Philip Togni vertical with new notes

[John_Morris]

I found my notes from the vertical last month. I don’t have time to write them all up.

In a nutshell, they were terrific across the board. I love the fact that many of those show some green notes – that classic cabernet note that has been ripened out of most Cal cabs today.

The real standouts for me were: 1995, 1996, 1998 Estate and 2005. I scored those in the 92/93 range, and I tend to be stingy with points.

But that wasn’t to slight the others. I was quite enthusiastic about the 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998 Tanbark Hill and the 2006. Those were all 90+ for me.

His ‘93 Ca’ Togni dessert wine from black Hamburgh grapes was excellent, too.

I should mention the meal a friend cooked to go with these. He want all out, and the matches were great:

• Duck breast, duck sausage and goose pate
• Wild boar stew with polenta
• Boneless shell roast with crimini and shitake mushrooms

[William_Kelley]

A shame about the 1994 Mark. That, the 1991, and the 1992 were my favorite Tognis from the '90s.

The 1991 is probably my favorite of the decade, though I never drank them all side by side. I have a bottle in my cellar here in Beaune that at some point I intend to use to demolish a bottle of 1990 Latour in a blind tasting.

[Glen_Gold]

A shame about the 1994 Mark. That, the 1991, and the 1992 were my favorite Tognis from the '90s.

The 1991 is probably my favorite of the decade, though I never drank them all side by side. I have a bottle in my cellar here in Beaune that at some point I intend to use to demolish a bottle of 1990 Latour in a blind tasting.

I’ve wondered how Togni stacks up against the classified growths of the '90s. My best auction purchase by far has been a case of six 1994 Togni and six 1994 Peter Michael Les Pavots. Each one of them still needs 2-3 hours in a decanter to open up. I’ll need to have some friends over post-lockdown to do a compare/contrast, but those two against a 1996 Ducru is about what I can manage.

[David_Glasser]

A shame about the 1994 Mark. That, the 1991, and the 1992 were my favorite Tognis from the '90s.

The 1991 is probably my favorite of the decade, though I never drank them all side by side. I have a bottle in my cellar here in Beaune that at some point I intend to use to demolish a bottle of 1990 Latour in a blind tasting.

I’ve wondered how Togni stacks up against the classified growths of the '90s. My best auction purchase by far has been a case of six 1994 Togni and six 1994 Peter Michael Les Pavots. Each one of them still needs 2-3 hours in a decanter to open up. I’ll need to have some friends over post-lockdown to do a compare/contrast, but those two against a 1996 Ducru is about what I can manage.

A good bottle of 1991 Togni should be awesome, though I’ve never had it side-by-side with top Bordeaux.
For some reason, PM Les Pavots doesn’t push as many buttons for me as Togni. But a side-by-side of 1994 Les Pavots and Togni would be a blast.

[dteng]

Has the style of Togni changed this past decade or still like in the 90’s?
He is one of my favorite producers in Cali.

[William_Kelley]

Has the style of Togni changed this past decade or still like in the 90’s?
He is one of my favorite producers in Cali.

I reckon they’re a touch suppler when young but beyond that very little has changed.

[William_Kelley]

I’ve wondered how Togni stacks up against the classified growths of the '90s. My best auction purchase by far has been a case of six 1994 Togni and six 1994 Peter Michael Les Pavots. Each one of them still needs 2-3 hours in a decanter to open up. I’ll need to have some friends over post-lockdown to do a compare/contrast, but those two against a 1996 Ducru is about what I can manage.

I think quite competitively, especially versus the more muscular northern Médocs which are more comparable than anything else. And the 1991 Togni, especially, whenever I have drunk it, has made me think of the wine Latour should have made in the 1990 vintage.

[MikeL238]

A shame about the 1994 Mark. That, the 1991, and the 1992 were my favorite Tognis from the '90s.

I am really impressed with these wines. Even the corked bottle showed plenty of promise. I think I will have to do a fairly comprehensive tasting when things settle down.

I have nothing from the 1980s apart from 1985 which I picked up from Donn Hein on Commerce Corner. If anybody has any…

Have you tried the 85? If so how was it?

[William_Kelley]

A shame about the 1994 Mark. That, the 1991, and the 1992 were my favorite Tognis from the '90s.

