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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.2 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 355 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Htsnider417 on 12/25/2023 & rated 94 points: Color is still very intact with little rim variation. The nose had dried dark fruit, dried flowers, leather and dusty earth. On the palate the tannins have completely integrated leaving a touch of sweet fruit and similar notes as the nose. Tasting more like aged Bordeaux than Napa cab at this point. I do not think it will improve at this point. Goes to show what a quality producer can do in an off vintage. Thanks Eric! (591 views) | | | Tasted by up4wine on 5/18/2023 & rated 94 points: An extremely well integrated package with oak and vanilla in proper perspective. (1461 views) | | | Tasted by cristalmania0813 on 3/8/2023 & rated 84 points: 부드러운 연유....
보르도와는 조금 다른 잘익은 레드 와인
부담스럽진 않았지만 그래도 전체적인 뉘앙스가 연우로 밖에 안느껴진 내 미각과 후각의 잘멋 (1519 views) | | | Tasted by Bolzano2022 on 12/23/2022 & rated 93 points: Fresh, complex, medium plus body, beautiful nose of black fruits, leather, tobacco, chocolate. Not much sweetness. (1532 views) | | | Tasted by N.Bonaparte on 6/13/2022 & rated 92 points: Nearly 4 years since my last bottle. This needed about 45 min in the glass to open up and held up great throughout the night. At this point, it’s hard to tell it’s new world. This is in its prime and should drink well for a decade. (2418 views) | | | Tasted by Rhodyrex on 12/25/2021 & rated 95 points: Still good in large format. (2402 views) | | | Tasted by Rhodyrex on 12/25/2021 & rated 94 points: 96 - Lydia
85 - Jude
94.5 - Mike
0 - Michele
92 - Chrissy
94 - Jim (1973 views) | | | Tasted by Psychescalpel on 11/25/2021 & rated 94 points: I opened this wine with some trepidation, fearing it would be passed it's peak. I shouldn't have been concerned. Aerated and decanted for two hours, this wine is an intense crimson, with long lightly stained legs. The nose reveals scent of cherries and other dark fruits, honeysuckle and wildflowers. On the tongue cherries burst forth with exuberance, followed by plums, vanilla and BlackBerry chocolate truffles. Mouthfeel is full and syrupy, with finely integrated silky tannins and very balanced acidity. Finish is long, persisting up to 30+ seconds. My overall impression is that we taste in this vintage the technique and terrior that have made insignia a winner year after year. Given prior reviews, I feel this wine has just now begun peaking and probably will continue to drink well for another five years. A delicious and sensual wine. 94 pts. (1814 views) | | | Tasted by AlexHop on 11/4/2021 & rated 94 points: Gorgeous exceeds expectations for the vintage. Well balanced, expressive, perfect age. Not as complex as some of the top vintages but great. (1895 views) | | | Tasted by jlgnml on 6/2/2021 & rated 94 points: Beautiful color, Bursting with flavor, good palate feel, lasting finish. Drink (1962 views) | | | Tasted by dpohlman on 5/17/2021 flawed bottle: Bad cork (1529 views) | | | Tasted by spectrumphoto on 4/25/2021 & rated 94 points: Showing age at front of palatenwith a bitnof thinning but the middle through finish is spectacularly Insignia.
Nose of older Bordeaux funk which blows off after 10 minutes as up front tannins soften once air gets to them. Really a wonderful wine at 21. (1534 views) | | | Tasted by JDB's Cellar on 2/8/2021 & rated 91 points: The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are slow. There is heavy sediment in the bottle. It smells like prune, plum and vanilla.
The aromas pouring the first glass were rather pronounced. I was surprised at the vanilla. Likely from the oak barrel aging.
First sips were very good. Definitely a cab, but a wide range of flavors, more than I'm typically expecting. Was this because of its age? Hints of plum, subtle hints of black pepper, the vanilla aroma also carried through in the flavor. I sipped the glass over a couple of hours. It didn't really change much in character over that time.
Definitely a worthy bottle, that isn't as far past its peak as the 2005-2015 CT aging range suggests.
