Wine Varietals

wines

The 1961 Barolo from Cantina Mascarello (magnum) was masculine, powerful and impressively rich for a wine of this vintage, while the 1958 Barolo (magnum) fared less well. The 1958 can be a legendary wine, but on this night the wine was exceedingly evolved.Vinous Media | 95 VMIt had been nearly a decade since I last tasted a bottle of the 1961 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo and the wine has seemingly not been touched by time in the interim. Perhaps this most recent bottle was just in even better condition than the previous bottles I have enjoyed, but my projected window of drinkability for this wine back in the article on Bartolo in the fall of 2007 now seems rather ridiculously conservative. The utterly brilliant bouquet shows plenty of Cannubi character in its complex blend of red and black cherries, woodsmoke, gamebirds, gentle tariness, tobacco ash, spiced meats, coffee and a topnote of fresh oregano. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very pure, with a sappy core of fruit, stunning soil inflection, melting tannins, bright acids and stunning length and grip on the very complex and refined finish. Clearly, the last few bottles of this wine that I tasted were a touch more advanced, and this wine still has many, many years of life still ahead of it. A beautiful bottle of Barolo. (Drink between 2011 - 2025)John Gilman | 94 JG

A comparison of two 1961s from Giacomo Conterno is next. Conterno’s 1961 Barolo Riserva Speciale Monfortino is, not surprisingly, deeper and more intense in all of its dimensions. Iron, smoke, graphite, leather and sweet tobacco wrap around a core of dark fruit in a Barolo that packs a serious punch, especially considering its age. This is a superb bottle.Vinous Media | 95 VMThe 1961 Barolo Riserva Monfortino was especially beautiful and fresh. It offered a similar flavor profile as the 1958 with greater harmony and balance, if not quite as much sheer power.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP

Gorgeous from the get-go, with toasted sesame, green tea, walnut husk, pistachio cream and peanut toffee notes seamlessly layered atop one another, framed by a subtle singed alder hint. Everything glides with grace through the finish like a gently wafting plume of smoke off burning incense. Drink now. 750 cases made, 220 cases imported. — JMWine Spectator | 98 WS(Taylor Fladgate Single Harvest Tawny (bottled 2017) Fortified/spirits) The 1968 Single Harvest Tawny, which was bottled in 2017, has a slightly pallid bouquet that just needs more presence: nutmeg, clove, marmalade and smoke, but I would have liked more intensity here. The palate is much better, finally the energy and ambition appears! Here we encounter Chinese 5-spice, dried orange peel, cloves, curry powder and star anise. There is real flourish on the finish, a Tawny that starts slow but ends on a real high. This comes highly recommended. Tasted at the "Big Fortified Tasting" in London. (Drink between 2018-2030)Vinous Media | 92 VM

Full-bodied, unctuous and powerful in the glass, the 1985 Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano is a total turn on. Exotic spice, smoke, tobacco, dried rose petal, leather and licorice build into a heady crescendo of aromas, flavors and textures. Although the 1985 is currently at a glorious peak of expression, I don’t expect it will improve much from here. Readers lucky enough to have had the 1985 know just how magical it is. Any remaining bottles are best enjoyed over the next decade or so.Vinous Media | 97 VMThe 1985 Barbaresco Santo Stefano Riserva’s medium ruby/garnet color displays considerable amber at the edge. The intoxicating perfume of Chinese black tea, smoke, tobacco, cherries, and exotic spices jumps from the glass. The wine is full-bodied, gorgeously-nuanced, and multidimensional, with considerable glycerin and layers of flavor. It unfolds fabulously in the mouth, exhibiting remarkable intensity and complexity. The 1985 has just reached full maturity, where it should remain for another decade.Robert Parker | 96 RPGiven how many bottles of the 1982 Santa Stefano Red Label I have drunk over the years, it is surprising that I have seldom had the pleasure to drink the superb 1985 version, and it is more than fifteen years since I last crossed paths with this wine. It is a fine, fine wine, but not one of the legends of the decade of the 1980s from Signor Giacosa. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a nicely blossomed blend of red and black cherries, bonfire, a touch of road tar, lovely soil tones, oregano and a topnote of fresh bay leaf. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, complex and still sporting a bit of backend tannin, with fine focus and grip, a good, solid core and a long, well-balanced finish. This is a very good bottle that misses the extra dimension of the 1982 and 1989 versions. (Drink between 2017 - 2040)John Gilman | 93 JG

