7/1/2016 - Bobo N wrote:

RobertDTwo nails another review!!!
Heavily tannic but very enjoyable.

1/28/2015 - Bobo N Does not like this wine:

No rating bc something wrong. 2nd bottle this month that had nose of stewed tomato. Disappointing. Other vintages have been great. Must be flawed, but 2 in a row?

12/3/2014 - Bobo N Likes this wine:

Thanks to RobertD2 for this bottle. A modern styled BDM with dark fruit that seems sweet for a BDM, but that isn't a complaint. Well balanced, elegant mouthfeel.

9/8/2014 - Bobo N Likes this wine:

53% cab, 40% merlot and 5% cab franc. A solid rep of the excellent 2005 vintage. Wouldn't usually have bought this Haut Medoc, but store had a tasting several years ago and this was in it. It was a tannic monster then, with tons of potential. Coming into a drinkable stage now with red berry fruit, cedar, earth and strong grip. Drinking window is outrageously long, but wouldn't doubt that this has another 10 to 15 years.

5/18/2014 - Bobo N Likes this wine:

Obtained this as part of a collection of dessert wines purchase. Knew nothing of it. Nothing close to it on CT. The designation of Trockenbeerenauslese applies to the sweetest of the region, but usually is seen with Eisweins made from Reisling. This unusual wine was fantastic after open for one hour, resembling a port, but made from cab with considerable residual sugar. Raisins, rich mouth coating wine similar to a wine we tasted years ago in Napa made by an elderly German couple who used Napa cab to make dessert wine. The collection also contains vintages of Tokaji dessert wine, the better known Hungarian wine. Very excited to have so much of this excellent unknown wine.

4/23/2014 - Bobo N wrote:

Not sure how the Rhone Report gave this 95 pts, but it is a solid syrah with a great nose of blueberry and violets as has been noted by other CT reviewers. Comples palate, tannins very present and long finish.

3/3/2014 - Bobo N Likes this wine:

Outstanding wine with sweet black fruit, cherry cola, cedar and spice.
Drinking perfectly now. Wish I had bought a case.

2/13/2014 - Bobo N Likes this wine:

A smooth wine that opened nicely after one hour. Nose of cherry and strawberry with spice box and cedar. Very nice Brunello that I like with a great QPR, but not sure how Wine Enthusiast got to 95 pts.

11/5/2013 - Bobo N Likes this wine:

Tanzer called this 92 and I agree. Fruit is ripe cherry and currant with a minerality and perhaps eucalyptus. Some vegetal upon opening (not in a bad way) that blew off with time, revealing a textured, layered wine. Will age but drinking well now.

10/1/2013 - Bobo N Likes this wine:

Well balanced, well structured Brunello with red fruit that is predominantly cherry and currant. Tobacco and subtle mineral notes. Refined, integrated tannins. No real earthiness to this, which I prefer. Bright acidity but easy to drink and pleasing mouthfeel. Plenty of life left, drinking well now, but best to wait another few years.

9/18/2013 - Bobo N wrote:

This 2007 vintage in good place now. Black currant, blackberry, cedar and balanced with full body.

9/17/2013 - Bobo N wrote:

Bought this b/c it was on WS's top 100 list and WS gave it 96 pts.
And it may be as good as Chianti Classico Riserva can be with great fruit of blackberry and cherry, black licorice, cola and tar, with a floral hint. Wonderful balance. A very clean style of Chianti, but still with good body. I also recently drank a Volpaia Coltassala, which is also a CC Riserva, and between these 2 excellent wines, this Barone Ricasoli is better -- and making me re-think that you have to drink Brunello's or Super Tuscan's to have great Itallian wine.

9/17/2013 - Bobo N wrote:

First had this wine (2001 vintage) in tiny hillside town of Volpaia (all its residents work for the vineyard/winery) at private tasting and am admittedly biased toward it. However, this is a very solid wine, with sweet cherries on nose and palate. It's fruit-driven for a chianti with minimal earthiness, but good balance. Hints of oak, vanilla, leather. And it's a great food wine.

7/5/2013 - Bobo N wrote:

IWC rated this at 93 pts, which seems a bit high. However, it's a very nice wine from a tough vintage with the cherry and raspberry nose and palate you would expect. In addition to the fruit, there is a mineral, almost metallic but not in a negative way, and coffee on the nose. I agree with other CT reviewers that there is an Itallian earth component that could be considered "mushroom like", and this is a good food wine, once it is decanted. During the first hour it was open, there was a little heat on the finish that cleared as the wine opened, with tannins that still have a good grip. Glad I have 2 remaining, and I won't wait long to drink them.

5/10/2013 - Bobo N wrote:

Bought this shortly after release b/c Wine Spec had it as a "highly recommended" and I think gave it 92 pts. Very clean sangiovese with ripe berry fruit and notes of leather and herbs. Medium body that the varietal should have with tannins well integrated on the finish. Wine is at its peak.

