Jay Kline

9.7

“Hello, old friend!” It’s been a couple years since I last enjoyed the ‘96 Krug and I’m very pleased to report, not much has changed!

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 1996 pours a straw color with a persistent mousse. On the nose, the wine remains developing with powerful notes of ripe orchard fruit, raspberries, marzipan, lemon curd, fresh brioche, hazelnuts and minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with high acidity. Confirming the notes from the nose. The balance of fruit to structure is ridiculous. The finish still goes forever and the texture is divine. Drink now with patience through 2056. — 14 days ago

Gabriella Boros

10

A perfect wine. Balanced and complex. A gorgeous first hit of plum with a hint of cherry. So broad fruit at first but then settles on the tongue with a noise terror of tannin. No bitterness just smooth and lovely. Girgeous wine. 2010 vintage gift bottle from Donna and Anders — a month ago

Sagee Aran

9.3

Leaning into a distinctly understated style, this vintage keeps things subtle rather than overwhelming. On the nose, it offers a gentle mix of dried herbs, earth, and soft red cherry. On the palate, the wine feels graceful and light, focusing entirely on proportion rather than heavy extraction or punchy concentration. While the tannins remain firm, it ultimately feels like an elegant wine where you just expected a bit more.
​The wine is perhaps at it's quieter window...well-made and structural, but lacking the mid-palate fireworks or dramatic nose you expect at that price point and prestige. — a month ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

1999 vintage. Nice fill. Used a Durand. Solid cork with approx 50% saturation. Decanted and tasted after two hours. That decided Lynch-Bages medium heavy bod. Has dropped some, not all, of the overt primary fruit load. Pleasant spices and feminine characteristics easily noted and cataloged. Pretty harmonious now tho with a little chunkiness/tannic blessing as more of a fleeting kiss vs a big hug. Could easily go another decade in this ensemble. 6.14.26. — 2 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

2023 vintage. 6.3.26. — 3 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

2022 vintage. Medium-heavy body. Needs time/patience but shows pretty well currently if you're out of either/both. 6.3.26. — 3 months ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.3

vintage 2013 | Awesome. Cinnamon. Truffle. Elegance and refinement. — 4 months ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.3

Yet another outstanding vintage (2020) of this consistently excellent Co-Op produced Barbaresco. Aromas of red fruit, dried rose petals and anise. Flavors of bright red cherry and raspberry fruit, mint, Asian spices, minerals and orange zest. Long and earthy/smoky finish. Fantastic balance, structure and depth. Fine grained tannins and a silky texture yet still firm and powerful. So delicious now, but built to age for at least another decade. The quality consistency of this wine vintage to vintage is incredible. Outstanding value! Thanks so much for opening this one, Keith S! Happy 60th Birthday, Karyn! — 4 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.6

1977 vintage. Last tasted 12.23.23 (9.6). Opened and filtered into a decanter. Tons of chunky sed trapped in the bowels of the bottle thank goodness. Tasted after 1 hour. Still top-notch and still going to outlive your born/unborn children. Great vintage port has a way of eliminating your rationalizations, excuses and contrived nonsense and cutting immediately to the bottom line. Prepare to be boarded. 8.1.26. — a month ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

I recently had a conversation with a few Joseph Phelps Ambassador’s at Pebble Beach Food & Wine in April. I said, I had every vintage of Insignia back to 2006 in storage. They said, “you should really drink up the 2006.” So, I coravined an 06 last weekend, a taste. I agreed then. But tonight not the case, it shows it still has a fair amount of life. Another 5-8 yrs and perhaps plus.

My Ribcap, a definition of Medium Rare Plus.

The nose reveals floral; blackberries, black raspberries, both plums, poached strawberries, dark cherries and blue fruit notes. Melted dark chocolate, mocha, caramel, softly layered baking spices, very underrated graphite, steeped tea, mid berry cola, red licorice, limestone powder, dry top soil, dry twig, red, dark candied to slightly withering florals w/ liquid violet cola.

The palate shows well resolved, rounded, velvety M+ tannins. Nicely ripe fruits that are floral; blackberries, black raspberries, both plums, poached strawberries, dark cherries and blue fruit notes. Melted dark chocolate, mocha, caramel river, softly layered baking spices-clove, nutmeg, cinnamon stick & vanillin, warm caramel, dark Asian spices with palate burrowing heat, dry tobacco/ leather, cedar, grilled meats, very underrated graphite, sweet tarriness, black licorice, steeped tea, mid berry cola, red licorice, limestone powder, dry top soil, dry twig, red, dark candied to slightly withering florals w/ liquid violet cola, candied to withering; dark, red, blue florals wrapped in liquid violets, epic rainfall acidity, well balanced-structured-toned, elegant finish that lasts minutes and falls on earth & heated spice.