The 1985 Fonseca is still youthful in appearance with hardly any ageing on the rim. The nose offers kirsch, sloes and Christmas cake. With time, there are subtle notes of dried fig and dates beginning to emerge and add to the complexity. The palate is medium-bodied and beautifully balanced on the supple, rounded entry. It is not quite as complex as the aromatics, with dates and dried fig, the finish mellow and refined. It is very elegant for a Fonseca, weighty but supremely well focused. This is a fabulous Fonseca that is ready to drink now, but will age for another 30 or 40 years. Drink now-2030+.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 93 RP-NMVery dark and youthful ruby-purple. Very intense aromas of blackberry and black licorice. Full-bodied and lightly sweet, with chewy tannins and a rich licorice, blackberry undertone. Still tight. Drinkable now, but it needs a few more years. ’77/’85/’97 blind Port retrospective. Best after 2010.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe best wine from a difficult decade for Port. Still youthful on the nose; gently perfumed floral character. Sweet, fleshy palate with gentle, berry fruit backed by peppery tannic grip. Dry finish. (Drink between 2014-2025)Decanter | 91 DEC

(Krug Vintage Brut (served from magnum)) This magnum was sadly the last bottle of the 1985 Krug Vintage in my cellar, but it was shared at a tasting to celebrate my fiftieth birthday and a very good friend’s sixtieth birthday, so I surmised that this must have been the occasion I was saving this magnum for all these years. The wine is drinking splendidly out of magnum and seemed a tad more generous than the bottle of the ’85 I reported on a year ago, jumping from the glass in a deep, complex and very classy nose of pears, apples, beautiful minerality, a delicate touch of almond paste, rye toast and citrus peel. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very light on its feet for such a broad-shouldered wine, with a superb core of fruit, fine, pinpoint bubbles, lovely acidity and superb length and grip on the complex and à point finish. A beautiful wine. (Drink between 2011-2035)John Gilman | 96 JG(Krug Brut Champagne/Sparkling) I have had a number of bottles, even from the same cellar, that have been showing plenty of age and even occasionally flirting with oxidative hints yet this most recent bottle (from my cellar) was among the freshest I’ve had in a while with its intensely yeasty and toasty aromas of white orchard fruit, citrus peel, marmalade and orange peel. This is arguably the most complex vintage of the 1980s (though not necessarily the most vibrant or the most complete) and in particular I like the way that the mousse has managed to maintain most of its original vigor on the sweet yet ultimately dry finale that delivers very fine persistence. While this bottle was admirably fresh it’s clear that it’s time to drink up sooner than later unless your taste runs to post-mature characters. (Drink starting 2015)Burghound | 94 BHThe 1985 Krug was delicate, perfumed and lithe on the palate, with superb freshness and a more compact frame than the 1988. I came back to it often and never failed to be seduced by its mesmerizing personality. The 1988 Krug was decidedly more intense and full-bodied. It had everything; gorgeous fruit, acidity, texture and loads of complexity. In short, it was stunning.Vinous Media | 93 VM

(Cabernet Sauvignon “Martha’s Vineyard”- Heitz Wine Cellars) The 1987 Martha’s Vineyard hails back to the time when the labels stated 13.5 percent alcohol, and in this most recent vertical tasting of the wine, one did get a strong sense that this vintage and earlier were indeed just a tad less ripe than subsequent vintages. This slightly lower octane seems to allow an even stronger signature of soil to infuse the wines. The 1987 Martha’s is a great, great wine that seems to have been lost a bit in the shuffle when it was released, as it followed on the heels of the specially labeled 1985. The bouquet is deep and absolutely stunning, as it delivers a complex blend of black cherries, mint, a touch of chocolate, Rutherford dust, pretty mineral tones and an exotic topnote of allspice. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very pure and transparent, with a seamless attack, a sappy core, and great length and grip on the tangy and perfectly poised finish. A great vintage of Martha’s that is a bit undeservedly overlooked in the pantheon of Martha’s Vineyard bottlings. (Drink between 2011-2050)John Gilman | 96 JGAll three of the 1987 Heitz Cabernets are extremely tight, closed in, and unbelievably tannic and hard. The 1987 Martha's Vineyard possesses an opaque, dense ruby/purple color, and a shockingly subdued, almost non-existent nose. Only after five days of breathing did the famed mint and eucalyptus nose of the Martha's Vineyard Cabernet emerge! In the mouth, the wine is rich, burly, and full-bodied, but also tannic and unflattering to taste. To say the wine needs significant time in the cellar is an understatement. Anticipated maturity: 1997-2010.Robert Parker | 90 RP

