Nose: hint oak. Airy. Hint sea breeze. Lovely. White flowers.
Palate: lovely sweet oak. Sweet wood. Rich. Not over the top. — a year ago
Very good merlot. Low acidity, medium tannins. Very oaky with a sweet vanilla, dark fruits, but with a dark chocolate finish, maybe with a pepper. Still: one of my favorite labels. — 5 years ago
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
2014 vintage. Flowery notes. Crisp and balnaced. Has a personality of it's own. — 7 years ago
Loved it. A soft and mellow taste. — 8 years ago
A nice Syrah that was enjoyed with good friends. — 7 months ago
Great jammy Pinot enjoyed on Corey’s bday — a year ago
Crisp, apples — 5 years ago
Very good. Raspberry flavors shine through. Clean finish. — 5 years ago
First time trying a wine from Israel. This was pretty nice—lots of autolytic notes and it was nice to try one that was vintage dated and with some bottle age. — 6 years ago
Awesome dry white wine, smooth finish w no bite aftertaste — 7 years ago
Probably still a little young, but otherwise a really great bottle. Dark transparent ruby, with a woody-er edge to it. Some cherry pie, herbs, baking spices and tar aromas. Strong structure, making it feel young. Pretty large body for an Oregon Pinot! Going to age well for awhile. — 8 months ago
Super well made Dry Creek Cabernet. Second best wine of the night. Great focus and intensity of fruit and oak. No real sign of age in the nose or color. Very aromatic and long finish. Slightly rough on the finish but it complimented the steak perfectly. Excellent juice 🍷🍷 — 5 years ago
Classic Napa...delicious — 5 years ago
Las Alturas' Spanish for 'the heights', a fitting name, this vineyard located on one of the highest grape-growing benches in the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA. 4th gen Winemaker Joseph J. Wagner from a family with farming and winemaking roots in Napa since 1906. Met Joe several times. Deep Ruby (darkest Pinot I have come across, almost looks like a Cab). Rich berry flavors with cedar, spice and vanilla. Lingering ending with sweet oak notes. Consistent quality Nice! A Fav! — 5 years ago

Such a contrast to 2016! 2014 was warmer and with 2 more years of bottle age, the wine is more fruit forward, more opulent and more balanced against the brooding, spicy character of Gibbston. Fabulous! — 7 years ago
"Odedi"
It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.
Inky in color with a reddish rim.
Fruity nose with black fruits, wood, earth, spices, tobacco, vegetables, coffee, herbs and chocolates.
Full-bodied with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with black currants, plums, cooked cherries, light oak, spices, chocolates, licorice, coffee, light vanilla, tobacco leaf, herbs, peppercorn, earth and black tea.
Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.
This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Israel. Rich and extracted. Fruit forward and elegant.
Complex and well structured with good balance. Feels like a very rich Left Bank Bordeaux.
I've had a few vintages of this wine, and it is very consistent.
This 4 year old Cabernet is still young but already Complex, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.
Needs a couple of hours to open up properly, and bring out the complexity and structure, but good right out of the bottle too.
A great sipping wine that will also pair nicely with a big piece of steak.
A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 3% Syrah and 2% Petite Sirah.
14% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$50. — 6 months ago