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. — 5 days ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Dark cherry, berry fruit, currant, menthol with sweet & savory spice — 6 days ago

Nathan Renfro

9.3

First time tasting the 2019 Bard. Big wine. Big ripe fruit - I’m getting mostly black with some red and hints of blue. Graphite. Lavender. Softened yet big chewy tannins. Acidity holding in strong at this point. Drinking well now with just a brief decant, but I can see this one really hitting a sweet spot in a few more years. — 6 days ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Most of the wines I open tell me a story w/ each sip. Most tied to my late wife Sofia. My memories of this producer precedes her.

This is a producer that flashed early in my wine journey. Generally, one you have moved on from today. That’s until, their 2013 is offered at $39 recently. A grand vintage. For me, I wanted to see the wineries progression and experience earlier memories that flood back w/ each sip. It has done that.

I have a Napa history infatuation. This one is kinda of a pleasure-pain thing. While I enjoyed this producer many years ago, the 2020 Glass Fires destroyed 90% of their vineyards, almost all their structures & their 19 & 20 vintages. I can’t express enough what a gut punch that is for its owners & staff. It is an insurance nightmare and let’s not forget that after all the time it takes to re-plant vines, it takes at least 7 years before you get useable fruit to make wine. So…a ten yr plus setback w/ nearly no revenue stream.

The wine tonight w/o a ribeye, showed excellent fruits that the 13 growing season brought. But what followed was a lean mid plate and finish. With the steak, not so.

The palate shows M+ velvety, dry tannins. Ripe, rich, lush, ruby fruits of: blackberries, black plum, baked plum, dark cherries, black raspberries, raspberries, poached & fresh strawberries & an understated array of purple fruits. Moist, grey, volcanic clays, moist tobacco w/ ash, used leather, graphite, dry, crushed rocks/limestone-sandstone, dry brush, dark cola, black licorice to anise, dry herbs-bay leaf, sage, dark, mid spice with some palate heat, sweet tarriness, dark, fresh, candied & withering red roses, lavender & dry violets, excellent acidity with a well balanced-knitted, nicely structured & tensioned, elegant finish that lasts minutes and long sets on dry earth & spice.

This is nice on its own but so much better with a ribeye. 92 on its own with a hour decant. 92-93+ with an hour decant plus a juicy, well seasoned MR ribeye. — 20 days ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.3

Left Bank blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (57%), Merlot (27%) and a surprising 16% of Petite Verdot! Dark ruby color with black and purple highlights. Aromas of both red and black fruit, cedar, graphite and smoky minerals. Flavors of blackberry, raspberry and red/black currant fruit with additional flavors of tobacco, dark chocolate and savory spices. Long and expressive finish with exceptional balance and very smooth tannins. Great combination of fruit and tertiary notes. Exceptional QPR for good quality Bordeaux. Outstanding aging potential. Really appreciate you serving this one, Kase! — 12 days ago

Tom Garland

9.4

1 hour decant(decent chunky sediment). A striking medium purplish garnet color with bricking. On the nose: Inviting notes of dried red fruit, currants, pencil shavings, floral, stewed meat, milk chocolate. Taste: fully mature, savory, silky wine with dried plum, ground coffee, earth, minerals, tobacco, and a sour cherry/green bell pepper/graphite long finish. YUM!! Drink em if you got em. — 11 days ago

with Brenda

Jol

9.2

Apres vingt ans c est du velours selon Serge dubs — 7 days ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.3

2016 vintage. It is hard to go wrong with Saint-Julien in this excellent vintage, even if most of them are just starting to open up. Talbot 2016 will still need a few years to show its full potential, but it can be enjoyed today with a little air. — 3 days ago

David Kline

9.6

2013. Dark presence with violet-black from edge to end. Unctious. El Capitan tears with solar flare outcroppings linear paralleling across the cliff face. Lovely mushroom and earth interplay here with blackberry bourgeoning and black olive wisps. Forêt Noir leanings with brittle and toffee behind a curious veil of grill smoke. Palate is met with a rush of intense flavor, warm dark chocolate and raw nib, concentrated black cherry, cedar, blackberries and red currant, ripe blackberry, licorice, tobacco, and a drop of treacle. Wild resonance! Flavor permanences.

#Colgin #colginIXestate #2013 #Napa #StHelena — 8 days ago

Amelia Mowry, CSW

9.6

Aromas of blueberry, black currant, lavender and rose petals. Earthy graphite and savory herb favors with hints of spice and cocoa powder in the glass. Creamy and fine grain tannin finish. Could have aged for another 20 years easy. — 4 days ago

with Lou, Cristian and 1 other