Brandon T

9.6

My favorite in the TOP lineup hands down. Always great and paired well with shrimp and grits. — 3 years ago

Eric

9.6

This is the Grenache Mouved. High end leather belts and bacon. — 4 years ago

Kirk F

9.4

Another spectacular effort from @Stanley Barrios thanks brother! So great to spend time with u and Elena tonight. Can’t wait to get into the new releases now and to visit again this summer. Bottle that Rosè!!! — 6 years ago

barak heller hayun

9.0

🙈 tasting 6th wine
at wset level 2 course (5th meeting)

2nd of a tempranillo couple.

strawberry, blackcurrant and oak 👃

medium acidity.
medium tannins.
medium body.

rich 👄 of red and black fruit, spices and some oak.

long 🎯

great wine, not to my liking.

no wine in this class made me really happy...
the Rieslings weren't top class, the rest not specially made for me. — 6 years ago

Kirk F

9.4

Amazing after 2 hour decant. @Stanley Barrios great recommendation. Stunning wine. — 6 years ago

Tree Kilpatrick

9.3

Fairly fruity on the nose. Hint of black pepper and something earthy/mineral. Flavor is very dry. Dried strawberries and red vines. Classic jammy Zin thing. Some pomegranate molasses perhaps. Fresh and zinfulliciuos. Plenty of tannin to give it more bite than Zin usually achieves. Complex. True. Enjoyable. — 7 years ago

V M

9.7

Age has done this well. Underrated vintage of mouton. The nose is big and signature mouton with some glycerine and tar, some barnyard funk, and some baked berries. Palate is super vibrant yet smooth and sings of dark berries, cherries, Christmas spice cake, and a touch of herbs. Finish is polished yet lingers. Really great and a surprise for an underrated year. Only knock is it lacks a bit of depth vs some of the real top vintages but still what a showing — 7 years ago

Sara Saini

9.0

Great but not worth the price. — 8 years ago

Blair Campomizzi

9.3

Big Caymus fan. Rich and creamy with hints of vanilla on top of dark berry and licorice flavors. — 10 years ago

George Chen

9.3

A shocker for a 94! Better than any Bordeaux 94 I can remember. Lush mouth feel of top Pomerol and sustained elegant richness throughout. Only slightly dried out after 2 hours and drank the bits of sediment. — 10 years ago

Lewis Chester

8.9

2007 vintage in magnum. Very closed nose. Sweet feel on the palate. Slightly caramelised. Good acidity keeps finish clean. It's ok. — 11 years ago

Scott Stephens

9.8

Ulee's Cabin, on top of the mountain in Crested Butte, only accessible by Snow-Cat. — 12 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

1986 vintage. Tasting like it was nearish the top on the downward slope. Unified palate push. That great old Bordeaux nose. Light-medium body. Ullage appropriate. The feminine characteristics that are the lifeblood of this producer almost completely absent with this bottle. Had this been blind, woulda speculated this to be a 1985-1989 upper-crust St. Julien. All that said, still very very nice. The near-perfect 1989 specimen tasted a little more than a week ago reminded me more of the previous encounters with the 1986 than this encounter with the 1986. — 3 years ago

Trevor Brown

9.8

Slight note of honey before the first draw. Bold, but smooth and fully bodied. The flavor is immediately reminiscent of something twice it's age. It's difficult or impossible to oversaturate the flavor on the finish, it's very dry without being too dry. — 4 years ago

Eric Urbani

9.2

Caymus like extracted style, one of the top Paso cabs — 6 years ago

Andrew Anthony

10

Sharing some wonderful GSM with family! — 6 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.3

From a great old looking bottle with a top shoulder fill and solid cork. Old light brick color, translucent. Notes of tart cherry, cola, some wood and some dry earth. Rustic. Still has reasonable fruit and structure. This bottle was better than the last one. — 7 years ago

Kelley Rochna

10

#1 top Wine Spectator! — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

One of my favorite Napa producers & vintages from Philip Togni.

On the nose, ripe, perfumed florals, creamy fruits of; blackberries, mulberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, raspberries, plum and strawberries on the glass edges. Vibrant baking spices; vanilla, light cinnamon, clove & nutmeg. Dark smooth spices, mocha chocolate with caramel, dark berry cola, notes of black licorice, sweet tar, forest floral, fresh tobacco leaf, just a touch of dry herbs, graphite, loamy clay and dark, fresh red florals with lavender & violets.

