March 3, 2024 - Good color, full body, soft mouth feel, round, nice fruit from start to end. Delicious.
December 23, 2023 - 3-hour decant. This wine is reaching the end of its prime drinking window. It still possesses cohesive, rounded tannins, dark fruit, leather, tobacco and a long finish. Another very strong vintage of Insignia.
December 16, 2023 - Usually love this wine, but this well-cellared and decanted magnum was tired, a bit grainy and pruny. This one was surprisingly past its prime.
December 9, 2023 - One of my favourite vintages of Insignia. Difficult year with low yields due to the heat and a lot of raisined fruit but it has always been generous on the fruit and rich in body yet retaining a refreshing beam of acidity in the cassis flavours which accompany the richer dark cherry notes. Still dark and brooding in colour and only just showing a hint of tertiary nuances. Very smooth drinking after an hour + in the decanter now but perhaps there will be a bit more complexity with a few more years of aging, especially if you have a magnum. Paired perfectly with a thick aged Angus beef rib cooked over a wooden fire in the chimney which may have inflated my enthusiastic score! I am wondering if the other tasters had bottles which were not appropriately stored??
November 25, 2023 - Time to drink up - mouth feel is thinning out but fruit remains and tannins dissapating
November 19, 2023 - Nose and palate of dark fruit like blackberry pie, cocoa and a touch of tobacco. Med acidity. Medium tannins. Fully integrated and nicely balanced in a big Napa way.
November 9, 2023 - The huge, overripe fruit couldn't mask the VA. I'm usually a fan of Insignia, but this was a disappointment. Bad bottle or bad vintage I don't know...
October 29, 2023 - Last bottle. This has been a terrific wine. I have had 2023 down as the last year of the drink window. It is still fine, but am not unhappy that I drank it. It will not get better.
September 15, 2023 - IWFS September Dinner at Nina May, Steak course.
September 1, 2023 - Got better 30 minutes after opening. Fruit is still very good, has complexity, nice finish, perfect color and body.