Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

1988 vintage. Feminine-styled. Ran into some resistance back in the day with the (re-) emergence of this Château and the massive 85/86 and 89/90 efforts. Eff all that. The 1989 AND 1990 vintages probs the best this Château has ever realized. The 1988 slid in then and performed delicate magick. That cocoa powder and blueberry combo still coming forth with undeniable impressions. Whereas those four “bigger” vintages rocked harder, all four have had more noticeable drop off. This 1988 just doing its best La Mission Haut-Brion/Haut-Brion impression and pulling it off. No rush to crush. 5.13.26. — 16 days ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Just really starting to hit its perfect drink window. Really excellent Blanc de Blanc. Green apple, lime pulp with zest, amazing freshness & acidity. — 2 months ago

Steven Larsen

9.3

it’s interesting because this bottle was not properly kept for several years, the cork fell apart upon opening, but this 1983 vintage ,was still delightfully good ! in spite of the improperly kept history, as a Sauturne. It has a nice delightful, sweet and aromatic taste that was quite pleasant to drink. It was open today, March 22, 2026. — 2 months ago

Jay Kline

9.1

This bottle of the 1984 Insignia was opened about 30min before service and enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The wine pours a deep garnet with a slightly browning rim and an opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and plenty of sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of desiccated black fruits: blackberries, black cherry, Chunky beef stew, mushroom, eucalyptus, leather, organic earth and baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. A mature wine what’s still lovely; full of secondary and tertiary notes. Drink now. — 3 months ago

Tom Garland

9.1

Double decant and pour(lots of fine sediment). A striking still dark purplish garnet color with bricking. On the nose: Alluring perfumed notes of red/blue fruit, smoked meat, tobacco, vanilla, eucalyptus, wet forest floor, cloves. Taste: silky, old school restraint, elegant wine with some red fruit, leather, earth, dried herbs, tobacco, and a medium spiced smokey wood finish. Did not wow, but still a pleasure to drink at 38 years. — a month ago

with Brenda

Andrew Cullimore

9.3

5th wine . medium deep ruby , touch more garnet . Slightly wider rim . Quite cool and mineral again , more grafite with some cool cassis , blackberry. On the palate this is slightly lighter in body , leaner perhaps but very elegant , fresh and quite saline, tobacco , grafite and herbal tinges on the finish . Reasonable saline length. Fine lightly grippy tannins , good acidity . This is showing quite well though would perhaps benefit from a few more years . Better in 3-5 years and drink well a further 7- 10 . The next day this actually shows a little better , elegant and refined, nothing showy , very Lafite , so I’m glad I guessed this correctly ! Overall this was a very interesting tasting , there is nothing showy or remarkable about the 2006 1st growths , they are quite classic and also showing quite a lot of structure still , with good freshness though they perhaps lack a little stuffing and intensity . They were quite even quality wise, with the high points being the Mouton (though the Lafite improved the following day to upgrade its score and draw level ) and the low point being a relatively disappointing Margaux . The vintage will continue to improve over the next 5 perhaps 10 years in general , though they may always just lack a little density and excitement . — 2 months ago

Jan A

9.6

Could use 5 more years, but nevertheless a joy to drink — 3 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of several hours. The 2023 pours a deep ruby/garnet with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity and moderate staining of the tears. On the nose the wine is developing with heady notes of tart cherry, mixed brambles, spearmint, red and purple flowers, old school permanent marker, licorice, tomato, green herbs, clove and stony earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and the body is, ooof…very nice. Another delicious vintage of Cuvée Réservée. Drink now through 2043. — a month ago

romo

9.4

When your 66 Bdx spills on your 97 cab, you drink it. A beautiful California endangered species. — 2 months ago

Paul K

9.7

This is incredible. Such great balance of so many parts. It’s dense, savory, smoky, floral, and juicy with great acidity. The fruit is there but not pronounced, blackberry and cassis- just a balanced part of the whole. I could drink this every night. — 3 months ago