Was one of the wines of the night at an all mag dinner that included some heavy hitting mags (ie Redigaffi, Ovid Hexameter, Valbuena #5, some high scoring aussie, and others. Some thought it was the WOTN but all agreed it was absolutely in a prime drinking window right now. Lots of mature, rich balanced black fruit, leather, tobacco, chocolate, and earth notes are perfectly rounding out the glass.
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13.5% Napa cab comprised of 90% cab, 7% merit, 3% petit verdot.
Didn’t need the Durand (although I used it) since this cork came out in 1 piece.
Based on previous reviews I popped and poured and oh boy. Home run. Tasted like a 15yo Bordeaux. Full of life, balanced, tons of primary flavors still, mod tannins. Licorice, strawberry, raspberry, chocolate, pipe tobacco, mushroom.
After 1 hour getting some faint tertiary notes, but still fruit forward. Based on prior reviews I was worried this was past it’s prime, but the bottle I had could have gone another 10 years. Terrific wine.
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Surprisingly still showing very well, but I would drink this soon. 13.5abv and drinking like a beautiful and well-structured Bordeaux. There is still some intensity, but a more subtle richness, Ripe/dried red and black fruit, sweet dried herbs, licorice, creme de cassis, and forest floor. Some primary fruit left, but dominated by tertiary note. We tried this side by side with the 2007 and we actually like this 1995 vintage more because of its elegance. If we were blind tasting, we would not have guessed this was a Napa cab.
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Stunning and by far the most complex and best Insignia I have ever enjoyed.
Gently bottle breathed for 4 hours, loved the silky yet robust mouthfeel with medium acidity. Late sweetness was so enjoyable as was the very long complex finish.
Joseph Phelps produced 10,000 cases of the 1995 Insignia, which is about 120,000 bottles.
This is a blend of 🍇 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot.
It achieved 13.5% alcohol.
Three-quarters of the fruit came from estate vineyards and the rest from growers. It spent 26 months in new French oak.
This 1995 vintage began as a potentially troublesome year.
The early spring was very wet, and unusually cool weather plagued both June and July, two important months in the growing season. Warm weather finally arrived in August (much later than usual), and stayed through the end of October, producing a glorious Indian Summer that allowed growers to delay the harvest.
The results are wines that have gotten stronger and stronger in bottle.
Insignia especially these aged vintages, this one is coming up to 30 years now! What a treat...
Intense, powerful but silky and refined at the same time. Amazing..
Rich with arguably the best mouthfeel of all the spectacular wines we enjoyed that fun evening in Taman Tun, including aged Ducrus, Pichon Lalande and Cheval-Blanc too!
Coincidentally my Pichon Lalande Comtesse was from this same 1995 vintage too!
One of 10 bottles at TCs welcome home in TTDI KL, graciously shared by bro Dr Muruga Vadivale. Lesson learned.. Do not pop an Insignia below 10 years, better if its 15-25 years old!
Above Enoteca, TTDI KL Malaysia 1 Aug 2023
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Decanted for an hour and drank over two. Red fruit, beautiful napa cabernet with some leather and tobacco. Still going strong and not fading. Great bottle. Better than Solaia 2015 because of age i believe
Still dark in color Nose has potent dark fruits and initially raw meat that then softens to tobacco and leather with hints of cinnamon and cardamom The palate is that classic, lovely Napa fruit profile of blackberry/black cherry. Fine grained tannin is in the background and the richness of the fruit suggests this wine has a few more years Very nice
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Drank from 3L bottle New Years Eve at Tryons. Poured into glasses at beginning of evening, allowing to breath for a couple hours before drinking. Kind of flat/compressed on first taste at opening, but opened up dramatically after an hour. Excellent as we sat down to dinner. Nice flavors, tannins resolved but not pruney at all. Good drinking overall and a nice use of this trophy bottle purchased almost 25 years ago.
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Drank side by side with 2000 Pichon Baron. The Phelps had dark fruit on the nose reminiscent of the old world. To me seems like a cross between right bank BDX and Left Bank St Julien. The palate still has lots of primary fruit flavors as well as secondary notes as well. Everything is in balance and was easily the WOTN. As prior reviewer suggested, just missing something. If you rate it blind score may be lower 90s but since I know it's Napa and this usually is not my thing I think it merits a 94.
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On the nose could be confused with a quality right bank bdx. Dark fruit, ripe plum. Fully resolved tanin. This wine is in a good place and very enjoyable. Just missing that specialness that Cali can’t provide! Drank side by side with a 2000 Pichon Baron … the two husbands (both wine guys) chose the Phelps. The two ladies preferred the pichon. Thoughts ?
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The Return to the Ledbury (The Ledbury, London): Our third bottle over the last 2 years and once again another 96. Interestingly this was served blind and our friend narrowed it down to a hot year top end Bordeaux (a 2003 Mouton?) or an early 90s classicist from Napa ( Dominus / Togni). And indeed this boils down to that, well evolved, bright nose of full on classic aromas of a secondary nature, forest floor, leather but also with a very healthy fruit. Did feel a bit more brutish than it should have but these are finer elements. A truly impressive wine and a must buy more situation. 96
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Decanted for a good hour. Tasted blind. Andreas who had this blind won no prizes guessing mid 90s Napa as in a way the wine , barring an impressive youthfulness , is really a text book wine. Much like 6 month ago when we had this it amazed us. We can go on and on here but its pointless. Well made Napa cabs of he 90s are now delivering to the maximum. Superb 96+
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Opened for an hour, beautiful aged cab nose. Unfortunately seemed to be past its peak, with slightly faded fruit profile and less distinction and complexity as previous tastings. Not a bad bottle by any stretch of the imagination, but my hopes with these aged cabs are to have a transcendent experience, and this didn't reach that level.
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(Double blind in small capped bottles. Part of a 2 wine flight. By the time I got to the discussion, it was clear that one was France and the other was California. I think I would have probably gotten that, but I helped focus things by stating my view that this was a classic BDX vs CA cabernet throw down, and this was confirmed.)
This was better last night showing classic Napa markers but not overdone. Sweet lush fruits, some chocolate and vanilla, minty-ish herbal notes, a bit of oak left. Maybe some mocha and a bit of heat. A bit generic without the distinctive characteristics of the few CA cabs I like to drink (MB, Togni, DC, Dunn…) but solid and enjoyable. BUT, today this wine is a mess - rotting leaves and a bit sour on the nose. Palate is a bit better showing some of the sweet fruit but still has that rotting leaves thing. Last night it was in the 15.5-16/20 range and so I’ll score it based on that. But if I scored it based on today's performance it would be more like a 12/20 (84/100).
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I decanted the wine for 1,5 hours. The color was beautiful deep red. The bouquet was intense and complex: some dark berries, cassis, coffee, spices - finish after 40+ seconds with Lots of sweetness. Marvelous texture. A powerful strong wine at age 26 which offered us a joyful evening. Napa at its best. A decade more to Go.
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Decanted a good 45 minutes before served and correctly the sommelier ( we BYOB at The Kitchen Table, London) spotted this as not needed more as the wine is also a touch fragile at times. Napa of the 1990s strikes again and this a phenomenal bottle. Good evolution, leathery, spice, dark fruits and with a light touch of oaky feel at the background. An impressive wine though, bang on at a great time in its life to be enjoyed by people like us with a love affair with evolved , old school Napa. Superb 96 and we can go on and on here.
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A stacked cabernet lineup (James and Carrie's house): 20 minute decant. Sweet oak, black fruit, it has that somewhat exotic fruit that I usually find in Insignia, refined tannins. This wasn't the best Insignia but it was still pretty darn good.
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Outstanding Old World Napa Cabs: 20 min decant then slow O'd for 2 hours - Nose showed black fruit and a slight whiff of alcohol (which blew off pretty quickly) with some forest floor and sweet toasted oak. The palate was full of red and black fruit with hints of cobbler, some graphite/lead and hints of toasted wood. The tannins were well integrated and there was a slight alcohol presence with was not at all obtrusive. A very nice aged Insignia that has the fruit and tannins to further improve with a few more years of bottle age. 94 tonight, with the likelihood for improvement with some additional time.
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Old OG Napa Cabs (James & Carrie's, Northern Burbs, Mpls): Very dark red/purple color. 20 minute double decant, drank a glass over 3 plus hours. The nose is the star here with cool Fall forest floor and cool black and blue fruit, cassis, balsamic and some light vanillin. Dense on the palate, the fruit comes off a little more baked, blackberry cobbler, high toned with some heat coming through, nice tannins. Very good, though we've had better showings in the past.
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Like the White Queen said to Alice, there is jam tomorrow, and there was jam yesterday, but no jam today. This wine checked all the boxes, fragrant nose, integrated fruit and balanced palate, but today didn’t quite elevate to the level of classic old school Napa it is capable of.
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A fully developed, elegant, refined, classy wine that offers everything in balance and harmony. The dark red berries, with touches of earth, cocoa, and spice, are ripe, the tannins are sweet and the finish is long, with freshness and energy. I really like the style here. No decanting needed. Just pop, pour and enjoy...
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Poured into a decanter to serve. Cassis, dark currants, vanilla, chocolate and ink. Palate is lush, ripe and rich. While it possesses a lot of power, it is also fairly elegant. Lovely.
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Abbot Street Delights (Abbot Street, Ngaio, Wellington, New Zealand): Presented blind in a flight of three ("L'Evangile 1990, Craggy Range Sophia 2005), this was easily the most impressive wine. Very Napa in style, veering towards a more "culty" level of opulence in the mouth. Stunning fruit quality, a touch of Eucalyptus, and a massive palate profile. Absolutely mature, but will hold easily, and will continue to develop. Lowish acids and bottle age combine to good effect, resulting in a wine of plush, multi-layered complexity, with a very new wold personality, true to its terroir
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This wine is beautiful right now! Perfectly softened tannins and smoky, earthy notes frame a rich core of dark fruit. There's definitely some life left in the bottle, but it's hard to imagine how it could get any better.
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decanted over an hour and enjoyed with a nice steak and heavy mushrooms. fantastic. wish i had more of this same year. Now, i jump to only 2012 onward from my cellar. darn..
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I'm afraid it has faded a lot since our 2017 bottle... it was promising when opened but began to lose flavor after about an hour. By the two-hour mark it was not great. Glad it was the last bottle.
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Reviewer below nails it. Heavenly cedar on the nose of this brilliant deep red-hued wine. Lush and smooth tannins frame the core of perfectly ripe black fruit, mocha, currant and glycerine, with a touch of pine on the long sweet finish. Drinking brilliantly at 25 years.
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Tasting very well, probably has at least give more good years. Lots of cedar in the nose, a little bit of leather. Tannins are soft, mouth feel is full and a long finish.
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After going thru 12+ bottles of the regular 1995 JP Cab, my first try at the Insignia. The regular is one of my all time favorite wines so I had high expectations for the Insignia and it did not disappoint. Wow! Did not decant but consumed over about 3 hours and this just kept building more and more with each sip. Great fruit structure, dark cherry, cassis, with just the right balance of oak to frame the wine. Great texture and mouthfeel with long finish.
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Still drinking well, but won't improve from here and not sure how long it will remain on this plateau, so drink up! A beautiful Cali Cab. Opened about 4 hours before drinking, decanted for about 2 hours, which seemed about right.
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consistent with note of 2 1/2 yrs ago, this is still sailing along in really fine shape. A nearly even mixture of tertiary and secondary traits now, with notable length, lovely lines, and a silken depth that is simply regal at this point. Should hold for another 5-7 yrs before it begins any slow, measured decline. A joy at this point in its life. highly recommended
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The best bottle so far of a 5 bottle auction lot. Balanced, with rich dark fruit shining thru. This is definitely at its peak and wouldn't wait any longer to open. Glorious example of California Bordeaux meritage.
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Best wine I've had so far this year! Decanted 1.5 hours. This goes from strength to strength. Color still strong, just slight brown edge. Super complex and mature nose of cassis, cedar, earth, tobacco and minerals. On the palate, concentrated red and black fruits, hints of espresso, herbs and a bit of smokey oak. Every swirl gained more intensity and complexity. Super long, elegant finish. Terrific bottle - too bad its my last! Reminds me of a second growth St Julien from a great, ripe old vintage!!
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Purchased on release and professionally stored. Vibrant red in color, with just a hint of lightening on the rim... no bricking at 24 years of age! Gorgeous nose of ripe red fruits and spice. The palate was primary, rich and very vibrant. The tannins were evident, but very accessible. A gorgeous, energetic, bright example of California Cabernet. My last bottle, but in this condition, this could go for another 10 years.