95-96 peaking. — a month ago

GaryWEdwards

9.6

This is lovely wine and 10 years later, it’s still not quite ready for prime time. It’s a long runner so no real hurry. The cassis and cocoa will integrate with the dark berry eventually but I’m gonna let this rest another 5-10 years to enjoy as this vintage and this wine deserves. It’s very good now. Don’t get me wrong and it’s perfectly approachable but greater potential lies Ashe’s — 2 months ago

Doug Powers

9.3

[8 hour decant] This is from a very fine lot of 1977 Graham’s I purchased in the mid-to-late 1990s from a small Napa importer, and is at the level of the 1977 Fonseca we drank last week, sweet, nice weight and balance, long, lingering finish, very nice!! — 3 months ago

with Jim

Stephen Fitzpatrick

9.1

2023 Vintage. A very pleasant and easy drinking Napa Cab up front. Decent aroma on the nose, vibrant notes of cherry and blackberry, delicately structured tannins, with a very smooth finish. Not chewy or viscous, but still a bold Cab flavor that resonates with the right amount of spice. Would gladly enjoy again. — 4 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

1982 vintage. Last tasted 6.1.24 (9.4) and nearly 9 years ago (9.0). Courtesy of Monsieur @Bill Bender. Sweet fill. Opened with a Durand. Cork 95% saturated. A little reticent in the early going and decanted a third of the bottle to see if that would pull the juice out of a sullen funk. It did, so the remainder got decanted whilst throwing much less sed than expected. Medium body still. Slightly brickish and plenty fleshy with well-integrated complexity. Very pleasant and lingering finish. A great bottle with more than could reasonably be expected at this juncture. Thank you, Bill! 4.24.26. — 4 months ago

with Bill

Jay Kline

9.5

I started to write a note for the 2014 and then, when I was nearly finished, I recalled that I had previously enjoyed this vintage a few years back. I went back to my notes on May 24, 2023 and I gotta say, my notes still nailed it. Liquid stars. Drink now until your last breath. — 16 hours ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Better with the Rib-cap. The 08 vintage was spotty to good. This one shows the shortcomings of the 08 vintage. Really good fruit, but lacks typical, depth, mid palate, and length.

The nose is class Bordeaux.Ripe to ruby fruits of, black plum skin, slightly syrupy blackberries, plum, dark cherry liqueur, strawberries, dark currants. Dark chocolate cake with glaze, screaming, lead pencil shavings, tobacco, leather, dry riverstone, limestone marl, forest floor with dry leaves, soft, incense, black, licorice, red, cola, dry herbs, tomato, leaf, with dark and red flowers, framed in violets.

The palate is ripe to ruby fruits of, black plum skin, slightly syrupy blackberries, plum, dark cherry liqueur, strawberries, dark currants. Dark chocolate cake with glaze, screaming, lead pencil shavings, deep, dark spice that expands wide, nutmeg, cinnamon stick, caramel and vanillin, dry tobacco with ash, leather, dry riverstone, limestone marl, dry crushed rocks, forest floor with dry leaves, moist clays, soft, incense, black, licorice, red, cola, savory dry herbs, tomato leaf, dry oak barrel shaving to cedar with dark and red flowers, framed in violets, acidity is ok, just not right, finish is good, not great, it falls hard on spice and is short of a minute.

93 with the Rib-cap. Green Bean from my organic gsrden. Drink now through 2035. — 18 hours ago

Turd Ferguson

9.5

That’ll do — 2 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

2010 vintage. Decanted and tasted immediately. Lean and mean. Medium body but only because of the concentration. Dark fruits and plenty of espresso influence evident. Slightly less delicate than other P-C efforts fortunate enuff to taste. Tighter than the outstanding 2009 upon initial impressions. Needed more time to coddle this one but couldn't carve it out. ***EDIT 6.27.26***Delectable was having a moment during the review process and couldn't access previous wines/research properly, so went with memory. Ha so bad. It WASN'T the 2009 I thought I previously had. Actually confused vintages and had this exact 2010 vintage on 12.5.25 (9.6) with enough time to appreciate properly. The 2010 quickie was still nice at 9.4 but not nearly as good as being 9.6 romanced properly. 6.20.26. — 2 months ago

Doug Powers

9.1

Big, rich, ripe LBV with awesome fruit and structure, lacks the subtlety of the 1977 Graham’s vintage, but a great LBV as a sipper!! — 3 months ago

with Jim

romo

9.5

It’s nice to be born just inside of a great vintage across Europe. Sound and fim, still. at Laurelhurst — 4 months ago