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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.7 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 76 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Cailles on 4/21/2024 & rated 95 points: This was a highly elegant bottle of Cab with a vibrating red fruit core, spices, an earthy minerality and a touch of herbs. Blind I would have guessed this to be a decade younger, it’s so fresh and lively and with a superb balance. This had a more new world style and feel than many other big names in the 80s, certainly more than my beloved pre-1997 Dominus/Opus bottlings. Still, that balance, the silky texture and complex aromas deserve 95pts. (174 views) | | | Tasted by Pitkin_CT on 10/15/2023 & rated 96 points: Drank with Frank and Ann Sanford (487 views) | | | Tasted by MC2 Wines on 2/10/2023: Napa 2023: the quieter version; 2/6/2023-2/11/2023 (Napa/Sonoma California): Wow was this young. Dark and intense. Black fruits. Some secondary coming in but I’d never have guessed this was ‘85 if we were blind. Suprisingly didn’t seem to have the same evolution as the Heitz in the glass but was always there and strong and structured. Can go for awhile. (1555 views) | | | Tasted by kevinpatrick on 9/1/2022: Cork Vault Bottle Share 9.1.22 (Charlotte, NC): Popped and slo-ox for 2 hours before sampling. Others checked in prior and those who waited were rewarded. Red garnet in color the age is showing. Soft, chalky aromas of wilted rose petals on the nose. Gentle on the mouthfeel – rustic red raspberries still shine up front with secondary notes winning the day. A delicate wine with plenty of life on the night but probably drinking better in isolation rather than in a line-up of varied young/old grapes of varying geography. A delightful wine to be consumed soon before it crosses over too much further, Blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 15% Cabernet Franc. (1653 views) | | | Tasted by Pitkin_CT on 12/31/2021 & rated 98 points: This was absolutely fantastic! Drinking beautifully now and at the height of its powers. Robert Parker once described it as “glorious,” and it certainly lives up to the assessment (1939 views) | | | Tasted by RusisWine on 5/22/2021 & rated 94 points: Red and fall colors at the rim. Clear with modest sediment at end of pour. Decanted for 1 hour and had balance youthful approach. Berries and res fruits in balance weight. A pre-Parker non-fruitbomb beauty. (2494 views) | | | Tasted by GraffCellar on 4/3/2021 & rated 92 points: Still showing pluck and verve
Ample fruit
Energizing acidity
Holding its own after 36 years (2237 views) | | | Tasted by Carl Thoma on 11/22/2020 & rated 92 points: Color was good and a live. It took three hours to open up. I have tasting some similar aged Bordeaux (not the big 5) and it will go toe to toe. Wines in Napa in 1985 where made in a different style. Even JP has changed. 12.5%. Nothing is in your face so need to focus to appreciate just how good this wine is 35 years later. It has aged much better than most of us.
Aroma and taste are more to non-fruit. Name it and you can imagine it is there. Finest is pleasant no standout flavors. You like it for the tannins and acidity being in balance. It is not getting better. Perfect storage since purchase as in 55 degrees and similar humidity. (2294 views) | | | Tasted by Hopsing63 on 3/27/2019: Waited too long :( No tannins left, very little flavor, low acid. GONE! (3149 views) | | | Tasted by Herb K on 2/20/2019: This is still a great bottle— perhaps on its last moments, (1-2 years), but still so pure. (2628 views) | | | Tasted by bestdamncab on 6/23/2018 & rated 92 points: Wine Group Tasting of Old Cabernet Sauvignon vintages. (Yan's China Bistro, Walnut Creek, Ca.): Wine Group Tasting of Old Cabernet Sauvignon vintages. Nose of red cherry, touch of plum, pepper, and mushroom, same on the palate, big body, showed very well and earned a 96 for about forty-five minutes than rapidly faded, maybe a storage issue, similar comments from other tasters tonight, lovely, rich fruit, tasty, and a long. long finish. My Score #3 of 5. (3398 views) | | | Tasted by nywine68 on 11/29/2017 & rated 96 points: Gorgeous wine. Light and elegant yet with plenty of depth. Beautiful mature Bordeaux flavors with plenty of structure left to give it some backbone. Impossible to put down (3534 views) | | | Tasted by europat55 on 8/4/2017 & rated 92 points: Nose: A-/A Palate: B++
My #3, Group's #5 (70 pts). Tasted Blind (2893 views) | | | Tasted by morpheusrising on 1/24/2017 & rated 92 points: Wine and Food night. Opened '85 Backus, Eisele, and Insignia for comparison.
