2007: Wow. Phenomenal Chateauneuf with tons of character. Viscous, very rich, nicely concentrated with plenty of minerals and funk to balance the still-persistent purple fruit. Can’t imagine this getting any better with more age but plenty left. — 3 months ago
Okay. Again the same dilemma. If a wine does not meet expectation is it basically bad (for me)? 🤔 because in life everything is relative, right? Any thoughts on puzzling matter??The wine was well balanced, dark red fruit flavors, polished, smooth tannins, good intensity and concentration, but limited length and lacking any meaningful complexity… Eight year old left bank Bordeaux. A fourth or fifth growth winery, maybe not, can’t remember for sure. Do remember what I paid though, $120. Definitely too much for what we experienced this evening…. as to our expectations. — 21 days ago
Opened around 8pm the evening prior, double decanted and left in room temperature until service on Friday evening. In total, this was opened 24hours before service. The 1995 pours a beautiful garnet with transparent core; medium viscosity with moderate stating of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with surprisingly boozy dark fruit. Brambles, cassis, bell pepper, licorice, spearmint and baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long with great acidity. Overall, remarkably youthful. While it’s certainly ready to go, it will likely continue some positive evolution over the next couple of decades. Drink now with a long decant through 2045. — 3 months ago
Cassis and oak - the latter quite noticeable. From a ripe year where the fruit should be apparent but at the moment the oak dominates - mocha notes, but then again still has a huge future. Amazing what a solid core of self contained full body this has for 16 years of age, but still of profound intensity - dark chocolate and black currant. Will go on for literally decades - only have 2 left. Penfolds “Rewards of Patience “ say through to 2050! That is not as crazy as it sounds. This wine is close to immortal Next one in 10 years. — 3 months ago
The 2012 Insignia is in great shape today. Bright acids lend tremendous energy to a mid-weight Insignia that is more about finesse rather than power. Sweet red-fleshed fruit, cedar, tobacco, mint and rose petal are all beautifully delineated. There's not much left to say. The 2012 offers tons of pure pleasure. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, May 2024)
— 5 months ago
Stuart Pollack
Perfect buttery but balanced Chardonnay. Just everything there should be in a top quality Chardonnay. — a month ago