Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

2016 vintage. Decanted and tasted after 15 minutes and one hour. Mostly front and mid-palate push. Medium body. Some spice. Some chunk. Some fruit. Fairly balanced. Needs to sort out some issues and will likely show better in 3-5 years. 6.12.26. — 12 days ago

Lisa Stecker

9.2

2020- very smooth finish, slight pepper hint on the front. After airing it is quite smooth and a beautiful treat. — 3 years ago

A B

9.6

2000 has really come in nicely. Tobacco and leather up front, with mellow oak, carbon, and earth, complimented by allspice, cinnamon, and vanilla, with hints of wild blackberry. Silky smooth from start to finish. Really enjoyed. Celebrating indigo with Garett, Josie, and Tara. — 4 years ago

Chrissy O'Hara

9.2

Really changes once aired out. Tart on the front end peppery on the back end. It’s like a chameleon, always a lizard — 4 years ago

Rick Stiles

9.0

Up front tannins and loooong medium fruit with pronounced cedar and plumb. Very smooth and mellow all the way to the end. I venture to say it would be better with a few more years in the bottle, but we couldn’t take it anymore. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Been awhile since I pulled out an Insigna.

The 03 Pichon Lalande is the better wine and steak pairing. However, Napa Cabernet is the choice to finish steak and enjoy on its own after. You never want to do Napa before Bordeaux IMHO. It’s much harder to adjust from sweeter to something more earthy.

Enjoyed the 05 as my score reflects. I don’t remember it being as sweet as it was in previous tastings. Still quite good. It just tipped my sweet scale a little too much.

The body is, rich, lush & round. It’s achieved good evolution after 13 years in bottle and will continue to improve over the next 6-8 years and last another 15 years. As I mentioned, the fruit was ripe & sweet. Blackberries, black plum, black raspberries, plums, hints of blueberries and strawberries haunting the backend. Rich, dark earth, Rutherford dusty tannins and dry soils, purple cola, touch of fresh tobacco & graphite, light baking spices of; cinnamon, dash of clove, nutmeg and vanillin, anise to black licorice, saddle-wood, used leather, dry stems, some dry, crushed rocks/limestone with red, dark, purple and blue florals. The acidity round and nicely executed. The finish was similar wire to wire. It’s, lush, rich, elegant, touch too sweet, polished, well balanced & knitted with a soft, persistent, dark spice on the long set. Very enjoyable second bottle.

Photos of; Joseph Phelps Winery & sloping estate vines, inside lounge are with views of the back side, tasting terrace and front lobby/salon area upon entering past check in. — 6 years ago

with Christina and James

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. — a month ago

Wulf Losee

9.3

2021 opened April 2025. This is a luscious wine, but I can’t help but nitpick. All the individual components are very one-dimensional. That’s not to say they all don’t work together well to make a great wine – but there’s nothing challenging on the palate about this vintage. If you like the monolithic cabs produced by Opus 1, then this wine is for you. However, I’d prefer a little more quirky individualism in my tipples.

The nose is overwhelmingly tobacco. The front is heavy with red fruit. The tannic structure is heavy, smooth, and silky. It has a medium long finish with hints of volcanic minerals. This wine is so perfect that it’s boring. If you like perfect perfection then up my score to 100 points, but I like the little challenges that quirky vintages give me. — a year ago

Mike Saviage

10

Day 2 of WineBoyz Wineapalooza. Tasted blind, but the whole weekend was built around taking down this bottle so we had a good idea this was it. Deep dark reddish color with amber rims. Looks a little like an old Madeira, and darker the 61 Latour next to it. Crazy nose that evolved all day long. Deep and penetrating, very floral. Notes of dark fruit, smoked meat, black truffles, cocoa, hoisin sauce, mushrooms and dark earth. Rich and silky in the mouth. I kept a glass of this in front of me all day long so I could monitor the evolution of it. Peacocks in a way that only a few wines can. My friend got this at an auction where the consignor was the original owner and acquired it directly from the Domaine - so impeccable provenance. Clearly one of the great, all-time bottles. A freak of nature and winemaking. Thanks for sharing, Murray! — 4 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

2017 vintage. Light-medium body. Nose strangely quiet upon first opening. A bit of punch up front but most of the show mid-palate. Lengthy, soft, supple finish. — 5 years ago

Krupal bhatt

9.5

Wonderful perfume on the nose, great cherry notes on the front and mid palate, a touch of spice near the end. Smooth, resolved and elegant. — 6 years ago

Tom Wildenhaus

8.9

Young and vegetal but strong red and black fruit. All of the wine is in the front and in you face. Should have decanted long or waited 5 years. — 6 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.4

Opened tonight. And, I feel like a broken record saying that here is ANOTHER great 2011 considering the "damned vintage" that this one received press for being. I have 43 more 2011 Napa wines and I have a feeling that I'm going to be writing the same thing another 43 times. Not powerful, but these wines truly show the complexity that Napa cab CAN be. Nose of iodine, black licorice. Very front of this wine is sweeter black cherry giving way to an herbal infused middle (getting more dried basil with a hint of oregano and cumin). The red clay terroir is unmistakably present here through the middle and finish, which is usually more present for Ponente only at the very finish. The wine finishes with black cherry and black licorice dominated notes. I have a feeling that this wine is still on the way up. Has a few more years until it is at the top of the hill, but drinking OH SO WELL right now. — 7 years ago

Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

9.7

Day one too tight,
Day 2 with a 2-3 hour decant is just about right.
Saxum may not be Napa but they know what they are doing,
Best winery in Paso.
Parker Review

RP96 Incorporating more Petite Sirah than normal, and the first time there's been less than 50% Syrah, the 2013 Syrah Broken Stones is made from 48% Syrah, 22% Petite Sirah, 17% Grenache, 6% Mourvedre the rest Tempranillo and Roussanne. Its deep, inky color is followed by a structured, seriously mineral-laced and full-bodied red that offers lots of fruit (cassis, black cherries and raspberries), smoked earth and chocolate aromas and flavors. The tannin is front and center, yet they're beautifully ripe and polished. Give bottles 2-3 years and enjoy through 2028 — 8 months ago

Blair Campomizzi

9.2

Vanilla, plum, dark currant flavors are front and center. — 4 years ago

with Marilea

Greg Gratson

9.2

Exceeded expectations — 4 years ago

Andy Hall

8.9

This bottle was a big tease. Intoxicating nose and delightful on the front palette. Gets your mind thinking of great things for the finish like depth, complexity layers etc. It never comes. The finish is completely lacking. Such a tease. — 5 years ago

Doug Powers

9.0

Tad of a green note (asparagus?) up front, mature, resolved tannins, medium-bodied, medium-long finish, solid, if clearly unspectacular. — 6 years ago

with Jim

L.A. Warren

9.0

Lots to love about this gem from Lebanon.

Very smooth on the front end with lots of ripe red berries.

Paired with steak with mushroom sauce, roasted carrots, mashed potatoes and onions. — 6 years ago

Andrew Robinson

9.5

Cherry and slight carbonation up front with a blackberry finish. Dank!!! — 7 years ago