5/5/2013 - Bobo N wrote:

Really enjoyed this rich, concentrated, mouth-coating wine. Fruit is ripe dark cherry and blueberry with hints of red licorice, menthol or eucalyptus and a long, cool finish. I first drank this 2 years ago and questioned the professional reviews giving this 93 and 95 points, but not anymore. Decant and be rewarded with a big, balanced wine.

4/26/2013 - Bobo N wrote:

Actually got a good deal on this at Safeway on Maui. It was excellent. Fruit of cherry and blackberry with sweet tobacco and cedar. Long finish. Another outstanding example from 2007 vintage.

2/4/2013 - Bobo N wrote:

Great ripe cherry nose with blackberry and notes of espresso and cedar. More cherry on the palate with a hint of minerality. Tannins completely integrated resulting in a smooth, easy drinking wine without a flaw. Not enough complexity to score higher, but drinking beautifully now with great balance and lengthy, almost sweet, finish. WOTN for me compared with 2004 Chimney Rock Elevage and 2003 St. Supery Elu (which held up well considering it was half the cost).

1/31/2013 - Bobo N wrote:

Admittedly I have always loved Clos Apalta -- the 07 vintage brings all that Clos Apalta gives with none of the drawbacks sometimes seen in SA wines (such as overly vegetal or sour). I saw that WS loved the 2007 Chilean reds, awarding a 92 rating for the vintage. This wine is even better with the Carmenere adding a floral aromatic to a fruit driven nose of plum, currant, and ripe blackberry with leather, tobacco and a menthol note on the long finish. Refined and drinking well at this early stage, but should improve.

1/28/2013 - Bobo N wrote:

A very nice Brunello with the 10 years of age helping. Cherry and mineral. Easy to drink, solid wine, with not as much depth or complexity as some Brunellos, but very enjoyable.. Just bought the 2007 vintage of this wine. Looking forward to the comparison.

1/28/2013 - Bobo N wrote:

Robert Parker gave this wine 96 pts. I have drank a lot of the 1999, 2001, and now 2002 and this wine is consistently my favorite wine coming out of Sonoma. Drank this with RDonnelly2 after wine charity auction and this was as good as anything we tasted all day. Mouth-coating wine, with waves of ripe dark fruit, kirsch, cedar and licorice, with menthol accompanying the long finish. My understanding is that Kendall Jackson bought Arrowood within the last few years and more recent vintages are bound to not be as good as this.

7/12/2012 - Bobo N wrote:

Dark fruit, minerality and wet rock -- very enjoyable and different from the Napa norm. The blend is predominantly cab, with syrah and cab franc -- the cab franc is noticeable and gives this wine an added component on the palate, which I enjoyed.. Also a fair price.

6/28/2012 - Bobo N wrote:

Very nice. Full bodied, but well integrated tannins and balanced, with subtle dark fruit at first (blackberry). It opened nicely with air after decant, showing dark fruit that is primarily blackberry, soft spice, and perhaps something sweeter like figs. No real mineral or earth component. It's smooth and showing some age, drinking more like a '99 than an '04.

6/25/2012 - Bobo N wrote:

These '03 Sauternes are drinking well. I saw that professional reviewers loved the '03 as a vintage. Syrupy sweet white fruit juice. Acid seems low, but what a crowd pleaser.

6/25/2012 - Bobo N wrote:

Classic Brunello profile of cherry, mineral, touch of barnyard, all of which has softened with age.

5/5/2012 - Bobo N wrote:

Short decant. Muted nose with some decent minerality. Very little fruit. Short finish, disappointed based on 2005 vintage and price - expected much more. Hope cellaring improves rest of the lot.

3/13/2012 - Bobo N wrote:

WS was right on with its review. Blackberry, cedar, black licorice and milk chocolate. Sweet oak. Outstanding Sonoma cab.

2/20/2012 - Bobo N wrote:

Strong minerality on nose and palate, very smooth and easy to drink, low alcohol content is evident, pretty good for what it is intended to be -- a Merlot dominated, smooth Bordeaux.

1/14/2012 - Bobo N wrote:

First bottle was flawed. This bottle sang after decant. Started with sour cherry that morphed into black cherry over a few hours. Also noted leather, sweet tobacco and a smooth but longer than expected finish.

1/5/2012 - Bobo N wrote:

This wine is in a good place right now with nose of cherry, tar, and soy sauce with palate of cherry cola, red fruits and a mild earthiness with smooth tannins. Nice mouthfeel with medium finish. No flaws or anything objectionable about this wine, but it may be too smooth and not enough earrth and dirty mineral for some Barolo enthusiasts. This is, however, an excellent entry-level Barolo.

8/23/2011 - Bobo N wrote:

W Bruce at Ruths Chris

4/16/2011 - Bobo N wrote:

Waves of sweet, ripe fruit on the nose -- cherry, blackberry, and currant; cassis, mint and chocolate birthday cake on the palate, but with enough oak and tannin to balance the sweetness; and with a solid, lengthy finish. The drinking window of CT reviewers should be extended as this bottle will be good for at least another 5 years, but it is certainly drinking great right now. I saw that one professional reviewer gave this 95 pts and if you love bold Napa fruit, you might agree.