Chateau Montelena has made so many sensational Cabernets that it seems almost impossible to believe that their 1987 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate could be even more profound than any of the exceptional wines made previously at this property. The black/purple color, the extraordinary bouquet of rich cassis, violets, and licorice, the massive extraction of flavors, sensational depth, super ripeness, and a length that must last over a minute, suggest to me that this is easily the most concentrated and potentially longest-lived Cabernet Sauvignon that Chateau Montelena has ever made. The extract level is incredible, yet the balance is there. Anticipated maturity: 1997-2025.Robert Parker | 98 RPTight and perhaps even less flashy than usual, it is slow to reveal its complex range of earthy, cedary currant and black cherry.--Chateau Montelena vertical. Drink now through 2008. 7,200 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSFull medium ruby. Very tight, primary aromas of cassis, black licorice, minerals, shoe polish and menthol. Very concentrated, sweet flavor of cassis is still dominated by the wine structure. Finishes with big tannins, a suggestion of lead pencil and grip of steel. This bottle was still seven or eight years short of full maturity. Very impressive wine: not the sexiest cabernet of the tasting but potentially the longest-lived, along with the Dunn Howell Mountain. And even less evolved than a bottle I sampled in my vertical tasting a few years ago at Montelena.Vinous Media | 92 VM

The 1988 is a backward-styled Yquem, built along the lines of the extraordinary 1975. With a honeyed, smoky, orange/coconut/pineapple-scented nose, this powerful wine possesses full body, layers of highly concentrated, extracted flavors, considerable botrytis, and a sensational finish. Last tasted 12/97.Robert Parker | 99 RPThe 1988 Yquem is a vintage that I have drunk with enormous pleasure on numerous occasions. This last bottle was the perfect ending to a horizontal of 1988 Roumier wines at Noizé. It was a late harvest that lasted until All Saints Day (1 November). A total of 6 tries were necessary through the vineyard, each gifting plenty of botrytised fruit. Deep amber in hue, it offers wonderful aromas of mandarin, orange blossom, wax resin and a light adhesive scent. I was actually quite taken aback but the splendid delineation and life-affirming vitality of this example, hints of crème brûlée interwoven through the honeyed fruit, Clementine and hints of caramelised pear. It fans out wonderfully on the finish. Without doubt, this was the best bottle of 1988 Yquem that I have encountered.Vinous Media | 96 VMBroad and soft, with creamed apricot, mango, date, honey, caramel and marzipan notes, all framed by toasted brioche and musk accents. The flattering finish lets orange curd and flan details glide through. A touch shy on tension, but shows lovely range.—Non-blind Yquem vertical (July 2014). Drink now through 2030. 6,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS(Château d’Yquem (Sauternes)) This particular bottle of ’88 Yquem was drunk at a big event at Château Cheval Blanc a few years ago and I wondered at the time if it was a slightly advanced bottle. The wine was already fairly dark in color for the vintage and offered up an almost tertiary bouquet of orange peel, crème brulée, honey, apricot, almonds, a lovely and complex base of soil tones and buttery new oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, complex and surprisingly evolved for Yquem from a good, racy vintage like 1988, with a deep core, modest acids and very good length and grip on the finish. This was so stunning in its youth that I have to believe that this bottle was somehow a bit forward. (Drink between 2012-2045)John Gilman | 90+ JG