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This magnum started out with a beautifully, explosive nose of wonderfully balanced red and dark fruit. The taste was bordering on "other worldly," and the finish seemed unending. But, about 3/4 of the way through the bottle, it lost its beauty and turned rather ordinary. I guess that, like Icarus, it had flown too close to the sun. Had it not been for the latter part of the magnum, this wine would have merited a 97 - if not more. Hopefully, my 750s have held together better.
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Three hour decant- this was heads up with a 2009 Caymus Special Selection and dominated it. Very Bordeaux like with nice balance. This is missing something that the top insignias have like the 1997 or 2002 but a very enjoyable wine that paired nicely with pizza. Certainly in prime but will hold for quite a while (a decade) since the star of the show isn’t the fruit but the Bordeaux’esque cigar box and finish.
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Opened by our good friends prior to dinner. Aged brickish color in the glass.....in its tertiary drinking window right now. Plenty of aged red fruit, smooth texture, hint of acidity remains. The fruit is showing plenty of raisin and prune. Can't imagine this gets much better from here, though I'm sure it can be held quite a number of years more if you wish.
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Opened a 1995 Insignia Imperial this weekend I have cellared. The wine was beautifully aged with nice earth notes and dark fruit. The tannins were almost all but gone as was the heavy toasted barrel flavor so I timed it right (luckily). I would assume a .750 might be a little past it's prime so if you have one, pop it soon. Let it breathe and open up for a bit as mine peaked about an hour after it was opened. The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like fig, cherry, plum, mushroom and light toast. It tastes like blackberry, raspberry, black currant (cassis), fig, light toast and molasses. The body is medium/full. The wine has round texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has low acidity.
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Souper de la ligue du vieux poêle 2018 (État Major): Un nez mentholé, avec un peu de cooconut, l'origine me semblait claire mais je le pensais plus jeune (2002). La bouche est dense et longue, de facture moderne, mais très bien faite. J'ignore comment le tout va évoluer car il nous parait encore très jeune, mais exhibe un peu trop d’élevage à mon goût pour son âge. Néanmoins, une belle bouteille. 92-93 pts
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Gorgeous secondary and tertiary nuances on the big nose leaping from the glass. Brooding dark plums and sage with black tea and mushrooms. Fine grained tannins give this a solid structure that will keep this wine for at least another 5 years although there is no need to wait and enjoy this beauty today.
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Big Insignia fan, maybe 15 vintages. This 23 year old 1995 had a wonderful floral nose and little evidence of brick. In the mouth, very smooth, with floral components and strong presence of pepper (others have noted). However...while it has aged gracefully...smooth tannins, everything integrated, it was a bit more monolithic than hoped for. We couldn't really get beyond the floral and pepper for other flavor components. Didn't really get the graphite or leather, and not a lot of fruit. So...really nice aged Cabernet (and I think Phelps Insignia does this better than almost all CA wineries), but not one of my favorites from the older vintages.
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Decanted for two hours before pouring. Nose of cherry and red fruits, Still fresh for a 23 yo wine. This is the second of two ‘95’s. The first we drank a few weeks ago and it was thin, tired and too old . This bottle was much better. This wine really opened up after a few hours. A nice balance of heat, fruit and oak. The finish is soft and lingering with the flavor of cassis and dark berry
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I bought this wine on release in the mid 90's and I have had it stored first in California, then in New York, then back to California and finally to Brussels. In all places, the wine has been stored in temperature controlled conditions. The wine was decanted about 2 hours before drinking. The cork was in superb condition and looked almost new, but there was a dark blackish purple layer of crystals at the base where the wine rested. On pouring into decanter, the nose exploded out of the bottle with dark blackberry, some cassis and chocolate notes. The wine was dark brownish purple with little amber at the edge. After two hours we poured into the glasses and what a wonderful experience. The colour remained dark, dark reddish/brownish purple. The nose had evolved to add touches of vanilla, nutmeg, coffee, tobacco, tar and some of that peppery cabernet so common in older Napa cabs. The wine was medium to full bodied, seamless, smooth, intense, with dark berries and touches of cassis nutmeg and bell peppers with notes of spices - amazingly sweet on the palate, no alcohol or tannins apparent in the mouthfeel. The finish went on for like a minute and brought out the spicy, exotic notes even more. It was clearly Californian, too intense and forward for Bordeaux, but so so balanced, elegant yet intense. Every sip was wonderful. It was a surprise, as I never thought 1995's were that heavy. Lovely bottle. Worth the wait. I can't wait to try my other 90's Insignias.
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The oldest Insignia I've ever had the pleasure to enjoy......beautiful well integrated fruit, tannins and cedar. Smooth in a good secondary phase with some dark fruit notes remaining. This is in my drinking window. Could go longer but to me it's perfect right now.
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The spoils of a thorough cellar audit, this bottle, part of a case purchased on release (with all but two bottles consumed before I joined CT in 2008) has aged quite well. Color and nose both suggest good freshness, and the full(-) body confirms as much. The elegant side of the Napa equation, with the powerful fruit well-integrated and harmonious at this stage. Cold cellars will likely see this live on another ten years or more, though I love the spot its in now with a bit of primary/secondary/tertiary all in one spot. Best after the 60 minute mark, this continued to (slowly) unfold throughout the following two hours. A great match for burgers, with grilled onions and homemade catsup. IIRC, this was ~ $75 on release. Sigh. recommended
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From memory at the Insignia vertical tasting at WW: Decanted for 1/2 hr then back in the bottle, med. ruby with no bricking, dark fruit, mod. tannins, long finish; delicious & my WOTN (94 was close), drink or hold (no rush)
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Luis Wins CEO Aware (St. Genevieve): This seemed quite green initially. Then it just became rather big. There's still a lot of fruit and I don't think it's hit its stride yet. A pleasure to drink, but probably better in 3-5 years.
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A Mix of Older Napa Among Others (St. Genevieve, Mpls, MN): Very dark red color. 30 minute decant. Drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. This was oddly vegetal on the nose and palate for a long time. I was not really crazy about it at that point. Very slowly this came around and after close to an hour, it finally blew off entirely. Once it does, you can see the class. A bigger, youthful, 22 year old wine if i may say. Well balanced, dark fruits, deep creme de cassis, blackberry, dusty medium grain tannins, oak and spices. Very good, needs decanting and still not mature.
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This was really nice on the pop n pour and saw even more improvement over many hours. In good drinking spot but could easily cellar another 3-5 years. Yum
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A bit tight. Opened a couple of hours before drinking and decanted about an hour before. Probably could have used more time in the decanter. Clearly has plenty of runway left.
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A big CA Cab that needed two hours to really open and still had some tannin in the finish. That suggests it is still aging well and has more to go. I can't see it getting more fruit, it's very big now, but maybe it gets even smoother when it loses that tannin. A lovely Insignia that we liked better than the famous '94.
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Doubled decanted for 1.5 hours. Showed up really great. Profound aroma. Mature and balanced. No bricks and it's in its prime time. Can easily go another 5-10 years.
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From magnum. Deep color and lots of dark berry on the nose. But either the bottle was a little off, or this is over the top. Definitely a roasted plum note to the finish. Not going to rate, thinking storage was at issue. (Bought at auction.) But 90-ish and disappointing.
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Fabulous nose. Tasted in a flight of 93/95/97/03/05Perrot-Minot (Maison) Chambertin-Clos De Bèze 2003/08/09. This was my WOTN. Decanted for 1 hr, and this showed very well.
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Lovely old world nose of pencil lead, shoe leather, roses and dried herbs.
Dry cassis/blackberries on the soft, plush palate. Very layered, seamless and long. A touch leafy (in a good way) with really nice acid giving lift on the finish. Some grip at the end and maybe a hint that the tannins are drying. Everything just seems in its right place - drinking beautifully now. I concluded - lovely wine, quite aristocratic.
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nose:tobacco,green bell pepper,dirty earth,plum,blackcurrant,mineral.deep n complex nose
palate:concentration is gd.acdity nt showing enuff.may b its due to richness of fruits.amazing depth n complexity.slightly dense.puwdery tannins stil present despite so many years of aging.
notes:cherry,plum,floral,blackcurrant,olive,some green notes
conclusion:tis bttl demand great respect.solid with a wow factor
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Clear, dark ruby. A nose of blackcurrant and blackberries, with vanilla oak, earth, tobacco and hints of green bell peppers. Developing. On the palate, this had medium(+) acidity, a full body, pronounced flavour intensity of blackcurrant, dark cherry, tobacco, vanilla and a tinge of bell pepper and herbs. Medium(+) smooth tannins. Long finish. Felt much younger than its age. The fruit was still very prominent. Keep this in the cellar and drink in 5 to 10 years' time.
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Appearance was deep ruby, almost garnet. Nose was clean and pronounced. Aromas of blackcurrant, tobacco, earth, tea leaves, leather, dried prunes, plums, mushrooms, bell pepper, cordyceps(?). On the palate, dry, high acidity, high (but well integrated) tannin, full bodied, with flavours of black cherries, plums, vanilla, sweet spices. Long finish.
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Tim + Ching Birthday 2016 (Extra Space): Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs. Nose is clean, medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of toasty oak, blackberries, black cherries, tobacco, hint of herbaceous bell pepper. Developing. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (13.5%), smooth high tannins, full body. Pronounced flavour intensity, with flavours of blackberries, blackcurrant leaf, toasty vanilla, bell pepper, tobacco, cassis. Long finish. Very good quality. Lots of polished refinement here. Still fresh for a 21 year old wine! Still has a life of at least 5 years ahead! Enjoy with a decant now. Better with air.
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USA 1995 (@ JK): Beautiful bouquet with dark forest fruits, coffee, chocolate and graphite. On the palate a lovely and well balanced wine which is completely ready. Dark berries, graphite, a beautiful balance between acidity and sweetness. Great wine!
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A beautiful, mature expression of the best that Napa Valley has to offer. This wine is at its peak - red and dark fruit, graphite, smooth, lovely mid-palate, nice finish.
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Double decanted then SO'd for a few hrs, garnet, no brick, nose & palate of fine Bordeaux with dark fruit & a touch of tobacco, soft/mod. tannins, long finish; Delicious & ready to drink but no rush
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1990's California Cabernet - Blind: Nose shows potential, nice and rustic but not overly expressive. Unfortunately the palate is still super oaky and jammy. Comparable to modern Napa Cabernets. Age hasn't really helped here.
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Beautiful aromas of black currant, licorice, and a hint of smoke, but this bottle had very little fruit remaining. Mid palate and finish just weren't showing up. Hoping it was just this bottle.
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Drank with dinner at Bluestem. Decanted 30 mins prior to consumption. Wine is in a really great place per other notes. Finish was very long. Berries and light oak on first taste turning more into a forest like flavor on the finish. Glad I have one more left, will be drinking it soon.
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Drank Saturday night with Costco Prime steak and World Series Game 4 (Go Royals), so this falls under the category of environment affecting the wine. Perfect evening, so wine was great too, which my dinner companion confirmed as well. Sure it must be true. But I wouldn't wait much longer on this.
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3rd flight of wine dinner at Press St. Helena - Another stand out wine this evening - wow this was really enjoyable. Really balanced with a notably long finish.
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Cork was soft and came out in pieces. A very good insignia but not quite as solid as other older vintages I have had. Needed a an hour to hit its stride and faded after several hours more. Good amount of oak, rich fruit, good balance.
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Very good wine. Drank smoothly right after opening with slight improvement after decanting for about 30 minutes. Ready to drink now but will last a few more years.
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Elegant. In my opinion, near perfect at this stage. A quick table decant at a steak house and this did not disappoint. We were a party of 4, and fortunately for us, 2 were drinking beer. Their loss. Enjoyed over a 3 hour period and savored to the last sip. I will be buying a few of these
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This was flighted with a 95 Montelena. What a great flight. I found it very difficult to rank one of these better than the other. I liked the structure of the Montelena and the accessibility of the Insignia. Maybe a slight edge to the Insignia for its more friendly temperament tonight? Both lovely and both would do well blind in a high end BDX tasting. Both wines evolved and changed significantly from the first pour but especially the Insignia.
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A Decadent Night of 1990's Napa Cabs and Bordeaux (Chez Dalluge, MN): Very dark red color, no bricking. Slow-O for 45 minutes with no decant; drank 1 glass over 3 hours. Great nose, very similar to the '95 montelena, earth, perfume, but richer and darker black fruits. The palate shines with layers of black and blue fruits; deep and concentrated without being overtly heavy, despite the glycerin; deep blackberry, blackberry liqueur, cassis, spices, pepper, some wood, and a full bodied richness that coasts into a long finish ( just a bit of heat at times). Classy and gorgeous, with a bit of savoriness on the lengthy finish. I loved this. 95+pts.
