3/27/2023 - gew71walsh wrote:

Solid wine, ruby red in glass. Cherries on the palate. Balanced, with a nice aftertaste. Paired well with pork chops. My last bottle, but this has some years left.

3/14/2023 - gew71walsh wrote:

Better than last bottle three years ago. This is fully integrated—any remaining heat is gone. Dark berries and spice, lingers in mid-palate and finish. Probably good for a few more years at this level.

3/8/2023 - gew71walsh wrote:

Losing a little since my last bottle 3 1/2 years ago. Still a very good wine—black berries on nose and palate. Deep purple color. Medium intensity on finish. I continue to like my Phelps cabs and blends in that 8-12 year range—then, for me, they begin to diminish.

2/24/2023 - gew71walsh wrote:

Not as good as I remember from earlier vintages. Leaves a somewhat bitter aftertaste.

2/23/2023 - gew71walsh wrote:

This is dark purple in glass. Nose of dark fruits and spices. This lingers on the mid palate. Drank on day 1 and day 3 with beef tenderloin in mushroom/wine sauce. This was way too young. Still hasn’t fully integrated. Day 3 gave more indication that this has a chance to be much better in the future. As such, I would leave this cellared for at least another 3-5 years.

2/22/2023 - gew71walsh wrote:

Reasonable wine. Light and drinkable, but nothing memorable.

2/17/2023 - gew71walsh wrote:

Much better vintages of this wine. It’s good, but not at top of Jean Edwards wines. Red fruits, high alcohol that is not fully integrated. Was a reasonable pairing with grilled lamb chops.

2/10/2023 - gew71walsh wrote:

Really like these KB single vineyard Pinots. This Gap’s Crown is subtle, with great red fruits. Medium on the mid palate, and lingers for a short while. This paired well with a pork chop dish.

2/14/2023 - gew71walsh wrote:

Similar to last comments. Nice acidity, citrus on nose and palate. Paired nicely with flounder franchese

11/15/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Stagecoach Vineyard tasting (2012 Hobbs, 2013 Miner, 2014 Jean Edwards) with beef tenderloin dinner. Deep purple in the glass. Dark berries on palate, somewhat muted on the nose. Nice wine, but not special. Light finish, and started to lose something as the night wore on. Drink up. Decanted for two hours and let sit in glass for another hour.

11/15/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Stagecoach Vineyard tasting (2012 Hobbs, 2013 Miner, 2014 Jean Edwards with a beef tenderloin dinner. Deep purple in the glass, some berries and plum on/ nose and palate. Nice finish. A little blander than the Hobbs but still a nice wine. Decanted for two hours, and let sit in glass for another hour.

11/15/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Stagecoach Vineyard wine tasting (2012 Hobbs, 2013 Miner, 2014 Jean Edwards) with Beef Tenderloin dinner. The Hobbs stole the show. Deep purple in the glass. Dark berries on nose and palate. Fully integrated, long, lingering finish. Decanted for two hours, before letting it rest in glass for another hour.

11/15/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Deep gold in glass. Nice acidity. As others have stated more Burgundian in style. I got some citrus and pear on the nose and palate. Nice finish. Paired well with salad with lemon based vinaigrette.

11/11/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Gets a little better each time. Gave this a two hour decant. Definitely helps. Dark plum colored in glass. Dark berries , earthy and spicy on palate. Medium, long finish. Paired with dessert after beef bourgignon dinner.

11/7/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Drank together with 2013 Staglin and 2013 Phelps Insignia with beef tenderloin, scalloped potatoes and roasted asparagus. All were great with different profiles. Decanted for two hours and drank over remaining two hours. This was burgundy color in the glass, nose of red berries, mint and lavender and red berries on the palate. Although older than the other two, it drank younger. A little light on the finish. This is great now, but I think will evolve to even greater heights in five to ten years.

11/7/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Drank along with 2013 Staglin and 2010 Gruaud-Larose with beef tenderloin, scalloped potatoes and roasted asparagus. All were great with different profiles. This was inky deep purple in color, muted on the nose and blackberries, plum earthy on the palate. Medium finish. As a result of the blend, a little smoother than the Staglin on the finish. Decanted for two hours and drank over two hours. This has progressed nicely since my last bottle a little over a year ago.

11/7/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Drank with 2013 Phelps Insignia and 2010 Gruaud-Larose with beef tenderloin, scalloped potatoes and roasted asparagus. All were great with different profiles. This was dark purple in glass, blackberries and currants on nose and palate. Medium acidity, integrated tannins. Chewy on the medium long finish. Decanted for two hours, drank over two hours.

10/21/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

When first opened, this was muted on the nose and almost cloying on the palate. Cherries and red fruits. Mellows a little in the glass with time—as it paired with food. Aftertaste was still sweet as well. Maybe this would tone down with more time.

10/12/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Nice Pinot. Phelps Quarter Moon is, I think, the best of their Pinot vineyards. The wine is not too heavy, shows nose and palate of cherries and other red berries and a little spice. The finish is medium and smooth. Pairs nicely with a pork loin.

10/1/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Received this as gift—put down for 7 years. This is in a beautiful place, with fruit still predominate, but the beginnings of secondary characteristics. Dark berries, some coffee and chocolate undertones, with a whiff of eucalyptus. Medium strong finish. Everything in balance, but should continue to evolve for a number of years. Did decant for a couple of hours and paired with braised short ribs.

9/26/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Backtracked a bit from prior bottle. Still a good Insignia, but seems to be losing a little of its luster. Drank over three hours. Dark berries on nose and palate. Drank alone without food. Maybe needs to be paired—will try that again with my last bottle.

8/12/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Ruby colored in glass. This is an elegant wine, as opposed to a bold type wine. I agree with others that this has been made in a manner to push the fruit to the forefront and is successful in that endeavor. Paired with grilled ribeyes and this complements the food superbly. I could continue to indulge in wines of this ilk for a long time.

8/12/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Five years later and this is still a great wine. Deep purple in the glass. Aromatics of dark fruits and some leather at this point. Two hour decant and drank over two hours and this continued to evolve. Lingered on the palate. Paired well with grilled ribeyes. This has many years left although was my last bottle.

7/24/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

This is a really good Chardonnay. Citrus and pear overtones on nose and palate. This has a nice acidity that held up to a chicken soup and salad with Meyer lemon based vinaigrette. I continue to be generally impressed with Bouchaine wines, particularly the Chardonnays and Pinot from Carneros area vineyards.

7/8/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Ruby color in the glass. Smooth and integrated. Nose of cherries, with some minerality—palate of same fruits. A nice aftertaste that coats the palate. This is a nice rendition of the Pinot grape.

6/25/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Drank with dessert after a 2013 Leeuwin Chard with main meal. Nice wine with black and red berries. Probably needs a couple of hours decant and/or more time in the cellar. Came across as not yet fully integrated.

6/25/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Has evolved since last bottle three years ago. Citrus with a mineral component, great acidity that lingers on the palate. Paired perfectly with a beet, feta, pecan salad with grilled chicken. This has now become what I remember from Leeuwin—probably still has some years left at this level.

6/17/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

This has been a consistent wine over the years. Blue and black fruits—paired superbly with a strip steak. Integrated with some complexity and secondary characteristics. Lingers in the mouth at end.

6/9/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

At suggestion of sommelier at restaurant in Charleston. Paired with filet mignon. Holds up well—nose and palate of dark berries. Medium on mid palate and on finish. This is a good wine, but not overly complex. Maybe with more time it could show additional characteristics.

5/30/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

A nice wine of red and black berries (on nose and palate) after short decant. It is OK now, but has the bones to be better with a few more years of cellaring. Lingers a little on the finish. Paired with a BBQ on Memorial Day.

5/26/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Nice aromas of cherries and raspberries on the nose. Similar on the palate. Everything in balance. A great rendition of the Pinot grape-this is closer to the Oregon Pinots, than the heavier Calif. Pinots. Goes great with food—in this case an Asian style beef dish. Nice finish.