NB: The cork began to pull apart while opening. Be sure to put the screw all the way in to the cork before pulling. (1804 views) | | | Tasted by oldwines on 9/19/2020 & rated 93 points: In my cellar since release. Decanted at 5pm and tasted over 5 hours. 77% Cab, 18% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Cab Franc, 1% Malbec. 13.9% ABV. Medium to dark saturated garnet color, just shy of opaque. Seems ripe but not overly so. Nose screams aged new oak with vanilla and sweet pipe tobacco. Nose shows black fruit and violets as well. Palate is silky smooth with good acidity, mostly integrated tannins. Palate has blackberry, cassis and blueberry fruit along with the earthy tobacco and vanilla. Finish is moderately long. Totally enjoyable but not a “Wow” wine. Nice with grilled bison rib-eye steaks. Probably in a good spot to drink from 750ml over the next several years if stored well but well into its drinking window at this point. Probably a good bit more time in larger formats. (2617 views) | | | Tasted by gr8vino on 8/25/2020 & rated 94 points: Voluptuous and ready,. If you have this vintage, drink up. (1866 views) | | | Tasted by Cruzin on 8/9/2020 & rated 90 points: Rich and Porty but dry with grippy green astringency on the finish. This is likely quite a nice effort given the vintage and its age. Worked quite well with some hard cheese but much less so on its own. (1760 views) | | | Tasted by drinknick31 on 8/8/2020 & rated 96 points: Just realized that I drank my last one last week. Very sad as this is not past its prime in any way. Drinking with the classic J Phelps style. Big legs and fantastic finish. Still more left here. (1717 views) | | | Tasted by Markzittman on 5/2/2020 & rated 83 points: Liked it but want blown away (1950 views) | | | Tasted by HabsFan360 on 4/26/2020 & rated 92 points: Still do
Drinking well. Fine integrated tannins lots of black fruit and long finish. (1454 views) | | | Tasted by MichielV on 4/1/2020 & rated 89 points: W mac&cheese on my b-day. I think this is over the hill. There was no oomph left. Good color, ok nose but just never came to life. Really too bad as my experience with other vintages was good. Try one of the other ones soon.
The mac&cheese was phenomenal. I love simple dinners!! (1662 views) | | | Tasted by Rider88 on 3/10/2020 & rated 96 points: For me opening anything pre 2006 can be a craps shoot. This did not disappoint. PNP and the dark fruit is still very strong on the nose. Taste was the same way but with a nice hint of herbs to it. I have 1 more bottle that I'm hoping will have the same results. I'm thinking this could still go another year or two, but definitely in a great place now. (1762 views) | | | Tasted by jlgnml on 1/17/2020 & rated 93 points: deep dark color, blackberry, smooth, mellow, delicious. good window to drink. (1885 views) | | | Tasted by beej on 1/12/2020: Opened, poured, drank accompanied by lamb chops and foie gras.
This time no tannins up front but got chalkier over time.
Began a bit Kermit green which developed over time to rich bright and dark fruit.
Plenty of life left. (1535 views) | | | Tasted by Genghis88 on 9/27/2019 & rated 94 points: Epic lunch at Papi's Seafood and Oyster Bar
Thanks Andrew.
Dark burgundy, full bodied.
Dark plums, cigar box, soft leather
WOW! Silky smooth. Liquid richness. Structure is there, and everything is at its peak. Drink up now. What a wonderful wine. (2137 views) | | | Tasted by WineWright on 9/13/2019 & rated 96 points: Subtle nose with delicious fruit and a powerful finish. Just a beautifully made and aged wine. Posted new photo. (1981 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, Vertical Tasting of Phelps Insignia (Apr 2016) (4/1/2016)
(Joseph Phelps Vineyards Insignia Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2002, IWC Issue #102
(Joseph Phelps Vineyards Insignia Proprietary Red Wine Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (1/21/2004)
(Joseph Phelps Insignia) Good blackberry, vanilla nose; seamless blackberry, vanilla, cassis palate on top of sweet tannins 95 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (8/29/2003)
(Joseph Phelps Insignia) Concentrated, cassis, blackberry palate with sweet tannins, surprisingly drinkable now; medium-plus finish 93 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (8/1/2003)
(Joseph Phelps Insignia) Beautiful blueberry nose; big, concentrated, structured berry, blackberry palate; medium-plus finish 94 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| 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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