The body is, round, ruby, lush & full. The structure, tension, length have just tipped to the very beginnings of the waning stage but, the balance is incredible. Ripe, perfumed florals, creamy fruits of; blackberries, mulberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, raspberries, plum and strawberries on the glass edges. Vibrant baking spices; vanilla, light cinnamon, clove & nutmeg. Dark smooth spices, mocha chocolate with caramel, dark berry cola, chalky volcanic minerals with some grit, crushed dry rocks, notes of black licorice, sweet tar, forest floral, tobacco with ash, soft leather, saddle-wood, some underbrush, just a touch of dry herbs, graphite, loamy clay and dark, fresh red florals with lavender & violets. The round acidity is near perfect. The long, round, ripe, ruby, lush, well balanced finish sings on the palate for minutes.

Photos of, the Philip Togni vineyard, cellar staff-Salvador Sanchez, Philip Togni and his daughter Lisa and their barrel room.

Producer notes and history...Philip Togni was born in England and earned a degree (the Dipome National d’Oenologie) at the University of Bordeaux under Emile Peynaud. World famous Winemaker & mega Wine Consultant Michel Rolland also studied under Emile.

After his studies, Philip Togni moved to the Napa Valley in 1959. His first job was planting vines at Mayacamas.

In his career, he has been the Winemaker for Chalone, Chappellet, Cuvaison, Gallo, Inglenook and Sterling before starting his own winery.

Philip Togni was the Winemaker at Chapellet when they made one of the top wines from the 1960’s, the legendary 1969 Chapellet.

Philip Togni Vineyards were founded in 1975 when he purchased 25 acres atop Spring Mountain at an elevation of 2,000 feet. It took until 1981 to plant the vineyard. Sadly, he had to replant in the early 1990’s due to phylloxera.

The winery released its first vintage in 1983, a Sauvignon Blanc. However, he no longer produces white wine.

It took a few more years until the first Cabernet Sauvignon wines were produced at the estate. The debut vintage for Philip Togni Cabernet was the 1985 vintage. The initial vintages of Philip Togni were 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Philip Togni does not produce wines with high alcohol. A style from Napa that is sorely missed by me.

The style of his wines are Left bank. Left Bank wines had a big influence on his winemaking and the estate. However, if you have ever spent time looking at his labels for alcohol levels, they’re nowhere to be found.

During the 1980’s, the BATF allowed wineries to state that their wine had the alcoholic strength of a table wine, which was around 7% to 14%. For wineries that had not requested to change their labels, those wineries were not forced to provide specific percent of alcohol. If their labels remain unchanged from their label during the 1980’s, they were only required to state the wine as table wine.

The vineyard contains rocky and clay soils at 2,000 feet. Like Howell Mountain, the vineyard is well above the fog line, which allows for more sunlight and riper fruit.

The Estate is planted to 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.

Philip Togni makes three wines:

Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon. It is aged in 40% new, French oak barrels for an average of 20 months before bottling.

Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon is a big, powerful, tannic when wine young. PT requires longer cellar time. It’s made from ripe mountain fruit that can easily take a 10 to 20 year to fully mature. And trust me, it is closer to 20 years of aging before it’s ready to drink.

Philip Togni also produces a second wine called “Tanbark Hill.” It’s named after a prominent hill near the Estate. Tanbark Hill is a 3 1/2-acre parcel of young vines. A very good second wine for less money.

The third wine is Philip Togni Ca’ and is sweet red dessert wine that is produced from the grape, Black Hamburgh. This grape was popular in the Napa Valley before Prohibition. Black Hamburgh is also know as Black Muscat. It is a grape variety derived from the crossing of the Schiava Grossa and Muscat of Alexandria by R. Snow of Bedforshire, England in 1850, according to my studies.

Philip Togni remains a family Winery. The estate is managed by Philip Togni (in his 90’s), his wife Brigitta Togni and their daughter Lisa Togni. In time, it is expected that Lisa Togni will take over the estate.