A remarkable, profound example of how top Sauternes wines age, with intense notes of marmalade on the nose. Although it seemed there were some hints of passerillage, Sandrine Garbay confirmed no dried grapes made it into the blend. A subtle note of botrytis adds even more to the aromatics. Amber in hue, the palate is laden with complex flavours of tropical fruits, citrus notes of lime and orange zest, all supported by cleansing acidity and an intriguing mineral undertow. This still has at least 20 years ahead of it, perhaps a lot more. From a year where the growing season was very warm, before a cool and rain-affected September and much cooler October. 80% Sémillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc. Residual Sugar: 127g/L. (Drink between 2022-2040)0.Decanter | 100 DECThe 1989 Yquem is my favourite of the triumvirate and this bottle was stellar. It explodes from the glass with scents of quince, acacia, honeysuckle, saffron and wild heather (a trait that I have observed previously). What marks this out is the stunning delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with tangerine, fig, marmalade and quince. A livewire Yquem with enormous depth and intensity, a bit more swagger than the 1988, a bit more precision-tooled than the 1990. Fabulous. Tasted blind at a private dinner in Bordeaux.Vinous Media | 99 VMThe favorite sweet wine of millionaires, Chateau d’Yquem has, not unexpectedly, turned in a brilliant effort with their newly released 1989. It is a large-scaled, massively rich, unctuously-textured wine that should evolve effortlessly for a half century or more. It does not reveal the compelling finesse and complexity of the 1988 or 1986, but it is a far heavier, richer wine than either of those vintages. It is reminiscent of the 1976, with additional fat and glycerin. The wine is extremely alcoholic and rich, with a huge nose of smoky, honey-covered coconuts and overripe pineapples and apricots. As with most young vintages of Yquem, the wine’s structure is barely noticeable. These wines are so highly extracted and rich yet approachable young, it is difficult to believe they will last for 50 or more years. The 1989 is the richest Yquem made in the eighties, and it has an edge in complexity over the powerhouse 1983. It remains to be seen whether this wine will develop the extraordinary aromatic complexity possessed by the promising 1988 and 1986 Yquems. Last tasted 11/97.Robert Parker | 97 RPVery classy and beautiful, packed with botrityzed flavors. Marvelous blend of vanilla, cream, tobacco-box notes, with a lot of oak on it for now but also loads of pure, clean and elegant fruit. An infant that will age for a long time.--Yquem vertical. Best after 2020. 12,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WS

This is a floral and elegantly complex edition of this wine with dried meat and leather, iron and graphite, tobacco and dry spices. More elegant palate than the 1990, it has a very fine stream of red fruit and spiced cherries and a central, linear focus. The flavors hold so very long, deeply concentrated and focused. The fruit livens up at the finish and opens very impressively. Drink now.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 1989 is inkier/purple in color than the 1990, with an extraordinarily sweet, rich personality offering up notes of smoke, melted licorice, black cherries, Asian spices, and cassis. Full-bodied and concentrated, it is one of the most powerful as well as highly extracted Beaucastels I have ever tasted. It requires another 3-4 years to reach its plateau of maturity, where it should remain for at least two decades. (Many purchasers have reported bottle leakage (due to a cork problem) with this vintage. I purchased two cases of this wine, but none of my bottles reveal any sign of leakage. A good friend of mine, Dr. Jay Miller, owner of Bin 604 Wine Sellers in Baltimore, has consistently had a problem with “corked” bottles of the 1989, but no leakage.)Robert Parker | 97 RPPerhaps the greatest Beaucastel ever produced. Has the class and structure of a great vintage of Mouton-Rothschild. Deep, inky in color, with intense herb, plum, game and spice aromas, this full-bodied wine has an explosion of fruit and an iron backbone. Try the beginning of next century.--Châteauneuf-du-Pape retrospective. Best from 1995 through 2005. 25,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThe 1989 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape is an awesome wine with the usual Beaucastel meat, earth and game notes backed up by ripe, clean dark fruit aromas. The palate is stunning and shows considerable structure and a precise, almost angular character. Much more structured and precise in the mouth than the 1990, this has a long, beautiful finish.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JD(Châteauneuf du Pape- Château Beaucastel) I have always been a fan of the 1989 Château Beaucastel, which I rank just behind the superb 1981 at this fine estate. The most recent bottle I tasted of this wine was still just a touch youthful, but offered up fine complexity on both the nose and palate and shows excellent promise. The bouquet is a blend of roasted fruitcake, cherries, new leather, venison, incipient notes of sous bois, woodsmoke and hot stones. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and rock solid at the core, with a bit of tannin still to resolve, fine focus and grip and a very long, classy and slightly chewy finish. I would be tempted to give this wine a few more years to really resolve, as it will be a superb wine and it would be most enjoyable to drink it at the same plateau that the 1981 has been enjoying for a good decade already. (Drink between 2015-2050).John Gilman | 93+ JG

