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. — 8 days 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

Jalyn Warren

9.1

Very nice! — 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

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.0

1995 vintage. Great aging cork in good shape. Decanted and tasted immediately, after 30 mins and after 2 hours. Decent amount of sed. Slight brickish color. Initially and generally throughout, reticent nose and flavors. Very tightly wound overall. Eventually able to coax a small amount of black olive out of the nose along with minerals for days. Some dark cherry and plum allied with baking chocolate in the transition from mid-palate to finish. It was tough sledding in the frontal palate. Super dry with summer earth/dirt at the start. Obvious class but never really flashed more than a few cards to play. Perhaps a different bottle shows a little more love? Producer is always on the leaner side so unbridled optimism on that front is likely wasted energy. 10.25.23. — 3 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

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

Andrew Robinson

9.5

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

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

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

Nathan Renfro

9.6

Deep garnet. Oak and dark fruit on the nose. Hour decant and still a bit tight but yet still very smooth and well structured. Red and black fruit. Tannins silky smooth with nice long finish. Beautiful wine! After another hour this wine was hitting its stride! So good!! — 4 years ago

Sandeep Konchady

9.0

Really great taste, mild yet flavorful. — 5 years ago

Rebecca Salazar

8.9

Blackberry, honey notes, fruit finish — 6 years ago

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

Perrine M Ryan

10

An absolute dream. It smells like it wants to go to a campfire. — 7 years ago