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Toms Bday at H Club: To compare aging between Bdx and Cali Cabs: Next to 95s from Comtesse Pichon, Pichon Baron and Leoville Barton. This was super good, great bricked color, super flavorful nose and on palate just great elegance and lots going on. Not powerful but compared to the others it was most talkative. Yummy wine and better than what I tasted last time.
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90's Cali Cab and the Kitchen Sink (Ursino in Union, NJ): The first taste of this was probably my wine of the night. It was decanted for maybe 30 minutes before pouring. Suspect the decant was a good idea, but would be careful on timing as the wine did slow down through the night. Initially just beautiful - great blackberry fruit, amazing spice characteristics, a bit of licorice. Just fantastic. Exactly what I love in older Napa cabs. With some time that shifted more to current and then more to stewed fruit and just held together a bit less well. Drink up.
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This opened immediately and drank like silken cherries. Served it with a perfect prime steak and let me tell you it was a remarkable experience. We were all smacking our lips out loud and oohing and ahhing. This was a stunning bottle.
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I needed something special tonight, so 1995 Phelps Insignia it is. Into the decanter at 7:35 AM. Cork in perfect condition. Fairly large amount of fine sediment. Whiff of tobacco on the initial nose. Initial tasting after 8 hours in the decanter, then consumed over the nest 24. Strong aromatics, menthol and eucalyptus. No sign of burning out. Soft tannins. Not a fruit bomb by any stretch. Classic old wine taste without that old musty and wet leather taste.
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initially a little alcoholic and sharp, but turned out pretty nice and fragrant, a little smoky on top of some cedar, woodsy notes. Definitely sweet on the palate since it's from a ripe vintage, and full-bodied. Tannins are still very much there after almost 20 years.
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Color is excellent, looks fresh Nose is awesome Still bright, very good fruit and tannins are present Incredible, can likely go many more years Thought I needed to open it now but should have waited
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Bottle @ Doodler. Fair amount of leather, cola, and tobacco in the nose. Fairly tannic. A bit toasty. Mild chocolate, plums, and figs. Pretty delicious.
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A restrained and balanced beauty, in perfect balance, with no hard edges. Layers of lush fruit, fine acidity and sweet tannins, through to a very long finish.
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Tasting wines in double-blind fashion is very educational and sometimes can be validating (although it is more often humbling). This opaque red/garnet wine (a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot) flaunts a beautiful nose of fig, cocoa, currants and Asian spices. Full-bodied, round and softly tannic at this point, it is very supple on the palate and has flavors which mirror the nose. The alcohol (listed as 13.5%) is nicely integrated and the middle palate is solid. With a finish which seems to last forever, this is one which will make current bottle owners very happy over the next 5-7 years. I'm pleased to say that I made an educated guess which was quite close to identifying both the wine and the vintage. Even if you are not concentrating to that extent, you will love this wine! Drink now-2020.
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My WOTN. Deep color, great balance. Smooth tannins in the Insignia style, with a velvety finish. Still drinking well and has a few more years left. This vintage has a higher concentration of Cab Sauv than other vintages, and it will continue to evolve. Love to taste again in a few years.
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The cork broke on opening, but was otherwise perfect. This wine is now a deep garnet , with a fading rim, and impressive legs. The nose is pronounced and amazingly complex, yet so fresh. There is cassis, blackberry jam ,cedar, menthol, bay/rosemary, anise, spice, liqourice, cherries, a hint of salty minerality, and the occasional waft of tea rose florality. The palate is chewy with flavours of cooked plummy fruits, blackberry jam, coffee, and chocolate. On first opening , the acidity was medium plus, but calmed down to medium after an hour or so. Tannins are well integrated , and the 13.5 per cent alcohol is lightly worn , on the silky mouthfeel. This wine seemed in a perfect place - elegant, complex, smooth, and refreshing , yet still exhibiting hints of youthfulness. Built for the long haul, in a classic Bordeaux style, this is California Cab at its best. I' m looking forward to tasting my remaining two bottles of this vintage over the next 5 - 8 years. Went perfectly with wild venison steaks, served with a port and blackberry sauce ( our own blackberry jam and wild blackberries from the garden)
Brown Bag Wine Dinner at Two Chefs; 6/25/2013-6/26/2013: The wine looks Garnet colored. The legs are Slow. It smells like Blackberry, Black currant (cassis), Cedar, and Violet. The body is Full. The wine has Bright texture. The wine finishes Long. Al's Insignia. thank You Al!!!
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Med dark red. Lead pencil, cedar, black currant nose says "Bordeaux". In the mouth there is also something lighter - like red currant jelly. Some silkiness and red fruit on the long finish. Elegant and excellent.
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The cork crumbled at the base but the wine was filtered and tasted fine. Tannins are soft, color is dark, fruit is black, medium body. Hints of cedar and oak. Ready to drink now.
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Lovely mature Cali Cab PNP at in laws club after hellish drive with the older kids through a snowstorm on the day after Xmas. This was easily the highlight of my evening in all respects. DrEdwardo sums the wine up perfectly and I might even give it one additional point just for the elegance. Not a blockbuster at this point, but wonderful full fruit and tannins fully resolved and the oak integrated. My brother in law and I polished this one off efforlessly. Fortunately the rest of the family stuck to their normal white wines. Would gladly buy this wine again at a fair price
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For a 17+ year old wine this was impeccable. Dark colour. Redolent sweet cassis nose. Obscenely silky entry: cassis, cedar, sweet, seamless tannins. Obvious oak treatment but at this point fruit, oak, acid and tannins are in perfect harmony. Many years ahead of it. Vinous craftsmanship
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Drinking really well. Deep brooding, some nice bottle character, seamless. Was favorited slightly over the 2001 David Arthur cab, which we really liked as well.
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Typical Insignia. Balance, integration, fruit forward, classy. Less acidity and seemingly softer than the 94. Drinking very nicely but longevity may be in question. 50+8+9+19+8=94
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Brittle cork when it was opened. After some breathing, the wine revealed terrific structure - very Bordeaux-like in character. Aromas of earth, dried herbs, black berries and anise. The palate is full and densely packed with flavors of black currant, cassis, smoke, chocolate, and espresso. Quite amazing with layered complexity, but doesn't match the 1997. Drink now until 2017.
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Typical insignia profile with dark red and black fruits with mocha, tobacco and spice. This bottle really benefited from at least 2hrs in the glass as the acidity was somewhat sharp and out of balance initially. Still very youthful with only slight secondary characteristics and moderately firm tannins on the long finish that softened with time. Medium body. Not as concentrated or complex as the best years. Not worth current prices.
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Enjoyed this tonight with my wife along with grilled Bryan Flannery steaks, grilled artichokes. The wine has about 10 years left -the color was a deep purple, the aromas typical of Insignia, and the fruit was amazing - lots of berries, cherry, and about a 10 second finish. Would love to try this wine in about 2, 5 and 10 years. An excellent Insignia.
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Decidedly youthful. Pop and poured, drank over about 90 minutes. No hint of age in the color. A bit of funk on the nose upon opening, but that blew off. Firm tannins and lots of tartness...though the fruit didn't keep up with the tannins. Has the structure to age longer, no worries there, but don't know how much longer the fruit will hold up to the tannins. I'd decant next time...if I had another...
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While its no 1970 Latour, this was definitely showing strong. Dark, dense and powerful, the vibrant dark fruit, cassis and herbs were well integrated. A long finish with soft but lively tannins, this was delicious
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Epic Wine Dinner at Bourbon Steak (Washington DC): The wine is a baby. It's a beautiful example of young Napa Cab -- and I'm shocked to learn its 17 years old. The wine opens with fresh blackberry, huge dark fruits, and eucalyptus, with some earth, pencil lead, and wild mountain herbs playing a supporting role. The wine has great structure, soft-but-mouth-coating tannins, and delightful front-of-mouth acidity. Truly exceptional.
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Decanted an hour prior to drinking. The nose changed over the course of consuming, from something that more resembled Bordeaux at first to something more like Napa. At the beginning there was some mustiness and earthy notes, which gave way to dark berries and some mild spiciness. On the palate the wine is surprisingly light, with lots of acidity, medium fruit concentration, and mild tannins. There are notes of menthol and blackberries. It is light-bodied and at 13.5% alcohol it doesn't have any "hot" characteristics. Nicely balanced, but could use a little more fruit concentration to hold up for more aging. Tannins were well integrated. Not as complex as I would have hoped, but should continue to age well for 5+ years. A very subtle wine.
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A beautiful bottle of wine drinking wonderfully. Shared at Atlas Bistro in Scottsdale with Ogburns and Kirbys along side a '91 Dunn Howell Mtn. and '97 Silver Oak NV. A rich and succulent recipe of dark fruit, smooth tanins with a velvety mouthfeel. While this is driniking as well as you could ever hope it still have 5+ years in it. A great wine on a great evening.
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Cassis, licorice, herbs, truffle, blackberry, tobacco and earthy aromas lead to a balanced, fresh, round style of California Sauvignon that ends with soft, ripe, layers of blackberry and cherry. This is drinking great today.
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Opened after '93 Opus One - a bit darker than the Opus and more fruit, spice, plum and a much longer finish. Still has a year or two left but this was my last bottle.
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From magnum. Having recently had a 91 Insignia that was tired at best, I was completely taken by surprise at this wine's youthfulness, depth, layered nuances and balance. Served blind I guessed the vintage correctly but thought this was Mouton instead of Insignia. It is a dead ringer for that wine. Gorgeous, polished, deep red and black fruit, lead pencil, touch of tobacco/leather, black olive and a pronounced minty note. Very youthful, packed palate with more black fruit, minerals, baker's chocolate. Amazingly deep, with superb balance and integration to a fine, long finish. A very special wine and about 180 degrees from the 91 we opened just a few weeks ago.
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Dark, purple color that does not show a hint of its 15 years in the bottle. The nose was powerful with cassis, plums, spice, and violets. The palate is complete with ripe fruit, spice, licorice, and violets. Since the blend added layers of complxity, the Insignia's profile was slightly more impressive than the 95 Arrowood Reserve, but both wines were phenominal. Structurally, the mouthfeel is full-bodied and plush with balanced acidity and polished tannins. The finish coated the palate with an ocean of fruit and spice. Overall, this was excellent because of its vibrant fruit, plush mouthfeel, and layered palate. It should be considered one of the best wines made in 1995.
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A fantastic and still vibrantly youthful, pure example of California fruit, this '95 Insignia matched any prior bottle of the amazing '94. A wonderful, still jammy attack led to a well-stuffed mid-palate that possessed ample secondary notes (spice, saddle leather) and really distinguished this wine from the sea of very good but incredibly uniform-tasting California CS and blends that have been produced over the last 20 years. The finish was deep and long, and the overall impression left behind was richness with supple balance. This was a perfect complement to Julia Child's Beef Burgundy.
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Wonderful wine that is at a perfect maturation stage. Mind blowing aromas of violets, dried and ripe fruit. Super smooth and very elegant mouthfeel. Great finish. Simply a great wine!
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Tasted alongside Pichon Lalande 1995 with Lamb Loin sauteed in hazelnut oil, this was a near profound wine. Rich cabernet fruit, brilliant texture, "Rutherford dust", gorgeaus aromatics. A very stunning wine that is clearly in a wonderful place but bottles in this condition will continue to develop positively. A finer pairing of Fr and US 95's that at the start fo the year with the Mouton and Araujo.
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Terrific (had two bottles, very consistent). Ripe fruit, hitting maturity but still so much left. Really as good as a Cali cab gets. Any score 96-100 I couldn't argue with.
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CellarTracker Wisconsin June 2011; 6/24/2011-6/25/2011 (Madison, WI- various venues): Tasted non blind at a tasting that included 94-99 Insignia. Nice nose of cassis and violets. Similar palate with mint and cigar box and a touch of sweetness in the middle. Very long and consistent finish. Drink now and over the next several years. Very nice overall and one of the standouts along with the 94 and 97.
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Tasted non blind at an offline. Double decanted and left cork out for four hours before serving.
Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. nose of underbrush, dried herbs, a bit of berry and a bit of lavender. Flavors of berries, currants and plums. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannins, full boded. Drink or hold.
At first whiff the wine smelled a tiny bit corky but not enough to notably mute the nose and palate. However, withholding a rating just to be safe.
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CT Wisconsin Offline (Madison, WI): On the nose I got sweet dark berries, a little green/earthiness on the nose, a slight black tea component. The palate was smooth and packed with nice berries and plums. Nice dry tannins and a lovely finish.
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CT Wisconsin Offline; 6/24/2011-6/25/2011 (Madison, WI): Initially very lovely perfume on the nose, turning slightly secondary on the palate. This seems to be developing nicely and may turn into a fine mature wine to revisit in 3-5 years.