A wine of pure texture and sensuality, Dunn's 1989 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain stands out for its exceptional overall balance and layered, silky personality. Veins of underlying minerality add brightness to a core of dark red fruit, crushed rocks, mint, flowers and spices. What a pretty wine this is.Vinous Media | 94 VMDark and immense, still a youngster, with intense earthy currant, plum and black cherry flavors that are rich, yet for all their weight still quite elegant. Still has tannin to lose. Decant if you drink it now.--1989 California Cabernet retrospective. Best from 2000 through 2010. 1,800 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

1990 was the first vintage (4,756 cases produced) and one of the most abundant before the replanting became essential because of phylloxera, and was again made at Robert Pepi. However, the percentage of Cabernet Franc jumped to 10% in the final blend. Mia Klein, who worked with Tony Soter, was part of the winemaking team. This wine performed beautifully, and had that Château Margaux-like finesse, elegance and richness. Beautiful blackcurrant notes, graphite, rose petal and licorice, were all present in this deep ruby/plum-colored wine that came across like a Napa version of a first-growth Médoc. It is medium to full-bodied, with beautiful, integrated tannin, acidity and wood. This should continue to drink well for another 10-15-plus years.Robert Parker | 95 RPStill young and firm, this delivers spicy plum and chocolate flavors; it’s polished, balanced and intense. Approachable now.--Spottswoode vertical. Best after 2000. 4,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

The 1990 Le Pergole Torte is deep, powerful and rich through the middle, but is also beginning to show the first signs of oxidation. The ripeness of the vintage comes through clearly in the wine’s forward personality. In 1990, Montevertine bottled their best 50HL cask separately as a Riserva. While that wine is epic, one can only wonder how much that decision may have affected the quality of the remaining juice. At the same time, this double magnum does not appear to be in the very best shape. My impression is that the 1990 is a better wine than this tasting suggests.Vinous Media | 93 VMStill all in fruit and structure. Dark ruby in color, with bright raspberry and earth aromas. Full- to medium-bodied, with well-integrated tannins and a long, caressing finish.--Montevertine vertical. Drink now through 2005. 900 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe celebrated 1990 vintage was harvested by 15 October, with yields slightly higher than average yet perfectly ripe. The wine possesses a slightly cloudy appearance and some mushroomy aromas, perhaps derived from an imperfect bottle. However, the meaty nose sweetens in the glass to a floral bouquet with dark cherry, liquorice and white truffle notes. It’s full-bodied on the palate, with a velvety framework of tannins sustained by fresh acidity.Decanter | 93 DEC

1990: An extraordinary effort, Yquem’s 1990 is a rich and fabulously superb, sweet wine. This wine also possesses lots of elegance and finesse. The wine’s medium gold color is accompanied by an exceptionally sweet nose of honeyed tropical fruits, peaches, coconut, and apricots. High quality, subtle toasty oak is well-integrated. The wine is massive on the palate, with layers of intensely ripe botrytis-tinged, exceptionally sweet fruit. Surprisingly well-integrated acidity, and a seamless, full-bodied power and richness have created a wine of remarkable harmony and purity. Certainly it is one of the richest Yquems I have ever tasted, with 50-100 years of potential longevity. An awesome Yquem! Anticipated maturity: 2003-2050+.Robert Parker | 99 RPHard to contain this wine within the contours of the glass - this is exuberant, concentrated and luscious. Full of blood orange, nectarine, saffron, touches of caramelised ginger, truffle and crème brûlée. A see-saw of zesty acidity and luscious sweetness, this is a beautiful wine that still has decades ahead of it. Owned by the Lur Saluces family at the time, clearly showing why Yquem stands in its own category in the appellation. Drinking Window 2021 - 2050.Decanter | 98 DECTruly superb. Yellow with a gold hue. Intense spice, honey and dried orange peel aromas.Full-bodied, very sweet and very alive. Vibrant Sauternes that goes on and on on the palate. Doesn’t get much better than this. Beautiful now,but wait.--1990 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2010. 18,750 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSFull-blown aromas of caramel, toffee, honey, white chocolate and damp earth; slightly Tokaj-like. Hugely concentrated and layered in the mouth; extraordinary sweetness cut by harmonious acidity. As with the best vintages of Yquem, the finish goes on for a minute or more. Stains, and stuns, the palate. A huge wine, surprisingly extravagant on the nose (earlier bottles have been far more restrained) but completely unevolved and a bit musclebound on the palate. May ultimately merit a higher score.Vinous Media | 94+ VM