5/12/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Dark fruits on nose and palate. This is one dimensional at this time, but a very good one dimensional. Paired with pasta dish. Medium finish. Well worth the price.

5/5/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Drank with beef tenderloin dinner in blind tasting with 2009 Insignia. This was dark purple in glass. Dark fruits and some spiciness on nose and palate. Two hour decant. This was fully integrated and actually came across as the older wine. Still, however, has a number of years left.

5/5/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Drank at meal paired with Beef Tenderloin in blind test against 2012 Insignia. Nose of dark berries and currants. Palate of more fruit than the 2012. Long finish. Two hour decant. Everything in balance, but hasn’t yet got to some secondary and tertiary aspects. This should have some wonderful drinking years left

5/4/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Earlier bottles didn’t show as well. Nice nose of cherries, on palate cherries and strawberries. Nice acidity, medium finish. A little tartness that was nice. I would drink in near future as I think is as nice as it will get.

5/1/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

This is young. Has a nice fruit profile of red berries. Lighter than some others of this vintage. Well balanced. Drank over three days--the third was better than the first and warranted the 92. This needs more time, but is drinkable now. Can be paired with lighter meat dishes--this is a better food wine than alone.

4/28/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Continue to like Special Selection better than regular Caymus. Profile still a fruit forward wine, but with nice complexity and integrated tannins. Leaves a long finish on the palate of dark fruits. Benefitted from a little air as subsequent glasses were a tad better.

4/22/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Raspberries and cherries on the nose. Same on palate with a touch of spice. Medium intensity. This holds up well to some heavier dishes, as it went with a burgundy flavored stew. Medium on the finish. The Quarter Moon vineyard Pinots are, in my estimation, the best of Phelps' Pinots. Will wait to see some evolution on future bottles.

4/16/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Dark berries, plums and currants on nose and palate. This lingers in the middle palate. Paired well with a pot roast. Has a long finish. This is like a Bordeaux type blend and is , to me, the best of the South American wines of this type. Should last a number of years longer.

4/15/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Agree with some of the more recent reviews that this needs more time. Nose of blackberries, currants. To me, not fully integrated yet. A little heat on the finish. This has potential—I will wait a couple of more years with my other bottle.

4/10/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Unoaked and, therefore, a fresher profile. I like their Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay better. A reasonable effort with lemon and grapefruit on the palate.

4/8/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Drank over a couple of days. This held up. Dark color, limited nose and dark berries on the palate. Tannins in check. Medium finish. Nice California Cab.

3/22/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Cherries on nose and palate. A nice wine, balanced but little complexity. Medium finish.

3/16/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Drank over three days. I thought this lost a little since my last bottle five years ago. A little softer—still cherries and like a light burgundy (in color as well). Didn’t linger as long on the finish. Still a very good wine—better on the first day than the third.

3/12/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

This is as good as it was years ago. Wonderful light burgundy in color, cherries on nose and palate. Everything in balance — complex mixture of the Sangiovese grape. Worked well with a pork, veal, beef meat loaf mixture. Last bottle, wish I had more.

3/7/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Nice Pinot that finished night of ham dinner. This is a more burgundy color, cherries and some red and black berries, with some spiciness. Short lingering finish. Very nice effort.

3/7/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Drank with ham dinner alongside 2015 West Ridge. Liked this just a tad more. Similar footprint—ruby color, cherries and red berries- medium on palate and finish.

3/7/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Drank with ham dinner. Ruby red in color. Light on the palate, with cherries and red berries. Medium on the mid palate. Medium finish. Nice wine that is not heavy as are some Calif. Pinots.

2/14/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Drank at beef tenderloin Valentines dinner alongside a 2008 Tignanello. This had good nose, red fruits of cherries. This had integrated tannins, and a long, lingering finish. This was deeper and more complex than the 2008. Many years left at this level.

2/14/2022 - gew71walsh wrote:

Drank for beef tenderloin Valentines dinner alongside a 2010 Tignanello. This had little nose, cherries and some spice on the palate. A very good wine, but didn’t raise to a higher level. The 2010 outshined it.