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Decanted. The nose was initially fairly expressive, showing some plum, dark berries, hints of oak resolved tannins and a medium plus finish. Smooth and perfectly drinkable. After about three hours, it did begin to fade a bit, with the nose and palate becoming somewhat muted 92
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opened for an hour, then decanted through aerator and left for a second hour. perfectly balanced with pencil lead, soft tannins, and blackberry fruit. was still rising about two and a half hours after opening and can't hlpe but wish i had given it more time in the decanter. no signs of fading, but no reason to wait.
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Commanderie Pre-Dinner (Restaurant Vincent, Minneapolis): Double decanted approximately 4 hours before tasting; started out profound and seemed to fade a bit by the time we drank it. Rich and intensely flavored, showing plummy fruit, anise/licorice, baking spices, and dark chocolate. Long finish. Delicious, but outclassed by the '78 Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill.
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opened for a steak dinner, this was really disjointed at first and dominated by oak and tannin. I decanted this about 5 hours before tastiing it, and only drank a bit then left it-on day 2 it was vastly improved, showing me the telltale Insignia characteristics-a rich, smooth wine with blackberry, dark chocolate, cassis and a very long lingering aftertaste that just stayed with me... can't imagine this getting any better than it is now.
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Earthy, funky, a bit bretty with pleasant barnyard notes--a bit CdP like; Rich earthy mouth, stewed cherry, softer and plush, a bit low acidity at this stage is the only drawback.
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2 hrs in decanter. we drank it after a very good Paul Hobbs malbec (Cobos) which was super. This was great and balanced in te nose upon opening bu it fell flat when we poured, nose closed a bit and on the palate you tasted good fruit but something was missing. maybe it closed in between and needed more time to open up?? W'll get to try again soon I think. this should live for quite some more time normally. hope it was somewhat off-bottle
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Wow, was this great! Initially when it was decanted from a magnum and tasted, it was very tight. It was slowly decanted from one decanter to another five or six times. It opened up and was pretty darn good! It had lots of red berries, tobacco, a bit of licorice, cedar and silky tannins. Great balance and mouthfeel from start to finish. You have plenty of time for this one.
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A beautiful wine. The fruit remains strong as the first impression but the earthy finish was to die for. I've always loved the mid-90's Insignias and this one was no different. Going amazingly strong with years and years of life ahead. Merry Christmas!
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Wow, what a great wine. Rich dark fruit, some coffee, a hint of chocolate and a little smoke and earth, perfectly balanced, long finish. this is everything you'd want from a wine. Drink it either alone or with food.
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Essentially pop and pour. Excellent nose, lots of berries with just a hint of smoke/oak. This is a very smooth wine now, no harsh tannins and not overdone. There is still a fair amount of fruit here, but certainly not a fruit "bomb". Just a very pleasant drinking wine, with or without food. Enjoyed it very much. Not sure holding it any longer will have any benefits. Drink now and enjoy. Wish I had another.
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Magnum. See my prior review for the 750ml bottle, note that the smaller bottle was not as good. Cork was intact with almost no intrusion. Decanted, filtered, minimal sediment. Opened some in the glass over drinking period, but I do not recommend an extended airing. Drank over 2 hours. Deep purple color. Nose of dark fruit, medium alcohol. Tannins fully integrated. Silky mouthfeel. Very well balanced on the palate with the expected Cali-blend taste of fine Cabernet fruit and just a hint of old-world left bank style. For this reason and my note that the 750 ml bottle was declining I believe this wine in the magnum is just past its peak and it is time to drink up. It will not get any better with age; if it loses any (more?) of its grape structure it may be thin on the palate. This is a $400+ bottle of wine in the magnum format....I've had it a long time in the cellar, and figured it was time, no regret for pulling this cork now. It compares quite well to some other aged Cali cab based blends on the cult side, but is a bit overpriced, likely due to its reputation as a "go to" high end selection. Insignia is dependable, that's for sure but it is priced a bit high.
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very impressive. Aging beautifully. Simply georgeous with a very complex nose and palate. FInish for miles. Easy to drink but lots to pay attention too. Some medicinal, but very minor compared to other bif california reds. This wine lives up to the billing and is going to be more in line with old world drinkers than some other huge cali cult wines (and much better priced).
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Strong showing but this has been cellared at 55 degrees since release. This wine is clearly at it's peak and there is no reason to continue to hold this wine. I plan on drinking the rest of my bottles over the next 4 years. I see no real faults in this wine other than lacking a little complexity.
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A blend of 90% Cab. Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, aged in French oak. Right out of the shoot this is all California Cab with a nose and palate full of lip smacking anise, cedar, pencil finishing up with cocoa nots. This is much rounder and softer than the Arrowood. The first sip you taste is just like the last sip. From that aspect, it is a less cerebral wine than the Arrowood, but not any less pleasing to the senses. Although some of the fruit is Rutherford Bench, I cannot say I detect any distinct Rutherford Bench dustiness. Bob and Michael see it more akin to Lafite. Some sediment on the shoulder. 13.5% alc. With grilled duck with grilled plum sauce. With the Rosses and Col. Cuozzi. Highly Recommended.
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Cork was slightly easy to pull out. Dense purple/ruby - not showing too much in the way of age. On first opening, the wine displayed dense plums, earth and cedar - classic Napa cabernet. Stunning wine in the mouth - liqueur-like intensity and wonderful length - this has great sweetness. Eucalypt and fennel seed - herbal in a gorgeous way. Tremendous balance - exceptional wine making. A great Napa wine in a very new world style - this would not be confused with bordeaux! It misses out in the end because there is not that extra dimension that one gets in profound wine, even taking into consideration the perfect balance. The wine held ll night at a very high level - a pleasure to drink. This wine is great now.
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Overall a bit disappointing. The nose was quite lovely: cassis, cedar, vanilla, smoke and a touch of cinnamon. Palate was where things did not quite come together. Considering the year and quality of the vintner, I would not expect this wine to be past its peak. But alas, I think it is. The fruit was simply not there as it should be. The wine seemed to lack structure, and tasted a bit flabby. Still outstanding by almost any measure, just not (or at least no longer) extraordinary.
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Quite attractive dark-fruited nose. Prominent graphite notes on both the nose and palate. Fruit appears to have dropped off on the palate, making the tannins and oak more noticeable.
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Mouth filling flavor of cassis and blackberries, a hint of tar. Soft and not showing much tannin. Comments from people at table -- "Love it!" and one person noticed a maple syrup element, but that was subtle. I'm glad I drank this now, think maybe it's hit its peak.
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Opened for 30 min before drinking. Classic Insignia aromas and smooth silky finish. Not as full bodied as 94 or 97. Ready to drink now and looking forward to next bottle!
This wine was very slightly corked but drinkable and enjoyable. Last bottle of this wine I had 2 years ago was totally corked. Problem at the winery? Bright intense colour. Quite complex nose of red fruit, cedar and leather, very St. Julien. Tannins present but well integrated. Long finish.
Wednesday Night Blind - April 2010 (Peter Pratt's Inn): Blind Wine #5 - So familiar, in my mind when Lance said Insignia I knew he was right. These wines flat out rock! Great dark color, huge rich fruit, deep and complicated, richly textured. Great juice.
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Tasted January 13, 2010 at an offline. Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Slightly subdued nose (could've used more air) of roses, leather, talc, plum and berries. Flavors of plums, berries and cherries. Medium acidity, tannins and body. Drink or hold?
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Nice youthful color, a bit closed and shut down in the first hour.. Then wine opened with a red berry, lead pencil, sage and Napa dust bouquet.. This wine possessed a very long sweet finish that was very fruit driven. The balance was good..
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Dark red core, slight lightening at the rim. Rich forward nose of cassis, plums, nints of cedar, tar, and floral notes. Medium-full body, ripe plush fruits, some Bordeaux-like aged notes of sweet tea and cedar, very nice balance, mostly resolved tannins, medium finish, not as big as a few years ago but still drinking very well, excellent.
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Kevin & Margaret's Thanksgiving Dinner (Their House, Hong Kong): Deep blood red semi-transparent colour. Pure nose of Pauillac that is very remniscennt of Pichon Lalande. Palate is a real disappointment because it's just acidity and milk chocolate and surprisingly linear and surprisingly hot and acidic on the finish. I suspect this must have suffered from poor storage at some stage but I note that a lot of other CTers have had the same experience so maybe something went wrong with the bottling that year because there seems to be two distinctly different Insignia 1995s out there.
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Perfumey floral bouquet of dark fruit, dark purple in color with finer sweet tannins. Maybe a little too sweet? Aerated for only 20 minutes but seemed to drink the same 3 hrs later. Fair amount of sediment at bottom of bottle as would be expected by now. I was more impressed by this wine in Nov. 1999 than now, but received rave comments from others present this time.
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Decanted for about a 1/2 hour. On the nose wonderful aromas of black fruits, cedar and hints of tobacco. On the palate the same with hints of chocolate. The tannins were silky smooth and the finish was as memorable as any. Gorgeous wine. Drinking wonderfully right now.
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Concentrated and purple, the color and nose would lead one to believe they are about to have a wonderful experience. However, the palate is unbalanced with dark fruit separating out from the relatively firm tannins in a borderline unpleasant manner for a wine of this heritage. The acidity and tannins were not in balance either. This wine did benefit from about an hour of aeration. I don't think that it will benefit from any additional cellaring either.
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Beautiful complex nose on opening, smelling fresh but also with complex secondary notes. Palate did not live up to the nose, with the finish still being tannic but astringent, with a hole in the midpalate. Continued to harden with opening. This bottle had less than ideal storage, and likely suffered from this.
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Simply delicious, with firm structure, plush and juicy dark fruits, and caramel undertones. I was most impressed by the structure and balance of this wine (my first Insignia).
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Cult Californians Wine Tasting (Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): I have never been disappointed by Insignia when it has gone beyond 10 years, which is when it turns into my kind of a wine. Lovely powdery tannins, elegant, refined but still with power. Lovely........
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This is a 13 year old Napa Cab that truly evolved aromatically. The nose is incredibly appealing, offering a complex array of aromas. Leather, smoke and earth lace the fruitful core. It is an absolute pleasure to smell. In the palate, though, time has affected it adversely. It has lost density and weight, and the full midpalate it exhibitted when young falters now. This wine exhibits the weight of a 20 year Bordeaux. Tannin is not as evident as in its youth, but is still present, exhibitting a dusty quality. The finish is very long and pleasant. For the nose, this merits 96 points. For the palate, it only gets 88 points.
This was paired with a Fois Gras terrine and a steak au poivre.
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Drinking window seems to be right in the wheelhouse at the moment with a possibility to improve just a bit more as the tannin stood out just a hair. A bit light on the mid palate but overall a nice drink. But IMO, inferior to the lush, rich 97.
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I proposed to her on 11/11 at 11:11 in 1994. We got married the following year March 11, 1995. Not sure what it is about 11s but I'll never forget the day I proposed. So today, a 1995 Insignia to celebrate the occasion. I was blown away by the condition of this wine. No telltale signs of age but rather a dense, deep purple wine. It possessed a nose of dark fruit with hints of smoke, toast, pencil lead. Under any other circumstances I would expected this to be bordeaux. Palate of smooth sweet tannins, dark berries, pencil lead. Nothing but pure pleasure.
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Looking into the glass there is only a slight bricking of the wine...but you have to look for it to really notice it. Scents of black fruits, leather, and slight pencil shavings could lead one to believe this was in fact from Bordeaux. Underneath it all there is a light hint of cinnamon that can be caught in a trail at the end. In the mouth this is everything that people love about California Cabernet based wines...it's plush, full, round, and offers such wonderful focus as flavors of black & blue fruits lead into a symphony of bakers chocolate, graphite, and intense minerality. An absolutely outstanding wine...
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Decanted for 90 mins and put back in bottle for another 60. This wine still has loads of fruit and tannin. Improved significantly in the glass, so if i had another bottle, would let breath for at least 3 hours.
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Nose was very promising but ultimately no fireworks on the palate. Least impressive showing out of maybe a case of prior bottles. Have to assume this is an outlier.
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Pulled this out, dusted it off and pulled the cork (cork was in excellent shape), allowed it to sit upright for 2 hours then decanted. Medium body, medium finish nice complexity. Cedar, black currant, white pepper, chocolate, tobacco, and berries (no tar for me) on the nose and palate. This had the stuffing to easily go for another 5 years or so. It should gain in complexity and garner another point or two 92-94.
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This was a wonderful wine. Dark, no sign of age visually. The nose was exeptionally leathery, tar, tobacco...wonderful. In the mouth, very well-balanced with substantial sweet fruit with notes of tobacco and cedar. The smooth tannins were evident. Classic CA CS in traditional Insignia style. Not all all heavy or over-extracted. Terrific wine showing well now, but not remotely on the down side. Glad we have a few left.