This wine is just beginning to drink spectacularly well. The rustic, big, thick 1990 is Californian in its orientation. It is loaded with flavor, but the tannin is coarser when compared to the seamlessness of the 1991's.Robert Parker | 94 RPA refined wine with an abundance of fruit on the nose and palate. Full-bodied, with fine tannins that increase on the finish. Still very young and closed. Try after 2005.--Cabernet Challenge. 17,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS(13.5% alcohol; 54% from To Kalon): Dark red. Dark currant, leather and a balsamic quality on the rather rustic nose. Boasts good size and sweetness but the leathery quality carries through to the finish, combining with slightly elevated acidity to give the tannins a dry edge.Vinous Media | 90 VM

It has been some years since the last time I cracked a bottle and at 22 years of age, it would be fair to say that this has reached its apogee with a really lovely and fully mature nose redolent of fully mature secondary aromas that do not yet evidence any notes of sous-bois. There is excellent richness to the delicious, sappy and still solidly well-concentrated flavors that possess excellent depth and fine length. This is not an especially refined effort but one that is most satisfying and while there is no further upside development to be had, neither is there any rush to drink up. In a word, lovely.Burghound | 91 BHA firm wine that offers generous, clear black cherry, raspberry and spice aromas and flavors. Solid, with pure, focused flavors balanced by enough acidity and tannin. Drinkable now to 1998. 375 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

The 1991 Cabernet Sauvignon (88% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc and Merlot) is an opaque, deeply saturated, purple-colored wine with a super sweet, pure nose of black-cherries, cassis, minerals, and vanilla. The wine possesses exceptional richness, full body, ripe tannin, and a blockbuster finish. Approachable now, it promises to evolve for two decades.Robert Parker | 94 RPRich, earthy, minty style, with a touch of leathery bitterness and tannins that grip and hang on tightly. Deeply colored and concentrated. A bold, assertive style that definitely needs time.--’81/’91 California Cabernet retrospective. Best from 2003 through 2012. 2,100 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

1991 marked the last vintage with Tony Soter and Mia Klein. The year was the most abundant in Spottswoode’s history, producing 5,852 cases of a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Cabernet Franc. Interestingly, this was also one of the great early stars in the tasting, showing that high yields can (when conditions are perfect – and they were in 1991, with a long growing season with plenty of sunshine, but no real extreme heat waves). This wine still has a dense, ruby/bluish-purple color, full body, a stunning nose of black raspberry, blackcurrant, licorice and camphor. The wine has fabulous intensity, full body, sweet tannin and a long, long finish. It is easy to say this has reached full maturity, but it still has a youthfulness and vibrancy that belies that notion. Look for this to continue to drink well for another 20 years. This is a great vintage for Napa Bordeaux blends.Robert Parker | 96 RPWonderful balance and orchestration of flavor. Ripe, rich currant, black cherry, plum and berry flavors are vivid and well-defined. Hints of olive, cedar, sage and anise fill out a very complex and sophisticated finish.--’81/’91 California Cabernet retrospective. Drink now through 2009. 5,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

An extraordinary dense plum/purple color is followed by a seductive as well as explosive bouquet of white chocolate, creme de cassis, spring flowers, licorice and a touch of graphite. This full-bodied, opulent 1991 reveals a flawless integration of acidity, tannin, wood and alcohol. Magnificent in the mouth with an opulent and voluptuous texture, and not a hard edge to be found, it reveals mindboggling purity and vigor. This sensational Insignia can be enjoyed over the next 10-15+ years.Robert Parker | 100 RPThe 1991 Insignia is just as impressive as the Montelena. A rich, decadent, voluptuous wine, the 1991 is a phenomenal Insignia. Dark red and blue fruits, mocha and spices are some of the notes that flesh out in this modern-day classic from Phelps. This is such a great example of the more fruit-driven, ripe style in Napa Valley at its best. Even with all of the intensity, all the elements are in the right place.Vinous Media | 98 VMSleek, rich and focused, offering a tightly focused beam of spicy cedar, currant and black cherry. Firms up nicely on the finish, where the tannins flex their muscles, yet the fruit complexity and concentration pushes through.--'81/'91 California Cabernet retrospective. Drink now through 2010. 6,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS