3/31/2012 - BeavisCC wrote:

Good but not great - certainly not up to prior tastings. An off bottle?

2/11/2012 - BeavisCC wrote:

This wine is in a great spot right now. Good density, nice fruit, and having now developed secondary character, is really quite lovely. Certainly a great value.

2/6/2012 - BeavisCC wrote:

Nice; a great Italian food wine. Possibly lacks the extra dimension of some of Rivetti's Barbarescos, but a very good one, regardless.

2/6/2012 - BeavisCC wrote:

Lovely, balanced, mushroom/truffle/forest floor, great. Wish I had more, and what a great value this wine was!

2/6/2012 - BeavisCC wrote:

Dense, inky, rich. High alcohol content is well-disguised. A touch on the young side still, hopefully this ages with the balance of the 92/94/96/97 vintages of Dalla Valle.

2/6/2012 - BeavisCC wrote:

Quite nice. Better than expected - nice balance, good fruit, medium depth, reminded me of a lighter version of Beringer PR, with appropriately less oak as well.

1/15/2012 - BeavisCC wrote:

A fruit bomb; lots of extraction and good mid-palate depth. Others seemed to be more enamored than I. Does this just need another decade to evolve into something more balanced?

12/25/2011 - BeavisCC wrote:

A fantastic and still vibrantly youthful, pure example of California fruit, this '95 Insignia matched any prior bottle of the amazing '94. A wonderful, still jammy attack led to a well-stuffed mid-palate that possessed ample secondary notes (spice, saddle leather) and really distinguished this wine from the sea of very good but incredibly uniform-tasting California CS and blends that have been produced over the last 20 years. The finish was deep and long, and the overall impression left behind was richness with supple balance. This was a perfect complement to Julia Child's Beef Burgundy.

12/20/2011 - BeavisCC wrote:

Awesome magnum. Just lovely, with graphite and cassis on the nose, black fruits on attack, dense mid-palate and a nice long finish. Amazing balance, and while tannins are still a bit youthful, this is evolving into something pretty special.

12/2/2011 - BeavisCC wrote:

Beautiful balance and purity of fruit. Divinely elegant. Well-stored bottles should effortlessly last for another 20+ years, but this is in a fantastic spot right now. Wow!

11/26/2011 - BeavisCC wrote:

Great bottle - jammy fruit on open, but also developing saddle leather and pepper on mid-palate, with long finish. Nicely done.

11/24/2011 - BeavisCC wrote:

Amazing wine - really turning into something special, now that the early tightness of Prum's 2001s have passed. Wow - the clarity and depth of fruit on this wine is fantastic, with acid that perfectly balances.

2/21/2011 - BeavisCC wrote:

Mind-blowingly great Bordeaux. Big fruit, awesome complexity on the mid-palate, and already a smooth, well-integrated finish. Allowing two additional points for almost inevitable improvement with further bottle age.

2/21/2011 - BeavisCC wrote:

A solid Montelena (thankfully, no sign of any TCA).

2/21/2011 - BeavisCC wrote:

A lovely Grands Echezeaux (drank in late 2010).

12/28/2010 - BeavisCC wrote:

Fantastic showing, proof that profound wines can be made even in "lesser" vintages. Gorgeous nose, fruit, earth and depth - what more could you want? An '89 Clinet opened on its heels was a bit deeper and built for a longer haul, but tonight we preferred the younger Palmer.

7/3/2010 - BeavisCC wrote:

Very good fruit, not overripe (unlike some 03s), medium bodied mid-palate, and 30 sec finish. Quite nice, but would not have placed it as a Pauillac were it served blind.

4/28/2010 - BeavisCC wrote:

Another great showing. Medium-bodied, good fruit, great food wine.

4/26/2010 - BeavisCC wrote:

Great bottle - certainly seems to have much more going for it than the 99-01 vintages. More like the '97, and reminds me why I joined the mailing list in the first place. Great fruit, big, balanced, and a really nice finish.

3/22/2010 - BeavisCC wrote:

Really lovely wine. Much more depth and complexity than expected at this price point - Gary Vaynerchuk nailed this one, as I find myself in complete agreement with his review.

3/22/2010 - BeavisCC wrote:

Very nice wine. Small glass tasted, used for cooking because had nothing else available, but a lovely value and was happy with the taste I had.

3/19/2010 - BeavisCC wrote:

Great bottle of chablis. Great fruit, nice depth, rich finish.

3/14/2010 - BeavisCC wrote:

Very nice wine. Lots of spice, leather and barnyard, plus great fruit. Drinking beautifully now, but will certainly hold or even improve over the next decade.

3/14/2010 - BeavisCC wrote:

Big and brooding, still tight. Very nice, but can't help but think this will improve with another 5 years in cellar. If the fruit holds up (a valid question with the '98s), this should be amazing.

3/13/2010 - BeavisCC wrote:

Big fruit, rich, viscous, very nice!

3/8/2010 - BeavisCC wrote:

Great

3/5/2010 - BeavisCC wrote:

A good showing for what was undeniably a great wine in its youth. Good fruit still present, and certainly doesn't seem 16 years old. Mistaken for CA cab by some. A bit of heat starting to show on the finish. An interesting data point, but time to drink up any remaining bottles.

2/27/2010 - BeavisCC wrote:

Not as great as prior bottles, but still very good.

2/19/2010 - BeavisCC wrote:

Great California cab. Color still very young, and fruit is holding up well. A bit monolithic on the mid-palate, and a strong, medium-weight finish. Great, but not quite incredible.

2/14/2010 - BeavisCC wrote:

Lovely once again. Blackberries and cherries on the nose, with some mocha creeping in on the attack/mid-palate. Smooth finish that persists. Wonderful balance; an impeccable match for pasta. Looking forward to what the 2004 Brunello is likely to be in 5-10 years.

1/31/2010 - BeavisCC wrote:

Very nice. Not big, but great food wine.

1/31/2010 - BeavisCC wrote:

Great showing. Nice balance, with great fruit.

1/9/2010 - BeavisCC wrote:

Great, big food wine. Big fruit but big tannins still. Wonderful now, but should hold or even improve for another 10 years at least.

1/9/2010 - BeavisCC wrote:

Great showing - really nice opening wine. Fruit, depth and balance all aligned.

12/18/2009 - BeavisCC wrote:

A beautiful wine, with great body and finesse, pairs perfectly with dishes served by our local Northern Italian chef/genius. Lovely fruit on the attack, deep mid-palate and smooth but young finish, this wine has some years left in it. Can't wait to see how this performs in 5-10 years.

12/13/2009 - BeavisCC wrote:

Very good rose. Fun, lovely. Good fruit, medium mid-palate, good finish.

12/5/2009 - BeavisCC wrote:

Very good Chablis, but standard cuvee seems the equal of this Vaillons bottling.

12/4/2009 - BeavisCC wrote:

A solid Bordeaux from a great vintage that falls short of being anything special. Good fruit on the attack, but followed by a bit thin mid-palate and reasonably smooth tannins on the finish. Very good, but not exciting. Prefer the 2000.

12/3/2009 - BeavisCC wrote:

Good tawny, but nothing terribly exciting. Palate is relatively balanced, but overall a little bit thin.

12/1/2009 - BeavisCC wrote:

Excellent Shiraz. Great fruit but also superb balance for an Aussie. Reminiscent of a balanced Turley zin in overall style.

11/19/2009 - BeavisCC wrote:

Really lovely. Big honeyed fruit on the attack, great intensity/weight on the mid-palate and a smooth, long finish. Very clean, with no real oak in evidence, just a really nice mouthful of decidedly French chardonnay. The acidity of the Chablis region is certainly present in this wine, but is so pleasantly offset - even masked - by the richness of the fruit that the wine simply comes across as a great white Burgundy.

11/12/2009 - BeavisCC wrote:

Lovely rosso. The 07 Brunello will be a must buy.

11/8/2009 - BeavisCC wrote:

Very nice effort. Not a fruit bomb, allowing for a more balanced wine than many other Martinelli PNs. Good fruit, medium bodied mid-palate and maybe a touch short on the finish. All in all a better food wine than most Martinellis, so good choice for dinner tonight.

11/1/2009 - BeavisCC wrote:

Infanticide, but a great Taylor in the making. Might develop quicker than the '77, but given how great the '45 and '55 are now, hold any remaining bottles for progeny.

10/27/2009 - BeavisCC wrote:

A great Bordeaux, but still tight and in need of bottle age. Reminiscent of the '86 10 years ago in evolution and flavor profile. Hold for another 3-5 years.

10/13/2009 - BeavisCC wrote:

Great showing. Fantastic bottle. Still young, but impeccably balanced, fruit forward, gaining mid-palate complexity. A bigtime CdP that will develop for many years to come.

10/11/2009 - BeavisCC wrote:

Awesome white wine. Big, rich, balanced, this certainly ranks with the few bottles of Montrachet I have sampled. Killer bottle.

4/21/2009 - BeavisCC wrote:

Great CdP. Big fruit on nose/attack; balanced & spicy mid-palate; medium-length finish. Very nice.

4/25/2009 - BeavisCC wrote:

Stunningly great Napa Cabernet. Lovely fruit and balance, round tannins. Really only consistently bested by the 1991, but what great back-to-back wines.

10/1/2009 - BeavisCC wrote:

Big but disjointed CdP. This wine followed an absolutely beautiful 2001 Beaucastel, with the effect of really emphasizing the flaws/lack of balance in this wine. Thus far, I'm not a fan of any of the 2003 CdPs.