Shengli Hu

9.0

VA, dark licorice, allspice, brown sugar, banana, cedar, smoke, veal, dried bay leaf, candied red and black currants. Balanced between medium+ acidity, medium smooth tannins, and fruit concentration. Finished long.... Tasting while watching the excellent documentary Wine and War in which Serge was just chilling... in the warfare — 4 years ago

Lynn Gowdy

9.0

La Rioja Alta 2007 Grand Reserva 904- cherry, forest spice, forest red and black berries, cinnamon, slight leather, mushrooms, bay leaf, dried herbs, sousbois, smooth drying resolved tannins that are fondue like, a small element of astringency. The color has fallen out yet very traditional style Rioja. — 6 years ago

Thomas Sorbo

9.0

Well-balanced fruit. — 7 years ago

with Jim

Kevin Ortzman

9.0

Full bodied w/ leathery tannins. Cherries w/ mild hint of cassis. Tasted along side of the '98 Araujo and '97 Dalla Valle. Insignia came in third. What a fun dinner!! — 8 years ago

with ADAM, Joe and 2 others

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

First, a person has to pause and realize how lucky they are to drink this wine from 3L. Thanks Clyde for opening. This is in a perfect stage. Such evolution, length, balance, structure. Love the lower 80's alcohol levels. It's rich, lush and near perfect. Dark cassis; ripe and resolved blackberries, dark cherries, black plum w/skin, mixed berry liqueur, tobacco leaf, leather so soft you would wish it as a pillow cover, dry pebbles, dark rich earth, perfect acidity and a rich, elegant, ripe dark fruit finish. In 3L, this wine still has 10-15 years. — 9 years ago

Craig Williams

9.0

1.5 L bottle Other than a really poor quality cork that crumbled upon removal, this wine remains a youthful dark red with black currant, tobacco leaf-savory soy aromas. In good shape for such a modestly extracted wine. Demonstrates the strength of quality harvest conditions, which '94 was in many ways. — 10 years ago

Mark Calkin

9.2

#wsetschool Deeply ruby coloured top level Rioja with large quantity of Graciano given it that deep intensity. Pronounced nose of black cherries, red currants and cranberries, with wet leaf notes. There are smoke and toast, cinnamon and cedar from its time in oak, and of course there are tertiary aromas from bottle ageing, like: tobacco, game, leather and dried fruits. This has medium (+) tannins and acidity and an excellent long finish. — 10 years ago

Jeremiah Allen

9.5

My third taste of the 82 pich baron this year. It was spectacular. — 10 years ago

Rebecca Fletcher

9.7

Fruit forward, small refreshing bubbles, and a bit of bread dough character! Would go with any food! — 11 years ago

DAL 9000

9.1

Very smooth initial flavor. Light bodied plummy that fills the nose with red berries after swallowing. More intense after it breathes. — 12 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.3

Deep, dark color. Sharp nose. Notes of tobacco leaf, cut Cuban cigar, black fruit and some cedar wood. Very angular in the mouth. This was good but had an odd mean streak in it that was herbal and very strong. After 7 hours of air it mellowed a bit. — 5 years ago

Paul J. Sorbo

9.0

Fruit forward, lush — 5 years ago

with Thomas and Jack

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

A redo after that disappointing 2002 Pichon Lalande two weeks ago on #steakandclaret night. While this is not again what I expect from this producer, it is better than the 02. Nose of cedar, fresh tobacco, stones and dry soil, quiet baking baking spices, ripe & lean; blackberries, dark cherries, cherries, strawberries, pomegranate, hues of blueberries, light mushroom, soft leather, black licorice cola and fresh red florals. The body is leaner to medium and well resolved. The fruits are fresh & bright. Dark cherries, cherries, lean blackberries, strawberries, cherries, pomegranate & cranberry juice, hues of blue fruits, saddle-wood, sweet suede leather, fresh tobacco leaf, cedar, dry stones, top soil & rich turned dark earth, limestone minerals, dry stems, slight touch of dry herbs, round, mouthwatering acidity and lean, long, well balanced fruit & earth, good structured finish with length. Finish lasts a full minute. Still 8-10 years of good drinking ahead. 9.3 with the ribeye. — 8 years ago

