Andrew Cullimore

9.5

Medium ruby , quite narrow ruby pink rim . Light spice and mix of summer fruits , floral , seashell , mineral notes . Touch of scorched earth and cocoa . On the palate a mix of summer fruits, with a saline kick in the mid palate , long and involving, balanced alcohol, very balanced acidity with velvety but noticeable tannins . Very elegant and graceful . Will need time, but less than the Haut Brion , in 15-20 years this will be fantastic . — 9 days ago

Shay A

9.2

Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.

A treat to try this next to the ‘88, and also against a mini-flight of Leoville Barton. This ‘14 was shockingly odd…unbelievably high toned, sharp, and bing cherry driven aromatically. It actually has this weird cherry reduction profile but also a malic/butter note that needs time to blow off. Crème de cassis and red licorice on the palate with a small amount of graphite. A lot of Calistoga cabs for me show the warmth of the region and this evidently is in that vein, but it’s very Montelena-esque at the end of the day. I’d hold another 5-7yrs. — 16 days ago

Jan de Weerd

9.5

We visited there in the early summer of 2015 and now we got to try the fruits of their labor in the vineyard we witnessed at that time. A bio-dynamic vineyard with horse and plow 😁. Their wines are fantastic. This wine was richer in fruit and more expressive than perhaps characteristic for the Pauillac region. But the layers of earth infused flavors and the most subtle hint of ‘barnyard’ made it a sensation. Topped off with a grippy finish keeping the flavors lingering in your throat. www.spokenwines.com. — 2 months ago

with Tammy

Steven Heydemann

9.3

9.3++. Beautiful now bit very young with a great future ahead of it. — 3 days ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.6

Medium ruby , slighter narrower ruby / pink rim , a little less bright . Slightly deeper , darker fruits , blueberry, violets , with scorched earth , mineral and grafite . On the palate , more intensity and power perhaps , more noticeable though still velvety tannin , dark fruits , mineral , saline , fresh cigar. Lovely fresh acidity , balanced alcohol . Long saline , mineral tinged, slightly toasty finish . Needs time obviously , but will be one of the great wines from a great vintage in 20 years, just wait — 9 days ago

Tom Garland

9.3

+3 hour decant(some chunky/fine sediment). A remarkable dark garnet color. On the nose: dark plum/currants, forest floor, touch of mint and leather, smokey brisket. Taste: layered, structured, dry wine with plum, cassis, tobacco, cedar, currants and a tangy spiced raspberry medium plus finish. YUM! No hurry, time to go. — a month ago

with Brenda

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

1999 vintage. Decanted and tasted after four hours. Medium/heavy body. Intense, dark color. Earthy, tannic nose. Plenty of grip and fruit and showing beautiful balance now. Not an Insignia fan but this was excellent and has plenty of quality time left. No rush to crush. 71% Cab, 21% Merlot, 6% PV, 1% Cab Franc, 1% Malbec. 3.5.24. — 2 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.5

Medium lemon yellow , persistent fine perlage . At first quite shy , needs a bit of time to get going . Then buttered pastry , confit lemon and roast nuts , quite bold and rich , just a hint of chalky minerality . On the palate the richer , deeper theme continues , those pastry and buttery notes , confit lemon and a creamy mouthfeel . Long balanced finish , the chalky acidity really helping to cut through richer , mouth filling profile . Coming back to this at the end of the meal , having sat 6 hours in the glass , this still shows remarkable freshness and life. This seems young to me still , certainly has everything for a long life ahead , better in 5 years perhaps and will show well a further 10-15 perhaps . — 9 days ago

Jae Cho

9.2

First time tasting the ‘19 vintage, and the Produttori edged out one of my fave under the radar barolistas this early on. Maybe because it released sooner? Both red fruited with sour cherries and elegant tamed tannin/acid, but the Produttori had another gear of sweet incense and hard candy. The vintage does remind me of a more approachable’13 from a tannin perspective. — a month ago

Dan Huddleston

9.5

Lots of eucalyptus at opening. 15 mins in it begins to settle in. Leather, mushroom on the nose with the ever present eucalyptus. Really well structure fruit on the palette, a tinge of acidity and a bit sharp on the finish. More time in the glass brings a balance that’s amazing for a 39 year old wine. Thankfully no one here to share!
— 2 months ago