I am really impressed with these wines. Even the corked bottle showed plenty of promise. I think I will have to do a fairly comprehensive tasting when things settle down.

I have nothing from the 1980s apart from 1985 which I picked up from Donn Hein on Commerce Corner. If anybody has any…

Have you tried the 85? If so how was it?

Not Mark, but the 1985 is one of the firmest, most tannic vintages of Togni that I have tasted. I last tried it in 2014.

[Mark_Golodetz]

Not tried it yet, but will soon.

[Mark_Golodetz]

Slight thread drift. My wife used a Riedel Vinum, I used a Zalto. The 1997 showed infinitely better in a Zalto.

[k_s_h_i_n]

I’ve wondered how Togni stacks up against the classified growths of the '90s. My best auction purchase by far has been a case of six 1994 Togni and six 1994 Peter Michael Les Pavots. Each one of them still needs 2-3 hours in a decanter to open up. I’ll need to have some friends over post-lockdown to do a compare/contrast, but those two against a 1996 Ducru is about what I can manage.

I think quite competitively, especially versus the more muscular northern Médocs which are more comparable than anything else. And the 1991 Togni, especially, whenever I have drunk it, has made me think of the wine Latour should have made in the 1990 vintage.

I love the 90 Latour, not as concentrated as the 90 Margaux, but very classic with a hint of the 90 ripeness. IMO, Togni still taste Cali, though classic.

[Laurent_Gibet]

I has an excellent impression with Philip Togni 1994 in a great Cali tasting (Mondavi, Phelps, Shafer, Opus One, Dominus, …)

That was twenty years ago … and i’d like to taste it today.

[Nathan_V]

Has the style of Togni changed this past decade or still like in the 90’s?
He is one of my favorite producers in Cali.

I reckon they’re a touch suppler when young but beyond that very little has changed.

IIRC, the Estate vineyard got pierces in the mid-90s and they had to replant. I can’t remember the exact details.

[RandyJC]

How’s the 2010 of this? I won a 6 pack last year but I’ve assumed they need time, so I haven’t tried one yet.

This is several months past but I have had the 2010 twice in the last year or so and it’s outstanding. I wrote a note on CT in April and I’ve excerpted it below.

This wine makes me want to sell my car and buy this wine with the cash. It is that good.

I opened and decanted it almost five hours before drinking. On opening and at cellar temperature the nose was barely there - tiny whiff of eucalyptus, some blackberry and that was pretty much it. At 4 hours I poured it back in to bottle and the aromatics were still muted - a soy and spice powder component that was not altogether pleasant and concerned me. At five hours and then over the next hour as the wine warmed into the mid and upper 60s the nose was phenomenal - very much a Margaux nose of leather and earth with both sweetish, tart cherry and blackberry. The nose was captivating. Now at six hours it’s been making me leave wine in my glass. Just smelling - it’s not Napa. It’s Left Bank.

Light-medium body and a sensuous mouth feel. Lush without being thick. Flavors are a chocolaty blackberry and a bit of tart sweet cherry but the cherry is background. Everything is in balance, nothing discordant about the wine start to finish. In the mouth and on the finish there is also tobacco, leather and earth woven in with the fruit flavors. Some purple fruit - seems like ripe ripe red plum.

Acidity is laser-focused start to finish but not prominent - just holds everything together. The acid yields only on the finish with a burst of flavors, a reprise of everything in the wine, exploding, tannin kicks in, yields to acid, mouth floods with flavor. The finish goes on nearly a minute.

[J_D_o_v_e]

Togni is in my Top 10 list of favorite producers. Love the stuff. Thanks for the notes.

[John_S]

Has the style of Togni changed this past decade or still like in the 90’s?
He is one of my favorite producers in Cali.

I reckon they’re a touch suppler when young but beyond that very little has changed.

IIRC, the Estate vineyard got pierces in the mid-90s and they had to replant. I can’t remember the exact details.

What Nathan mentions is what I recall as well as I was on the mailing list back then and visited them back around 1996/7/8. Pretty sure the '97 was the first vintage with the replaced vines. There may have been only little of 1995 or 1996 made. Early on the 1997 was a much lighter styled wine than the vintages prior to the replantings. I figured it was due to the young vines.