee. Great finish. Delicious just opened and even better after aerating/breathing. — 8 years ago

Mike Saviage

10

Tasted blind. Ruby color. Almost opaque. Young fruit forward nose. Notes of plums, mocha, dark chocolate, coffee, cinnamon and some exotic thing like eucalyptus. So rich and vibrant in the mouth. A forever finish. This wine took us in all directions. Immortal. Stan's 60th will always be remembered for the 45 Latour vs 45 Mouton mano y mano battle. A wine life moment for sure. — 9 years ago

Mick Foy

10

As good as it gets for my taste. Big dark full bodied red with rich flavor and smooth finish. — 10 years ago

Robert Cunningham

Wine Educator DeVinimus, Wine Workshop

9.2

Very nice with rich spicy fruit — 10 years ago

Daniel Mahdavian

Consulting Somm-Daniel Mahdavian Ventures

9.1

Dust, dried little cherries, dried figs, sharp rich tannins — 11 years ago

Nicholas Dunlap

9.6

Rich, elegant...winning! — 13 years ago