— 7 years ago

James Hart

9.5

Spicy, liquorice plums, wrapped up in cedar wood. Very long finish. Top notch. — 11 years ago

Jose Merino

9.7

This was a vertical of 38 vintages to celebrate Joseph Phelps Insignia 40th anniversary! The 74' and 77' were the wines that came on top from the 70's vintage. — 13 years ago

Deborah M

9.3

Another one from last night’s birthday dinner. I had a little left to revisit on day 2 and it is still amazing. What a classic. I could sit with this for a long time. The smokey, deep dark fruit/licorice, and velvety mouthfeel, all make this wine shine. This one will definitely improve with more age. Easily one of the top 5 wines of the year for me. — 3 years ago

Alexandre Pagliano

9.3

Very dark rubi robe, blackcurrant, tobacco and top soil notes followed by a fresh, balanced and complex mid palate. Great Pauillac and no rush. — 4 years ago

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10

The 1945 Haut-Brion is poured against the legendary 1945 Mouton and might just have come out on top. It is difficult to put this wine into words. Showing modest bricking, it presents a sublime bouquet of vibrant red fruit, warm gravel, wilted rose petals and a hint of earthenware. It is crystalline in terms of definition. The palate follows suit with pitch-perfect acidity, a very slight, refreshing hint of balsamic, and finely chiseled tannins. Beguiling in every way, this is a profound Haut-Brion that is absolutely flawless. Tasted at Koala's 1945 dinner. (Neal Martin, Vinous, May 2020)
— 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

When in doubt, a sure bet is a well aged, good vintage Heitz. @Eric Shanks

I intended to grab an 06 but, mistakenly grabbed an 07. I’ve not had one of my 06’s yet...next weekend.

The one thing I do every time I open one of my ten year or older Heitz Napa Cabernet’s is smile & think, this was sub $35 at Costco. It’s the wine feeling/definition of stealing candy from babies.

The nose is a beautiful harmony of fruit, earth and florals. Steeped, somewhat stewed, candied fruits of; dark currants/cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, mix of purple fruits; boysenberries, ollieberries, & mulberries. Dark, sweet tarriness, anise to black licorice, touch of incense, fire ambers, dark spices with violets palate heat, chocolate pudding, vanilla, light; cinnamon, clove & nutmeg, dark chocolate, caramel, sweet, soft, dark spice, dark berry cola, dark cherry kirsch, dark, rich earth, limestone, crushed, dry rocks, dry top soil, moist clay, understated herbs & dry brush, brewed coffee, mint, some sage & bay leaf, tobacco, dry, old leather with amazing, fresh & slightly withering & candied; dark, red, blue, purple with a violet & lavender frame. The acidity is splendid. The long, ripe, ruby, lush, elegant, well crafted balance of fruit & earth is delicious and persists endlessly with a dark spice on the long set.

The body is; delightful, ripe, rich, lush & full. The structure, tension, length and balance are woven in a perfect tapestry. This 07 has another 10-15 years easily. The tannins are rounded, smooth but, still have a dark, chewy, tarriness with baby teeth. The beauty of the vintage is on full display. Steeped, somewhat stewed, candied fruits of; dark currants/cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, mix of purple fruits; boysenberries, ollieberries, & mulberries. Dark, sweet tarriness, anise to black licorice, touch of incense, fire ambers, chocolate pudding, vanilla, light; cinnamon, clove & nutmeg, dark & milk chocolate, caramel, sweet, soft, dark spice, dark berry cola, dark cherry kirsch, dark, rich earth, limestone, crushed, dry rocks, dry top soil, moist clay & dry brush, brewed coffee, mint, tobacco, dry, old leather with amazing, fresh & slightly withering & candied ; dark, red, blue, purple with a violet & lavender frame. The acidity is perfect. The finish is; rich, ripe, ruby, candied, well balanced fruit & earth, elegant and long sets into velvety, round tannins and mid dark spices.

Photos of; the winery, tasting patio, old basket press and wide shot of the winery & Estate vines. — 6 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.2

Paired with 96 and 85 LB for fun. Dark, opaque and purple. Over the top with its fruit and teeth chattering tannins. Great to see what these start like and where they go in 20-40 years. — 8 years ago

Hannah DeYoung

9.0

Silky, fruity yet sophisticated in an unpretentious way — 8 years ago

Eric Egan

9.5

Another level... Still dense at the core, with steady, attractive bricking: Wonderfully dense nose of blackcurrents, pencil shavings, fine tanned leather, and a hint of woodland floor (fine moss, leaves, and fresh soil after an autumn shower). Velvety tannins and great acidity. Along with the '66 this is one of my all-time favourite Bordeaux vintages. Seems to be keeping up better than the '61s I've had over the last few years!

We drank half of it from the coravin before waxing the top in case the cork had lost too much elasticity to self-seal. I'll have the rest with my brother in a few weeks' time! — 9 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

Lewis Chester

9.3

1999 vintage. Really good. Top form. — 11 years ago