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Tasted along with 2 other greats from 1995: Beringer Private Reserve Cab and Peter Michael "les Pavots". The Insignia was dark red in the glass with not much sign of aging. The nose was alluring fruit and wood spices. On the palate, the wine showed excellent intensity and seemed quite youthful. Black fruits dominate, along with vanilla and a bit of anise. The wine had medium body, not quite as velvety in texture as the Beringer. The finish was good, but didn't show much nuance. A fairly classic Insignia with plenty of aging potential from here.
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Still a baby with no sign of age. Dark and dense. Intense but primary. Fruit driven palete finishing with mouth drying tanins underneath the oak. There is a lot of stuffing here and this wine needs either a lot of air or more years inthe bottle.
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Beautiful bottle Great nose of dark fruit, licorice, spices. Great mouthfeel. Excellent fullness, great balance. nice long finnish. The group was divided over this bottle or the 1994 Pahlmeyer which were tasted side by side. This was a little more evolved of the two
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Thirty Years of Phelps Insignia (1974 through 2004): A nice nose of mainly dark fruit with a hint of VA/paint thinner that blew off in time. Very impressive on the palate with concentrated dark fruit and a heavier/oakier personality. Perfect balance. Very tannic. Should develop nicely with additional bottle age.
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Insignia Vertical Tasting 1974-2004 (WA Frost, St. Paul): More floral nose than the other wines in the flight. Intense, brooding dark cherries. Seems to have higher acidity than the 1994. Well-structured, thick, and showing very young.
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Drinking beautifully. Loads of dark fruit and cassis on the nose. The palate has really opened up since up a couple of years ago. A little sweet but with a gorgeous core of Cabernet. Classy and tasty CalCab.
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Perfectly mature Cali blend and the complexity is now in full force. Notes of cherry, blackberry, leather, tobacco and a bit of mint. The tannins have almost completely integrated making for a very smooth Bordeaux like bottle.
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Gravel, oak, and dark fruits on the nose. Loads and loads of oak and dark fruits (black cherry, plum). Amazingly long finish with great complexity. I want more.
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Just loved this wine. one of the best I've every had. Seriously, we put it up against some big tallent. And while I love the French this wine kicked their butts. Some of our Franco file friends wouldn't admit it, but that's OK.
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Well, the last sample I had of this wine must have been an aberration. This bottle was singing. Expressive nose of cassis, chocolate, and damp earth. Silky smooth on the palate with a wonderfully lengthy finish. Hints of tabacco leaf and smoke accented the ripe, fleshy fruit. A great cross of youthful fruit and aged complexity.
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This wine was excellent. Great nose of casis , chocolate and very rich texture smooth and velvety with great balance. Incredible fruit with great structure and depth. Nice 45 second finnish. This is a wine that shows great right now and delivers all the pleasure expected!
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1995 California Cabernet Horizontal (Mercy, mercy, mercy.) (Ruth's Chris.): 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 3 % Petit Verdot. I liked the '95 Insignia a smidge more than the '94 on release, but find that the '94 shows a little better today. Shows the thickest and richest mouthfeel of the evening with good levels of fruit and creamy oak that lacks the severe bite of many of the wines tonight. That said, it finishes with a touch too much of an alcohol burn, so I'd drink now. No real complexity, but there's a dearth of that tonight. Enjoy it for the fruit it has now. A-/B+.
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Just a fabulous bottle of wine. It still has the vibrancy of youth, yet continues to develop secondary nuance. Smoky and sultry, at its heart is a deep, dense core of layered sweet California fruit, although it is the breadth and not the depth that is special here. Exhibits world class concentration and delination. Finishes like a champ. Stellar.
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96 lynnch bages vs 96 penfolds bin 707 vs 95 insignia..no losers in the bunch. Around the world theme . Similar vegative nose. Insignia was #1 at the table. Lynch the classic and the penfolds was just very good
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Birthday bash part III, Tanglewood Santana Row! Insignias are always just great, especially the mid-90s. This bottle seemed really shy and subdued at first, but opened the Kimono as it warmed up in the glass. Loads of licoricey cherry and asphalt/graphite elements. Silky and seamless on the palate. This could be a newly released wine it is so youthful. Not a huge boisterous monster, but a class act nonetheless.
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from memory last week with dinner, along with a '95 dalla valle. similar to last tasting, this wine is ready to go, and is drinking very well, with a softer, fruit forward style compared to the dalla valle, which had more concentration and structure, but probably needed more time. A-
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Tasted unblinded from the Vintage Wines, Ltd. ("killer") wine bar. Bright disc. Youthful appearance, with a deep ruby robe and red rim. Clean nose, showing moderately intense aromas of vanilla, black fruits and Asian spices. Full-bodied on the palate, with low acidity, big ripe tannins and similar flavors as for the nose. The vanilla/oak component is a bit too dominant at this point. Long, smooth finish.
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Drank after 1 hour of decanting. Coffee, vanilla and licorice. Impact mostly in the front, middle was slightly subdued in comparison but finish was long. Rich and chewy. A nice wine overall. Opened with a '92 Beringer Private Reserve which was more accessible but everyone thought both were good and represented different styles.
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Uncle Ging's Wine tasting. This is the most awful wine I have ever tasted. Crushed rock and tabbaco are not flavors or smells I like. I've had so many other Insignia's that I absolutely love. This one is pure crap.
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Cab Lovers of NYC Insignia Vertical (Zoe): The first WOW wine of the tasting. Deep, dark and brooding. The fruit jumps out of the glass here-very California. Young and vibrant, this one had a dense, complex core of fruit (blueberry, blackberry), as well as secondary notes of cedar and tobacco. If I had to pick a hole in this one it is that the finish wasn't as extraordinary as the rest of the experience. Still, a phenomenal wine. Drink now, drink later. Tied for WOTF. WOTN.
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with a 95 la jota anniversary last night. big, ripe, rich wine with plenty of fruit and oak, and a great finish. really singing right now. although it may not have the structure of the la jota, it is great to drink right now. A
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Atlanta Vielles Vignes – Bone’s and Cabs (Bone's Restaurant, Atlanta, GA): Slightly reticent nose. Dark, brooding black fruits and cassis and spice with great density in lieu of depth and significant tannins. Has a hint of violet. The finish was pleasant enough, but disappointing. This just had to be closed or a slightly off bottle – not what I had expected.
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Great match with lamb to kick off spring break. Didn't decant...but after two hours, the aromas really came together. Black currants, cocoa, carmel, green peppers...very appealing nose. Palate was balanced, but medium bodied. Decent finish of 30-45 seconds. Struck me as a little more Bordeaux-like early on than other Insignia's we've had. Not quite as complete as the '94...but still very enjoyable.
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A little disappointing. Very different from the '94, thin in the middle, medium bodied. Not at all a fruit bomb like the '94. It took two hours for the tannins to settle down. Creamy with tons of licorice. Very Bordeaux-like wine.
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There was deffinitely a hint of coffee at the start, maybe mocha java, along with familiar Insignia aromas of black cherries, currants and cedar. The wine was still very dense with an inky purple color. The first taste showed the pure fruit that I love about great Insignias. Tannins were definitely quite present, but supple and controlled resulting in a silky mouthfeel. Oak is well integrated and pleasant and not at all overbearing. Over a decade old now, this wine is still young and vibrant. The finish lasts and lasts and there is still fruit, tanin and acidity present, which along with the density and structure of the wine, makes me believe that the best may be yet to come. If the tanins continue to integrate and soften, this wine could be even better down the road. I give it at least a 96 right now.
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My first '95 Insignia. Still plenty of purple in the color. The nose on this wine was amazing! Dark, rich, lush - hints of chocolate, cocoa, plum. Some spice - cedar? On the palate, this is still a youthful wine. While not a "new" wine, it is surprisingly fresh (given the other wines we opened tonight - '95 Opus One and '99 Spottswoode). Some tea, tobacco, red fruits, sweet tannins, and great balance. This was really, really awesome!
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Nice balanced bordeaux-like Cali cab. Dark fruit did not overwhelm. Tobacco on the nose and mouth. Not a long finish and muted secondary characteristics.
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Medium ruby red with the faintest hint of garnet near the edges. On the nose, initially quite subdued, with classic Cabernet notes of Cuban tobacco, damp earth, and leather just beginning to emerge. In the mouth, this initially showed slightly agressive tannins, although the sheer flavor intensity and volume buffered this to some extent. With about a half hour of air, however, all of the elements came into play and balance, with the tannins (still present) integrating beautifully with a gradually expanding creme de cassis mouthfeel. The wine never showed as flamboyant and remained somewhat reserved on the nose and palate, but the creamy cassis mouthfeel actually reminded me a bit of some vintages of Leoville las Cases (especially the 1982, where tasters mentioned a reserved and only partially evolved nose and palate). This extremely fine, aristocratic, creamy character seems to leave some people unimpressed (whether here or in the LLC), but this Bordeaux-like wine is top shelf in my opinion. The tannins were a bit more troubling to some other tasters, so I think this vin de garde will be close to its peak in another five years.
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Tasting for newbies: Old World vs. New World (San Marcos, TX): Very dark ruby color. At first the nose was reticent and giving little. With about an hour and a half, the wine started showing its stuffing. Gorgeous and layered nose of coffee, black currant and chocolaty mocha. Full bodied with awesome texture and a great finish, this wine improved all night long. this wine is already developing aromatic complexity while retaing a lot of its fruit intensity. It was great with food. Group Points: 26 (second group favorite).
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Phelps Insignia Vertical 15+ Years: Veritcal tasting. Black fruit on nose with just traces of spice. Still somewhat backward with lots of dry slightly roasted fruit, I think this is still really picking up weight and complexity. Very finish with good spice.
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At tasting. Was wonderful, but, did not knock our socks off as with past two bottles. Did not seem tired, but certainly drinking well right now. Great balance, smooth tannins. Classic CS, with Bordeaux features of lead pencil, cassis, and darker fruit almost chocolate overtones. This was a blind tasting with multiple CA grapes, and many but were reminded of a merlot.
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Nice. Bursting with cassis upon opening and then lots of rich, chocolate and fruit, cocoa dusted plums, a bit of blood, ripe, sweet on the mid-palate, yet finishing out with a nice mouthful of dusty tannins.
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WOW! We really enjoyed this. I got home and bought 6 bottles of 2002 to age for future anniversarys! This was perfect balance. Drank at diinner at Carr's for 10th anniversary.
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Labor Day Weekend Brunch at Essex (Essex Restaurant (New York, NY)): It is difficult to tell whether our tastebuds were responding to our expectations or to the actual juice. However, the Insignia showed good plumminess albeit less extracted fruit than we had anticipated. In fact, it was surprisingly tame. This may have been due to a storage mishap the day before. Nonetheless, the finish was strong and smooth and the wine complemented our burgers very well.
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Not decanted; moderate sediment. Extended Fathers Day dinner of grilled ribeye. Deep ruby color, with the slightest tough of lightening at the rim. Wonderful balance and mouthfeel; deep, rich flavors of cedar, lead pencil, red fruits, and tobacco. Loads of structure; held up well over a 3+ hour dinner. The tannins seem pretty well resolved. Drinking well now; potential upside over the next few years.
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My friend brought this to dinner at Montparnasse in NYC and said it was singing. Man, was he ever right. A bravura performance, with all components parts in expressive harmony right now. A gorgeous bouquet and lots of showy fruit on the palate. Soft plush mouthfeel, with tannins barely lurking in the background. Did not even need decanting. Seems to be at its absolute apex. Drink now.
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Pure cab deliciousness. Plenty of fruit, now very well integrated. Quite supple but with a firm backbone that still let you know who you were talking to. I really enjoyed this. It was great to try this, I wish I had some in the cellar. It's showing very well right now so there is certainly no harm at all in cracking this anytime. Terrific. 93 points.
Had this at the DC Crü April dinner at Corduroy.
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Dark ruby/black colour to ruby rim. Aromas of coffee, earth, black licorice, eucalyptus. Medium-full bodied with red licorice, black plums, pepper, spice, leather. Moderate-long finish, 40s, with blackberry notes.
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Long Island Wine's VS. The World... Who was the winner? You will be surpriced (Paumanok Vineyards, North Fork, Long Island, New York): Before this wine even reached my lips I knew we had a winner. Dark luscious red in color, the nose gave off hints of bubble gum and bright red fruit nuances. The palate was magnificent and this was easily picked as a California Cabernet. The copious fruit held up in the glass easily over the 30 minute flight and I couldn't keep my hands off it... Easily my wine of the flight and a wonderful wine experience.
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Great cassis, vanilla and clove nose. Inviting. Lush soft palate of blackberries, blueberries, cedar, olive, a touch of green pepper, and a touch short on the finish. this felt a little tired tonite, but still excellent. reminded me a ton of the 95 Dominus. Very good.