All were excellent. Good balance of earth and fruit. All still had some nice cherry flavors with a bit of ashtray and tobacco. Star anise, medium dark fruit. Generally well rounded and elegant. These have all plateaued and should hold on for another decade or so before falling off.
Insignia is purely California. This was wonderful and more forward than the Eisele, but a little less so than the Backus. The Merlot really mellows the flavors here and makes this nicely accessible. My least favorite of the lot, but still stellar. (4065 views) | | | Tasted by aquacongas on 12/15/2016 & rated 96 points: Achim's Magnum Tasting 2016 (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): From magnum
very elegant and reluctant. It was the reserve bottle for a corked GL 1982. Drank blindly and I thought it was Bordeaux, nice cassis and cherry notes but a pleasant acidity, many years ahead 95-96 (5057 views) | | | Tasted by acyso on 9/10/2016 & rated 90 points: Saturday hangout (Chicago, IL): (60% CS, 25% M, 15% CF.) Well, this isn't old Heitz, but it sure is eucalyptusy. The palate is very largely scaled, with a lot of fruit and big structure. This comes off as ripe, but with great balancing acidity. Surprisingly, this veers towards the umami side of things, which is something I don't tend to find much in Napa. At 30-odd years, this seems to be at a great point. (5009 views) | | | Tasted by nywine68 on 12/17/2015: A bit oxidized. Not overwhelming but definitely lingering in the background. Not nearly as good as other mid-80s Insignias (1231 views) | | | Tasted by rjrwinesnobs on 11/27/2015 & rated 91 points: The wine looks crimson colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like black currant (cassis), blackberry, dust, clove, nutmeg, fig and vanilla. The body is light/medium. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes short. The wine has low acidity. (5407 views) | | | Tasted by andtheodor on 7/24/2015: Wow. Very minty, bay laurel, wild, almost fennel, so complex and undeniably California. Unfortunately the palate is drying out and seems flaccid in comparison to the Lynch Bages alongside it. Fully mature and should be drunk. (6243 views) | | | Tasted by Dennis Graves on 7/21/2015 & rated 96 points: When 20+ years old, most wines that were highly rated upon release do not live up to their young ratings. This one does and, at 30, is gorgeous. In fact, Parker's 95 rating about 2 years ago is probably low. Upon decanting, this wine showed brawny and big, with lots of tight fruit a lovely eucalyptus nose. An hour later it smoothed out and became a perfectly balanced, intense and rich cab. Really quite exceptional. While wonderful now, it should drink well for at least a few more years. Stored at 55 degrees, humidity controlled, since release. (5023 views) | | | Tasted by blanquito on 7/21/2015 & rated 93 points: Beautiful old school Cali Cab. Captivating bouquet with mint, florals, cassis. Fully resolved, silky palate that just lacks a little structure and nuance. Wonderful. (4857 views) | | | Tasted by Hodby on 2/27/2015 & rated 93 points: Red-garnet color, medium; much muddy red-purple sediment. Powerful nose, lovely and young-ish of mints, bay leaf, gum tree leaf, red cherry, cola, a hint of Bourbon whiskey and oak spice. On arrival, medium-low tannin and balanced acidity, very smooth. In the mouth, olives and cherry in front of the herbs and oak. Finishes fat, long. Our group of six drained the whole thing in 90 minutes in fear it would shut down, but it was getting stronger with air. From magnum bottle #1 of one. (5134 views) | | | Tasted by coremill on 2/21/2015 & rated 90 points: Crumbly cork. Mature nose of ripe blackberry fruit with lots of tobacco and cedar character and some vanilla/caramel, exactly what you would expect. Still plenty of fruit, tannins are soft and buttery and mostly resolved, good fruit in the midpalate that shows the mellowness of