3/6/2011 - Bobo N wrote:

Really good for the money (I bought it on sale for only $19) and an excellent example of a blend dominated by Cab Franc. Forest floor, grphite, tar, with some dark fruit shining thru -- earthy but with a hint of floral. A nicely balanced wine.

2/23/2011 - Bobo N wrote:

Solid Napa cab for this tough vintage. WS only gave this wine 84 pts, which seems low. Upon opening I was disappointed that the wine seemed disjointed, a little hot, and lacking fruit, but after decanting for an hour all of this subsided. Cherry, current, oak dominate.

2/20/2011 - Bobo N wrote:

Same notes as from 2008 tasting and notes. Wine stored in cellar. Rewarded for good cellaring and lengthy decant. This was last of the 6 I had, sadly.

2/10/2011 - Bobo N wrote:

This wine is much better than when i last tried two years ago. After decant, wine showed tons of fruit (cherry and currant), chocolate, and oak w/ sweet tannins well-integrated. Can wait for several years, but will probably consume over next few months b/c it is hitting its stride now. At the $30 I paid for this upon release, the QPR is good and wish i had bought a full case.

1/29/2011 - Bobo N wrote:

Wow! Sweet rounded tannins that are fully integrated; luscious ripe fruit of cherries and black currant, with notes of vanilla, spices and cigar box. I love this wine and understand why it was a top 100 wine per WS. Years of life left in this, but it probably cannot get better.

1/4/2011 - Bobo N wrote:

Needs an hour of decanting. If you enjoy Sangiovese, this wine is an excellent rep of what it can be. Showed typical tart cherry fruit, good mineral and Italian earth present throughout. A very nice wine with several years of life left.

1/1/2011 - Bobo N wrote:

New Year's Eve party -- WOTN as it should have been vs Showket, Heitz, Brunello Riservas. A dense, complex wine with lush dark fruit, hints of cigar box and tar. Perfectly balanced. Dark, slightly sweet fruit at mid-palate w/ silky mouthfeel and integrated tannins. I love this wine, but what is not to love. I agree with other reviewers that this vintage of Insignia seems more refined and elegant than others.

1/1/2011 - Bobo N wrote:

Agree with Guido's comments. Fruit is a dominant tart cherry, notes of forest floor, raisin and earth w/ nice, long finish. Decanted for 3 hours.

11/11/2010 - Bobo N wrote:

An average super Tuscan with fruit that seems simplistic and a bit bitter -- dried plums, prunes and perhaps sour cherry. There is some good spice, herbs and earthiness that make it a solid wine, but the fruit is just too muted and the wine overall is a bit too bitter. Tanzer gave this 88, which seems right, but I don't see how to justify or even explain the WA rating of 95 pts. I also see that the CT reviewers who drank this in 2008 seem to have preferred it over those of us drinking it in 2010. Hopefully age will improve it.

9/29/2010 - Bobo N wrote:

Sadly, it was my last bottle of this outstanding wine. Same tasting notes as my last entry from February 2009. It could last another couple years, but if you have them, drink them b/c it's at a great place.

7/29/2010 - Bobo N wrote:

/w Harkins in Big Sky

7/29/2010 - Bobo N wrote:

w/ Harkins in Big Sky

7/29/2010 - Bobo N wrote:

w/ Harkins in Yellowstone

7/25/2010 - Bobo N wrote:

Mineral, forest floor and/or barnyard, ripe blackberry, medium bodied and long finish. A bit of funk blew off after 1/2 hour in decanter.

7/22/2010 - Bobo N wrote:

An absolutely wonderful bottle of wine. Nose of tar, space, dust and smoke w/ cherry fruit thru the mid-palate and ending in a rounded tannin long, long, long finish. Balanced, but with every bit of muscle you love in Napa Cab. Everything I love in wine exists in this bottle.

7/7/2010 - Bobo N wrote:

I was concerned after seeing some of the recent CT reviews of this wine, but a little funk blew off after the bottle had been open for half hour to reveal the best characteristics Napa cabs can offer -- a beam of black and red currant fruit througout the nose and palate, with chocolate, cedar, tobacco, tanned leather, and hint of eucalyptus. Fruit turned to cherry and more like cherry pie toward the end. This bottle was a gift and has been in my cellar for a decade -- what a reward!

5/14/2010 - Bobo N wrote:

Spice box, forest floor, cedar, and a floral component. Red fruit is more like a forest berry w/ hints of cherry. Smooth and balanced. Really solid Brunello for the vintage.

5/2/2010 - Bobo N wrote:

Young and bold, but drinking well after a quick decant. Blueberrry and blackberry are dominant fruits. Bouquet includes tar, barnyard, and an undertone of sweet floral that other reviewers have referred to as the margaux perfume. Glad I tried this young Bordeaux and have a few more in the cellar, but not as many as RobertD2.