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Dinner at Lampreia. Upon opening this wine at home the nose exploded with a huge burst of cassis. I poured the wine back into the bottle and sealed it up to head to the restaurant. Upon decanting again, the wine had already tightened up and was initially much more reticent. With some coaxing the nose showed copious notes of smoky cassis with mint, charcoal, and mineral. It was dark and brooding. The palate was similarly intense, initially quite stern but ultimately yielding a bit to show quintessential Napa Cabernet with a powerful yet taut core of cassis, mint and a surprising amount of mineral. This wine is loaded with intensity, yet it is still bound up amidst a huge amount of structure. I would wait 2-3 years before popping another cork.
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The nose seems closed with only an element of vanilla showing through. The palate is dark and sweet but a touch short. There are strong tannins on the finish. It will be interesting to see if there is fruit to match over time.
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Seattle Tasting Group does 22 years of Phelps Insignia (Bellevue, WA, USA): On the nose there is a hint of VA with a very mineral rich character. Wow, the palate is very pure with screaming cassis and a very black, brooding element behind the fruit. This is very nicely balanced with stunning, tooth-coating tannins, so dusty, silky and persistent. Amidst the 1994, 1996 and 1997 this stood out for having the best structure.
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Sampled at a Mexico City off-line with Pelochain and gusbo featuring a blind tasting of '95 Napa cabs (others were Caymus SS, Opus One, and Silver Oak Alex). The darkest and densest wine on the table. Smooth and soft, with a chunky core of black raspberry, vanilla, and earth. Well-balanced, with tannins that seem fully integrated. Seemed like it had more fruit than structure at this point in its life cycle. Perhaps nearing its peak.
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This Bordeaux-Medoc style blend has a wonderful deep dark purple/red opaque color. Beautiful nose of crushed ripe grapes, and creme de casis. Almost tactile aromas of roasted nuts and coffee beans. Very ripe and very tasty. The wine is already slippery, but the tannins are still very strong and lively. Very sweet, dry, thick and unctuous. Brother used the descriptor of a slow burn, which is an interesting description, one in which I would add to his credit.
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($110) The First Big DFW Tasting, Casa Vineyard: Delicious stuff, as were all the Insignias. Chocolate cherry milkshakes that are low in acid, ripe, concentrated and very supple. Aimed at a wide audience and succeeding. DFW Tasting.
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Very intense cassis and spice on the nose. Beautiful, seamless, velvety wine with extremely great balance. Persistent finish. I could drink this all night.
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Insignia Vertical @ Surf Village (Milford): Youthful, purple color. Tight and closed. Good extraction of fruit here, but not expressing itself very much at this time. Hold for further evaluation.
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4/17/2024 - Buyer and cellar wrote: 96 Points
Was one of the wines of the night at an all mag dinner that included some heavy hitting mags (ie Redigaffi, Ovid Hexameter, Valbuena #5, some high scoring aussie, and others. Some thought it was the WOTN but all agreed it was absolutely in a prime drinking window right now. Lots of mature, rich balanced black fruit, leather, tobacco, chocolate, and earth notes are perfectly rounding out the glass.
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3/30/2024 - Baback Likes this wine: 94 Points
13.5% Napa cab comprised of 90% cab, 7% merit, 3% petit verdot.
Didn’t need the Durand (although I used it) since this cork came out in 1 piece.
Based on previous reviews I popped and poured and oh boy. Home run. Tasted like a 15yo Bordeaux. Full of life, balanced, tons of primary flavors still, mod tannins. Licorice, strawberry, raspberry, chocolate, pipe tobacco, mushroom.
After 1 hour getting some faint tertiary notes, but still fruit forward. Based on prior reviews I was worried this was past it’s prime, but the bottle I had could have gone another 10 years. Terrific wine.
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3/16/2024 - Burgundy Al wrote:
A 65th Birthday Celebration (Schur House - Riverwoods IL): Tired.
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11/8/2023 - lesz Likes this wine: 93 Points
part of vertical
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10/18/2023 - Old_Diablo wrote: 95 Points
Surprisingly still showing very well, but I would drink this soon. 13.5abv and drinking like a beautiful and well-structured Bordeaux. There is still some intensity, but a more subtle richness, Ripe/dried red and black fruit, sweet dried herbs, licorice, creme de cassis, and forest floor. Some primary fruit left, but dominated by tertiary note. We tried this side by side with the 2007 and we actually like this 1995 vintage more because of its elegance. If we were blind tasting, we would not have guessed this was a Napa cab.
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8/1/2023 - Juliansi Likes this wine: 94 Points
Stunning and by far the most complex and best Insignia I have ever enjoyed.
Gently bottle breathed for 4 hours, loved the silky yet robust mouthfeel with medium acidity. Late sweetness was so enjoyable as was the very long complex finish.
Joseph Phelps produced 10,000 cases of the 1995 Insignia, which is about 120,000 bottles.
This is a blend of 🍇
90% Cabernet Sauvignon,
7% Merlot and
3% Petit Verdot.
It achieved 13.5% alcohol.
Three-quarters of the fruit came from estate vineyards and the rest from growers. It spent 26 months in new French oak.
This 1995 vintage began as a potentially troublesome year.
The early spring was very wet, and unusually cool weather plagued both June and July, two important months in the growing season. Warm weather finally arrived in August (much later than usual), and stayed through the end of October, producing a glorious Indian Summer that allowed growers to delay the harvest.
The results are wines that have gotten stronger and stronger in bottle.
Insignia especially these aged vintages, this one is coming up to 30 years now! What a treat...
Intense, powerful but silky and refined at the same time. Amazing..
Rich with arguably the best mouthfeel of all the spectacular wines we enjoyed that fun evening in Taman Tun, including aged Ducrus, Pichon Lalande and Cheval-Blanc too!
Coincidentally my Pichon Lalande Comtesse was from this same 1995 vintage too!
One of 10 bottles at TCs welcome home in TTDI KL, graciously shared by bro Dr Muruga Vadivale. Lesson learned.. Do not pop an Insignia below 10 years, better if its 15-25 years old!
Above Enoteca, TTDI KL Malaysia
1 Aug 2023
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5/28/2023 - Handy1 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Decanted for an hour and drank over two. Red fruit, beautiful napa cabernet with some leather and tobacco. Still going strong and not fading. Great bottle. Better than Solaia 2015 because of age i believe
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5/14/2023 - Ruby99 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still dark in color
Nose has potent dark fruits and initially raw meat that then softens to tobacco and leather with hints of cinnamon and cardamom
The palate is that classic, lovely Napa fruit profile of blackberry/black cherry. Fine grained tannin is in the background and the richness of the fruit suggests this wine has a few more years
Very nice
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12/31/2022 - levinml wrote: 96 Points
Drank from 3L bottle New Years Eve at Tryons. Poured into glasses at beginning of evening, allowing to breath for a couple hours before drinking. Kind of flat/compressed on first taste at opening, but opened up dramatically after an hour. Excellent as we sat down to dinner. Nice flavors, tannins resolved but not pruney at all. Good drinking overall and a nice use of this trophy bottle purchased almost 25 years ago.
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10/9/2022 - UFGators Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank side by side with 2000 Pichon Baron. The Phelps had dark fruit on the nose reminiscent of the old world. To me seems like a cross between right bank BDX and Left Bank St Julien. The palate still has lots of primary fruit flavors as well as secondary notes as well. Everything is in balance and was easily the WOTN. As prior reviewer suggested, just missing something. If you rate it blind score may be lower 90s but since I know it's Napa and this usually is not my thing I think it merits a 94.
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10/8/2022 - Ltrain1282 Likes this wine: 93 Points
On the nose could be confused with a quality right bank bdx. Dark fruit, ripe plum. Fully resolved tanin. This wine is in a good place and very enjoyable. Just missing that specialness that Cali can’t provide! Drank side by side with a 2000 Pichon Baron … the two husbands (both wine guys) chose the Phelps. The two ladies preferred the pichon. Thoughts ?
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9/22/2022 - Papies wrote: 96 Points
The Return to the Ledbury (The Ledbury, London): Our third bottle over the last 2 years and once again another 96. Interestingly this was served blind and our friend narrowed it down to a hot year top end Bordeaux (a 2003 Mouton?) or an early 90s classicist from Napa ( Dominus / Togni).
And indeed this boils down to that, well evolved, bright nose of full on classic aromas of a secondary nature, forest floor, leather but also with a very healthy fruit. Did feel a bit more brutish than it should have but these are finer elements. A truly impressive wine and a must buy more situation. 96
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6/19/2022 - Papies wrote: 96 Points
Decanted for a good hour. Tasted blind.
Andreas who had this blind won no prizes guessing mid 90s Napa as in a way the wine , barring an impressive youthfulness , is really a text book wine. Much like 6 month ago when we had this it amazed us. We can go on and on here but its pointless. Well made Napa cabs of he 90s are now delivering to the maximum. Superb 96+
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4/30/2022 - Buddy318 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fabulous. Beautiful soft tannins. Likely less than five years left.
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3/16/2022 - Nelsongwinn wrote: 94 Points
Wow, nice, decanted for a half hour or so….nice fruit and long finish. Bell pepper and smoke.
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2/27/2022 - andolini wrote: 92 Points
Opened for an hour, beautiful aged cab nose. Unfortunately seemed to be past its peak, with slightly faded fruit profile and less distinction and complexity as previous tastings. Not a bad bottle by any stretch of the imagination, but my hopes with these aged cabs are to have a transcendent experience, and this didn't reach that level.
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1/21/2022 - Seth Rosenberg wrote: 91 Points
(Double blind in small capped bottles. Part of a 2 wine flight. By the time I got to the discussion, it was clear that one was France and the other was California. I think I would have probably gotten that, but I helped focus things by stating my view that this was a classic BDX vs CA cabernet throw down, and this was confirmed.)
This was better last night showing classic Napa markers but not overdone. Sweet lush fruits, some chocolate and vanilla, minty-ish herbal notes, a bit of oak left. Maybe some mocha and a bit of heat. A bit generic without the distinctive characteristics of the few CA cabs I like to drink (MB, Togni, DC, Dunn…) but solid and enjoyable. BUT, today this wine is a mess - rotting leaves and a bit sour on the nose. Palate is a bit better showing some of the sweet fruit but still has that rotting leaves thing. Last night it was in the 15.5-16/20 range and so I’ll score it based on that. But if I scored it based on today's performance it would be more like a 12/20 (84/100).
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12/27/2021 - shafer1994 Likes this wine: 98 Points
I decanted the wine for 1,5 hours. The color was beautiful deep red. The bouquet was intense and complex: some dark berries, cassis, coffee, spices - finish after 40+ seconds with Lots of sweetness. Marvelous texture. A powerful strong wine at age 26 which offered us a joyful evening. Napa at its best. A decade more to Go.
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12/10/2021 - Papies wrote: 96 Points
Decanted a good 45 minutes before served and correctly the sommelier ( we BYOB at The Kitchen Table, London) spotted this as not needed more as the wine is also a touch fragile at times.
Napa of the 1990s strikes again and this a phenomenal bottle. Good evolution, leathery, spice, dark fruits and with a light touch of oaky feel at the background. An impressive wine though, bang on at a great time in its life to be enjoyed by people like us with a love affair with evolved , old school Napa. Superb 96 and we can go on and on here.
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11/12/2021 - 89grange Likes this wine: 98 Points
Beautiful now!!! Drink up.
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10/22/2021 - galewskj wrote: 93 Points
A stacked cabernet lineup (James and Carrie's house): 20 minute decant. Sweet oak, black fruit, it has that somewhat exotic fruit that I usually find in Insignia, refined tannins. This wasn't the best Insignia but it was still pretty darn good.
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10/22/2021 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Outstanding Old World Napa Cabs: 20 min decant then slow O'd for 2 hours - Nose showed black fruit and a slight whiff of alcohol (which blew off pretty quickly) with some forest floor and sweet toasted oak. The palate was full of red and black fruit with hints of cobbler, some graphite/lead and hints of toasted wood. The tannins were well integrated and there was a slight alcohol presence with was not at all obtrusive. A very nice aged Insignia that has the fruit and tannins to further improve with a few more years of bottle age. 94 tonight, with the likelihood for improvement with some additional time.
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10/22/2021 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
Old OG Napa Cabs (James & Carrie's, Northern Burbs, Mpls): Very dark red/purple color. 20 minute double decant, drank a glass over 3 plus hours. The nose is the star here with cool Fall forest floor and cool black and blue fruit, cassis, balsamic and some light vanillin. Dense on the palate, the fruit comes off a little more baked, blackberry cobbler, high toned with some heat coming through, nice tannins. Very good, though we've had better showings in the past.