age, some integrated caramel from the oak, not drying out but also not especially long. Can't see this getting better, and probably already on the downside. A very nice older CA blend without quite hitting any fireworks. (4376 views) | | | Tasted by petitblanc on 9/27/2014 & rated 89 points: Old Wine Offline; 9/26/2014-9/27/2014 (The Room Off the Patio at Ruth's Chris, and My House): Nice deep cherry color. Somewhat off-putting minty nose. More mint on the palate, with spice and fruit. Grows thin and hot through the finish. Losing structure, drink now. (5146 views) | | | Tasted by Herb K on 9/25/2014: This wine just keeps on giving.... It's fading a little, but still smooth, silky with lingering fruits -- plums, berries (4323 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Joseph Phelps Producer website
In the late 60s, Joseph Phelps was running one of the largest construction companies in the U.S. when he won the bid to build Souverain Winery (now Rutherford Hill) located a few miles outside of St. Helena. Enamored with the beautiful Napa Valley and contemplating a career change, in 1973 he bought the 600-acre Connolly cattle ranch in Spring Valley, and began planting vineyards. The winery was completed in 1974 and that same year the first Syrah was made, the first grapes were crushed at the new facility and the first Insignia was produced. It was a period of unparalleled activity, creativity, ingenuity, entrepreneurship and risk-taking and it put Joe Phelps on the map of top Napa Valley wine producers.
Nearly four decades later, the flagship wine, Insignia, is recognized as one of the world’s great wines. Twenty nine of 34 vintages have been rated ninety or more points by various wine publications. From 1990 to 2007, the average score from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate is 94.5 pts., with the lowest score still a fabulous 91. The 2002 vintage was “Wine of the Year” by Wine Spectator Magazine, and the 2007 vintage has been rated 98 points by Robert Parker and 96 points by Wine Spectator Magazine.
Over the years, the goal of becoming 100% estate grown resulted in carefully planned acquisitions of prime vineyards in the Napa Valley. Today, the Phelps estate consists of the Spring Valley Home Ranch outside of St. Helena, Banca Dorada in Rutherford, Las Rocas and Barboza vineyards in Stags Leap, Yountville Vineyard in Oak Knoll, Suscol Vineyard in South Napa and Backus Vineyard in Oakville.
Beginning with the 2009 vintage, estate-grown wines include Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Insignia, Backus (the single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville) and Eisrébe, a dessert wine made from the Scheurebe grape. In addition, a small amount of Syrah is produced from fruit owned by Hyde Vineyards in Los Carneros.
Though the main focus is on Bordeaux varietals, Joe Phelps has had a life-long love affair with the wines of Burgundy and a desire to craft wines in that style. Originally Chardonnay was sourced from St. Helena, later from Yountville and then from Los Carneros. Through the years, however, Joe continued to search for the ideal spot to grow both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and his search ended when the perfect combination of climate, soil and location was found in Freestone, located in the Sonoma Coast AVA, a mere eight miles from the Pacific Ocean. In 1999, 200 acres were acquired and planting began. Today, 80 acres of Pinot Noir and 20 acres of Chardonnay are producing some remarkable wines which are available for tasting at the Freestone Guest Center. Visit Freestone Vineyards to learn more.Red Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.InsigniaOf interest concerning the sources for grapes for this wine:
http://wine.appellationamerica.com/wine-review/669/Insignia.html
jhtUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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