Michael Meagher MS

Chairman/Founder Boston Sommelier Society, Beverage Director Cafe Escadrille

9.5

I heard about this wine from a lot of old school buyers. It's living up to expectation and more. — 9 years ago

Christopher Legere

9.1

Good cab with fruit flavors — 9 years ago

Marissa Payne

9.0

Still showing very youthful despite its age... Black and red fruit, leather, tobacco leaf, gravel. 1988 — 10 years ago

Kari Johnson

9.6

Smooth flavor, fruity, sweet but not too sweet — 10 years ago

Francois Blondin

9.0

Un peu trop tôt pour ce 2013 mais j'en ai quelques unes encore et voilait comparer l'évolution. Très bien équilibré, soyeux, beaucoup aimé — 10 years ago

Morgan Harris

Head Sommelier Aureole New York

9.4

2011. Blanc. No one drinks enough of this. That's because there are so few things to which its a good partner, but it would be an incredible cheese-and-charcuterie wine. Broad and oily, there's just enough acid to keep you coming back for more. Sun-baked yellow orchard fruits dominate, but there's more exotic fruits too (mango and dried pineapple) yellow flowers, tons of almond husk bitterness, green olives, bay leaf, oregano, tarragon, white cheddar. Oak is assertively present but not overwhelming. Place dominates over grapes here, as it's a mix of Clairette and Grenache Blanc and a hodge-podge of other things. — 10 years ago

Andrew Lampasone

Owner Wine Watch Selections

9.7

One of the first cult wines this is the third vintage by bob levy and bill Harlan — 12 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

William Hughes

9.3

Aging beautifully! Still loads of currant and lavender. Add a touch of iodine and some more black fruit, mix with lean tannins and fine acidity. Here is to Maryland wines! — 7 years ago

Rob Mayes

9.7

Outstanding. Winner of the weekend. — 8 years ago

Rose’s Cafe

9.1

Nice! Juicy with notes of oak and vanilla. 😀🍷 — 9 years ago

Kelsey Redd

9.0

Chardonnay: tropical fruit, butterscotch, pineapple, peach, nectarine. Oak character. Rich texture and a creamy mouth-feel. — 9 years ago

Lili Brock

10

Excellent. Sweet but not overbearing. — 9 years ago

RIPE Cheese & Booze Pairings

8.9

Brightly bitter, with a long yeasty, wheaty finish. Yum! — 10 years ago

Nathan Evans

9.0

Delicious! Very aromatic and sweet! — 10 years ago

Leslie Faison

8.9

It definitely needs to breathe a but but its good. Fruity without being too sweet. I drank it after a long work week and frankly it did the trick! Worth a try and a good wine to bring to a party of non/wine drinkers alike. — 10 years ago

Patrick Knöfler

8.9

The wine was medium to dark garnet in colour. On day one it offered red fruit, cherry, balsamic vinegar, cola, leather, mushroom, earthy and vegetal notes and a wet sewer component on the nose. On the palate the the wine showed red fruit, cherry, blackberry, tobacco and earthy notes, the acidity was quite pronounced, the wine became slightly drying and even more acidic after some time in the glass, and the fruit faded a bit. Two days later, on day three, the medium-bodied wine was more balanced and showed red and dark fruit, some chocolate, some tobacco, spices and earthy notes on the nose, and red fruit, cherry, leather, tobacco, earthy and balsamic notes on the palate, with just a faint touch of greenness, paired with medium-plus well-integrated tannin, medium-plus acidity and very good length. I had almost written-off the wine on day one and then, surprisingly, it showed much better the third day. Holding-up well. 90 — 11 years ago