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10/22/2021 - liquid art wrote: 93 Points
Like the White Queen said to Alice, there is jam tomorrow, and there was jam yesterday, but no jam today. This wine checked all the boxes, fragrant nose, integrated fruit and balanced palate, but today didn’t quite elevate to the level of classic old school Napa it is capable of.
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10/3/2021 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
A fully developed, elegant, refined, classy wine that offers everything in balance and harmony. The dark red berries, with touches of earth, cocoa, and spice, are ripe, the tannins are sweet and the finish is long, with freshness and energy. I really like the style here. No decanting needed. Just pop, pour and enjoy...
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9/2/2021 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 93 Points
Poured into a decanter to serve. Cassis, dark currants, vanilla, chocolate and ink. Palate is lush, ripe and rich. While it possesses a lot of power, it is also fairly elegant. Lovely.
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6/6/2021 - Marc wrote: 94 Points
Abbot Street Delights (Abbot Street, Ngaio, Wellington, New Zealand): Presented blind in a flight of three ("L'Evangile 1990, Craggy Range Sophia 2005), this was easily the most impressive wine. Very Napa in style, veering towards a more "culty" level of opulence in the mouth. Stunning fruit quality, a touch of Eucalyptus, and a massive palate profile. Absolutely mature, but will hold easily, and will continue to develop. Lowish acids and bottle age combine to good effect, resulting in a wine of plush, multi-layered complexity, with a very new wold personality, true to its terroir
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5/19/2021 - Guittardme Likes this wine: 98 Points
This wine is beautiful right now! Perfectly softened tannins and smoky, earthy notes frame a rich core of dark fruit. There's definitely some life left in the bottle, but it's hard to imagine how it could get any better.
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3/2/2021 - Jerry 3 Likes this wine: 95 Points
decanted over an hour and enjoyed with a nice steak and heavy mushrooms. fantastic. wish i had more of this same year. Now, i jump to only 2012 onward from my cellar. darn..
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12/27/2020 - Cmainardi wrote: 96 Points
Pure bliss. Perfect bottle. 2 hour decant.
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12/25/2020 - seijaro Likes this wine: 92 Points
I'm afraid it has faded a lot since our 2017 bottle... it was promising when opened but began to lose flavor after about an hour. By the two-hour mark it was not great. Glad it was the last bottle.
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12/12/2020 - Winedad53 wrote: 96 Points
Reviewer below nails it. Heavenly cedar on the nose of this brilliant deep red-hued wine. Lush and smooth tannins frame the core of perfectly ripe black fruit, mocha, currant and glycerine, with a touch of pine on the long sweet finish. Drinking brilliantly at 25 years.
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10/17/2020 - cfulbright Likes this wine: 97 Points
Tasting very well, probably has at least give more good years. Lots of cedar in the nose, a little bit of leather. Tannins are soft, mouth feel is full and a long finish.
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9/8/2020 - JOEABR wrote: 96 Points
After going thru 12+ bottles of the regular 1995 JP Cab, my first try at the Insignia. The regular is one of my all time favorite wines so I had high expectations for the Insignia and it did not disappoint. Wow! Did not decant but consumed over about 3 hours and this just kept building more and more with each sip. Great fruit structure, dark cherry, cassis, with just the right balance of oak to frame the wine. Great texture and mouthfeel with long finish.
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5/24/2020 - Vchavan wrote:
Decanted for less than hour - loved it. Definitely at end of drinking window.
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5/15/2020 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Well this doesn't suck. Powerful lots of fruit and with a touch of savory.
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5/2/2020 - Nothung Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still drinking well, but won't improve from here and not sure how long it will remain on this plateau, so drink up! A beautiful Cali Cab. Opened about 4 hours before drinking, decanted for about 2 hours, which seemed about right.
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5/1/2020 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
consistent with note of 2 1/2 yrs ago, this is still sailing along in really fine shape. A nearly even mixture of tertiary and secondary traits now, with notable length, lovely lines, and a silken depth that is simply regal at this point. Should hold for another 5-7 yrs before it begins any slow, measured decline. A joy at this point in its life. highly recommended
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4/12/2020 - g-man Likes this wine: 94 Points
The best bottle so far of a 5 bottle auction lot. Balanced, with rich dark fruit shining thru. This is definitely at its peak and wouldn't wait any longer to open. Glorious example of California Bordeaux meritage.
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3/7/2020 - BHRH Likes this wine: 96 Points
Best wine I've had so far this year! Decanted 1.5 hours. This goes from strength to strength. Color still strong, just slight brown edge. Super complex and mature nose of cassis, cedar, earth, tobacco and minerals. On the palate, concentrated red and black fruits, hints of espresso, herbs and a bit of smokey oak. Every swirl gained more intensity and complexity. Super long, elegant finish. Terrific bottle - too bad its my last!
Reminds me of a second growth St Julien from a great, ripe old vintage!!
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1/2/2020 - mdefreitas wrote: 94 Points
Purchased on release and professionally stored. Vibrant red in color, with just a hint of lightening on the rim... no bricking at 24 years of age! Gorgeous nose of ripe red fruits and spice. The palate was primary, rich and very vibrant. The tannins were evident, but very accessible. A gorgeous, energetic, bright example of California Cabernet. My last bottle, but in this condition, this could go for another 10 years.
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12/13/2019 - Labrador Likes this wine: 90 Points
This magnum started out with a beautifully, explosive nose of wonderfully balanced red and dark fruit. The taste was bordering on "other worldly," and the finish seemed unending.
But, about 3/4 of the way through the bottle, it lost its beauty and turned rather ordinary. I guess that, like Icarus, it had flown too close to the sun.
Had it not been for the latter part of the magnum, this wine would have merited a 97 - if not more. Hopefully, my 750s have held together better.
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11/24/2019 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 93 Points
Three hour decant- this was heads up with a 2009 Caymus Special Selection and dominated it. Very Bordeaux like with nice balance. This is missing something that the top insignias have like the 1997 or 2002 but a very enjoyable wine that paired nicely with pizza. Certainly in prime but will hold for quite a while (a decade) since the star of the show isn’t the fruit but the Bordeaux’esque cigar box and finish.
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9/21/2019 - steinersing wrote: 92 Points
Good wine - quite good balance
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7/28/2019 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened by our good friends prior to dinner. Aged brickish color in the glass.....in its tertiary drinking window right now. Plenty of aged red fruit, smooth texture, hint of acidity remains. The fruit is showing plenty of raisin and prune. Can't imagine this gets much better from here, though I'm sure it can be held quite a number of years more if you wish.
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7/19/2019 - RussellDCarter Likes this wine: 97 Points
Superb. Two bottles with cheese and foie gras for 66th birthday dinner - all ten of us loved it
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5/27/2019 - grange88 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened a 1995 Insignia Imperial this weekend I have cellared. The wine was beautifully aged with nice earth notes and dark fruit. The tannins were almost all but gone as was the heavy toasted barrel flavor so I timed it right (luckily). I would assume a .750 might be a little past it's prime so if you have one, pop it soon. Let it breathe and open up for a bit as mine peaked about an hour after it was opened.
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like fig, cherry, plum, mushroom and light toast. It tastes like blackberry, raspberry, black currant (cassis), fig, light toast and molasses. The body is medium/full. The wine has round texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has low acidity.
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1/26/2019 - djs wrote: 88 Points
A shadow of its' former self.
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12/14/2018 - d'Artagnan wrote: 93 Points
Souper de la ligue du vieux poêle 2018 (État Major): Un nez mentholé, avec un peu de cooconut, l'origine me semblait claire mais je le pensais plus jeune (2002). La bouche est dense et longue, de facture moderne, mais très bien faite. J'ignore comment le tout va évoluer car il nous parait encore très jeune, mais exhibe un peu trop d’élevage à mon goût pour son âge. Néanmoins, une belle bouteille. 92-93 pts
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11/24/2018 - nywine68 wrote: 95 Points
Gorgeous secondary and tertiary nuances on the big nose leaping from the glass. Brooding dark plums and sage with black tea and mushrooms. Fine grained tannins give this a solid structure that will keep this wine for at least another 5 years although there is no need to wait and enjoy this beauty today.
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8/14/2018 - amred wrote: 92 Points
Big Insignia fan, maybe 15 vintages. This 23 year old 1995 had a wonderful floral nose and little evidence of brick. In the mouth, very smooth, with floral components and strong presence of pepper (others have noted). However...while it has aged gracefully...smooth tannins, everything integrated, it was a bit more monolithic than hoped for. We couldn't really get beyond the floral and pepper for other flavor components. Didn't really get the graphite or leather, and not a lot of fruit. So...really nice aged Cabernet (and I think Phelps Insignia does this better than almost all CA wineries), but not one of my favorites from the older vintages.
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7/21/2018 - Kevnzworld Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for two hours before pouring.
Nose of cherry and red fruits, Still fresh for a 23 yo wine.
This is the second of two ‘95’s. The first we drank a few weeks ago and it was thin, tired and too old . This bottle was much better.
This wine really opened up after a few hours.
A nice balance of heat, fruit and oak.
The finish is soft and lingering with the flavor of cassis and dark berry
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3/31/2018 - tomimeson wrote: 99 Points
Perfectly balanced. Superb.
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3/3/2018 - Lsqrd1964 Likes this wine: 98 Points
I bought this wine on release in the mid 90's and I have had it stored first in California, then in New York, then back to California and finally to Brussels. In all places, the wine has been stored in temperature controlled conditions. The wine was decanted about 2 hours before drinking. The cork was in superb condition and looked almost new, but there was a dark blackish purple layer of crystals at the base where the wine rested. On pouring into decanter, the nose exploded out of the bottle with dark blackberry, some cassis and chocolate notes. The wine was dark brownish purple with little amber at the edge. After two hours we poured into the glasses and what a wonderful experience. The colour remained dark, dark reddish/brownish purple. The nose had evolved to add touches of vanilla, nutmeg, coffee, tobacco, tar and some of that peppery cabernet so common in older Napa cabs. The wine was medium to full bodied, seamless, smooth, intense, with dark berries and touches of cassis nutmeg and bell peppers with notes of spices - amazingly sweet on the palate, no alcohol or tannins apparent in the mouthfeel. The finish went on for like a minute and brought out the spicy, exotic notes even more. It was clearly Californian, too intense and forward for Bordeaux, but so so balanced, elegant yet intense. Every sip was wonderful. It was a surprise, as I never thought 1995's were that heavy. Lovely bottle. Worth the wait. I can't wait to try my other 90's Insignias.
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2/24/2018 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 95 Points
The oldest Insignia I've ever had the pleasure to enjoy......beautiful well integrated fruit, tannins and cedar. Smooth in a good secondary phase with some dark fruit notes remaining. This is in my drinking window. Could go longer but to me it's perfect right now.
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1/26/2018 - Fftjr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Absolutely delicious. Drank after a 2006 Harlan so unfair comparison! Outstanding wine!
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12/28/2017 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
The spoils of a thorough cellar audit, this bottle, part of a case purchased on release (with all but two bottles consumed before I joined CT in 2008) has aged quite well. Color and nose both suggest good freshness, and the full(-) body confirms as much. The elegant side of the Napa equation, with the powerful fruit well-integrated and harmonious at this stage. Cold cellars will likely see this live on another ten years or more, though I love the spot its in now with a bit of primary/secondary/tertiary all in one spot. Best after the 60 minute mark, this continued to (slowly) unfold throughout the following two hours. A great match for burgers, with grilled onions and homemade catsup. IIRC, this was ~ $75 on release. Sigh. recommended
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12/27/2017 - timcan Likes this wine: 95 Points
Outstanding wine in its prime. Tasted by side by side with 1994 Insignia and this was the clear winner.
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12/26/2017 - jasons90743 wrote: 94 Points
Tight at first. Took 2 hours to open but kept getting better.
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11/30/2017 - mattiasjansson wrote: flawed
Napa Cabs in Boston: Terribly corked
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10/22/2017 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 97 Points
From memory at the Insignia vertical tasting at WW: Decanted for 1/2 hr then back in the bottle, med. ruby with no bricking, dark fruit, mod. tannins, long finish; delicious & my WOTN (94 was close), drink or hold (no rush)
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8/20/2017 - galewskj wrote: 92 Points
Luis Wins CEO Aware (St. Genevieve): This seemed quite green initially. Then it just became rather big. There's still a lot of fruit and I don't think it's hit its stride yet. A pleasure to drink, but probably better in 3-5 years.
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8/17/2017 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
A Mix of Older Napa Among Others (St. Genevieve, Mpls, MN): Very dark red color. 30 minute decant. Drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. This was oddly vegetal on the nose and palate for a long time. I was not really crazy about it at that point. Very slowly this came around and after close to an hour, it finally blew off entirely. Once it does, you can see the class. A bigger, youthful, 22 year old wine if i may say. Well balanced, dark fruits, deep creme de cassis, blackberry, dusty medium grain tannins, oak and spices. Very good, needs decanting and still not mature.
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7/30/2017 - Winokdub wrote: 93 Points
This was really nice on the pop n pour and saw even more improvement over many hours. In good drinking spot but could easily cellar another 3-5 years. Yum
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7/5/2017 - Nothung Likes this wine: 92 Points
A bit tight. Opened a couple of hours before drinking and decanted about an hour before. Probably could have used more time in the decanter. Clearly has plenty of runway left.
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6/22/2017 - seijaro Likes this wine: 95 Points
A big CA Cab that needed two hours to really open and still had some tannin in the finish. That suggests it is still aging well and has more to go. I can't see it getting more fruit, it's very big now, but maybe it gets even smoother when it loses that tannin. A lovely Insignia that we liked better than the famous '94.
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5/19/2017 - Hsinchu wrote: 94 Points
- Crimsom color with a long finish - Drank on mother day. Perfectly balanced. Need to let breath for 1 hour.
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2/22/2017 - wcchang Likes this wine: 96 Points
Doubled decanted for 1.5 hours. Showed up really great. Profound aroma. Mature and balanced. No bricks and it's in its prime time. Can easily go another 5-10 years.
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2/19/2017 - Cmainardi wrote: 94 Points
Outstanding. No bricking, fresh youthful nose and like drinking velvet. Can go another 5 years
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11/24/2016 - rcg62 wrote:
From magnum. Deep color and lots of dark berry on the nose. But either the bottle was a little off, or this is over the top. Definitely a roasted plum note to the finish. Not going to rate, thinking storage was at issue. (Bought at auction.) But 90-ish and disappointing.
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11/6/2016 - KenPlace wrote: 94 Points
Fabulous nose. Tasted in a flight of 93/95/97/03/05Perrot-Minot (Maison) Chambertin-Clos De Bèze 2003/08/09. This was my WOTN. Decanted for 1 hr, and this showed very well.
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10/22/2016 - bobdobilina wrote: 96 Points
Wines that don't suck at Steak and Vine (Rhys, Insignia, Pape Clement, Figeac, Lynch Bages, Les Pavots, Rieussec and others) (Steak and Vine): Very dark, impenetrable mahogany color to a thin mahogany meniscus.
Lovely old world nose of pencil lead, shoe leather, roses and dried herbs.
Dry cassis/blackberries on the soft, plush palate. Very layered, seamless and long. A touch leafy (in a good way) with really nice acid giving lift on the finish. Some grip at the end and maybe a hint that the tannins are drying. Everything just seems in its right place - drinking beautifully now. I concluded - lovely wine, quite aristocratic.
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10/18/2016 - PGB Likes this wine: 95 Points
Last bottle of many. Beautiful aging curve and near its best now. Wonder whether the modern Insignias will age so gracefully.
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10/6/2016 - clairenclarence wrote: 94 Points
pop pour
nose:tobacco,green bell pepper,dirty earth,plum,blackcurrant,mineral.deep n complex nose
palate:concentration is gd.acdity nt showing enuff.may b its due to richness of fruits.amazing depth n complexity.slightly dense.puwdery tannins stil present despite so many years of aging.
notes:cherry,plum,floral,blackcurrant,olive,some green notes
conclusion:tis bttl demand great respect.solid with a wow factor
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10/4/2016 - ozyloy wrote: 94 Points
Clear, dark ruby.
A nose of blackcurrant and blackberries, with vanilla oak, earth, tobacco and hints of green bell peppers. Developing.
On the palate, this had medium(+) acidity, a full body, pronounced flavour intensity of blackcurrant, dark cherry, tobacco, vanilla and a tinge of bell pepper and herbs. Medium(+) smooth tannins. Long finish.
Felt much younger than its age. The fruit was still very prominent. Keep this in the cellar and drink in 5 to 10 years' time.
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10/4/2016 - kelvchua wrote: 95 Points
Appearance was deep ruby, almost garnet.
Nose was clean and pronounced. Aromas of blackcurrant, tobacco, earth, tea leaves, leather, dried prunes, plums, mushrooms, bell pepper, cordyceps(?).
On the palate, dry, high acidity, high (but well integrated) tannin, full bodied, with flavours of black cherries, plums, vanilla, sweet spices. Long finish.
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10/4/2016 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 94 Points
Tim + Ching Birthday 2016 (Extra Space): Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of toasty oak, blackberries, black cherries, tobacco, hint of herbaceous bell pepper. Developing.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (13.5%), smooth high tannins, full body. Pronounced flavour intensity, with flavours of blackberries, blackcurrant leaf, toasty vanilla, bell pepper, tobacco, cassis. Long finish.
Very good quality. Lots of polished refinement here. Still fresh for a 21 year old wine! Still has a life of at least 5 years ahead! Enjoy with a decant now. Better with air.
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9/24/2016 - Zweder Likes this wine: 96 Points
USA 1995 (@ JK): Beautiful bouquet with dark forest fruits, coffee, chocolate and graphite. On the palate a lovely and well balanced wine which is completely ready. Dark berries, graphite, a beautiful balance between acidity and sweetness. Great wine!
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8/31/2016 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 93 Points
Outstanding- needs a thirty min decent- full of fruit and good balance. In prime with another 10 plus years left.
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7/27/2016 - Labrador Likes this wine: 91 Points
A beautiful, mature expression of the best that Napa Valley has to offer.
This wine is at its peak - red and dark fruit, graphite, smooth, lovely mid-palate, nice finish.
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4/22/2016 - jsmorris707 wrote: 96 Points
Double decanted then SO'd for a few hrs, garnet, no brick, nose & palate of fine Bordeaux with dark fruit & a touch of tobacco, soft/mod. tannins, long finish; Delicious & ready to drink but no rush
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3/23/2016 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 89 Points
1990's California Cabernet - Blind: Nose shows potential, nice and rustic but not overly expressive. Unfortunately the palate is still super oaky and jammy. Comparable to modern Napa Cabernets. Age hasn't really helped here.
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1/1/2016 - Zitan wrote: 96 Points
Beautiful. Silky and deep but not overpowering. Right at peak.
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12/9/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
Ripe, silky round and delicious, this is a finesse styled wine with a lot of charm that is definitely in the sweet spot for current drinking.
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12/5/2015 - WineWright Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful aromas of black currant, licorice, and a hint of smoke, but this bottle had very little fruit remaining. Mid palate and finish just weren't showing up. Hoping it was just this bottle.
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11/16/2015 - ThorsteinVeblen Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank with dinner at Bluestem. Decanted 30 mins prior to consumption. Wine is in a really great place per other notes. Finish was very long. Berries and light oak on first taste turning more into a forest like flavor on the finish. Glad I have one more left, will be drinking it soon.
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10/31/2015 - levinml wrote: 95 Points
Drank Saturday night with Costco Prime steak and World Series Game 4 (Go Royals), so this falls under the category of environment affecting the wine. Perfect evening, so wine was great too, which my dinner companion confirmed as well. Sure it must be true. But I wouldn't wait much longer on this.
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8/20/2015 - retired_and_roving Likes this wine:
3rd flight of wine dinner at Press St. Helena - Another stand out wine this evening - wow this was really enjoyable. Really balanced with a notably long finish.
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7/12/2015 - mclancy10006 Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is in a fabulous place right now. Drink them!
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7/11/2015 - SonnyChiba wrote: 93 Points
Cork was soft and came out in pieces. A very good insignia but not quite as solid as other older vintages I have had. Needed a an hour to hit its stride and faded after several hours more. Good amount of oak, rich fruit, good balance.
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7/11/2015 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Creamy.
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6/5/2015 - mdstone23 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very good wine. Drank smoothly right after opening with slight improvement after decanting for about 30 minutes. Ready to drink now but will last a few more years.
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5/1/2015 - RJurman Likes this wine: 95 Points
Elegant. In my opinion, near perfect at this stage. A quick table decant at a steak house and this did not disappoint. We were a party of 4, and fortunately for us, 2 were drinking beer. Their loss. Enjoyed over a 3 hour period and savored to the last sip. I will be buying a few of these
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4/23/2015 - chablis28 wrote: 95 Points
This was flighted with a 95 Montelena. What a great flight. I found it very difficult to rank one of these better than the other. I liked the structure of the Montelena and the accessibility of the Insignia. Maybe a slight edge to the Insignia for its more friendly temperament tonight? Both lovely and both would do well blind in a high end BDX tasting. Both wines evolved and changed significantly from the first pour but especially the Insignia.
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4/23/2015 - rocknroller wrote: 95 Points
A Decadent Night of 1990's Napa Cabs and Bordeaux (Chez Dalluge, MN): Very dark red color, no bricking. Slow-O for 45 minutes with no decant; drank 1 glass over 3 hours. Great nose, very similar to the '95 montelena, earth, perfume, but richer and darker black fruits. The palate shines with layers of black and blue fruits; deep and concentrated without being overtly heavy, despite the glycerin; deep blackberry, blackberry liqueur, cassis, spices, pepper, some wood, and a full bodied richness that coasts into a long finish ( just a bit of heat at times). Classy and gorgeous, with a bit of savoriness on the lengthy finish. I loved this. 95+pts.
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3/28/2015 - MichielV wrote: 91 Points
Toms Bday at H Club: To compare aging between Bdx and Cali Cabs: Next to 95s from Comtesse Pichon, Pichon Baron and Leoville Barton. This was super good, great bricked color, super flavorful nose and on palate just great elegance and lots going on. Not powerful but compared to the others it was most talkative. Yummy wine and better than what I tasted last time.
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3/13/2015 - fournet Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very youthful. Tannins still evident, through the finish. Very nice.
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1/17/2015 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
90's Cali Cab and the Kitchen Sink (Ursino in Union, NJ): The first taste of this was probably my wine of the night. It was decanted for maybe 30 minutes before pouring. Suspect the decant was a good idea, but would be careful on timing as the wine did slow down through the night. Initially just beautiful - great blackberry fruit, amazing spice characteristics, a bit of licorice. Just fantastic. Exactly what I love in older Napa cabs. With some time that shifted more to current and then more to stewed fruit and just held together a bit less well. Drink up.
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1/1/2015 - Shapnyc Likes this wine: 97 Points
This opened immediately and drank like silken cherries. Served it with a perfect prime steak and let me tell you it was a remarkable experience. We were all smacking our lips out loud and oohing and ahhing. This was a stunning bottle.
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12/31/2014 - webbaker Likes this wine: 96 Points
I needed something special tonight, so 1995 Phelps Insignia it is. Into the decanter at 7:35 AM. Cork in perfect condition. Fairly large amount of fine sediment. Whiff of tobacco on the initial nose. Initial tasting after 8 hours in the decanter, then consumed over the nest 24. Strong aromatics, menthol and eucalyptus. No sign of burning out. Soft tannins. Not a fruit bomb by any stretch. Classic old wine taste without that old musty and wet leather taste.
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10/28/2014 - Peech Likes this wine: 94 Points
initially a little alcoholic and sharp, but turned out pretty nice and fragrant, a little smoky on top of some cedar, woodsy notes. Definitely sweet on the palate since it's from a ripe vintage, and full-bodied. Tannins are still very much there after almost 20 years.
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8/31/2014 - mdipietro Likes this wine:
Color is excellent, looks fresh
Nose is awesome
Still bright, very good fruit and tannins are present
Incredible, can likely go many more years
Thought I needed to open it now but should have waited
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8/24/2014 - adnielsen wrote: 87 Points
Bottle @ Doodler. Fair amount of leather, cola, and tobacco in the nose. Fairly tannic. A bit toasty. Mild chocolate, plums, and figs. Pretty delicious.
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8/7/2014 - Rickfor wrote: 93 Points
- Garnet color.
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5/30/2014 - Shapnyc Likes this wine: 94 Points
stunner
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4/19/2014 - redwiner Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent aged Napa CS. Had everything going for it. I would not hold any longer. Drank too long ago to provide proper details.
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3/29/2014 - plitton wrote: 94 Points
Love the Bordeaux styling. Some olives and cedar yet still holding onto some youthfulness. At 19, I think this will continue to mature nicely to 2020.
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11/26/2013 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 95 Points
A restrained and balanced beauty, in perfect balance, with no hard edges. Layers of lush fruit, fine acidity and sweet tannins, through to a very long finish.
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9/27/2013 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasting wines in double-blind fashion is very educational and sometimes can be validating (although it is more often humbling). This opaque red/garnet wine (a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot) flaunts a beautiful nose of fig, cocoa, currants and Asian spices. Full-bodied, round and softly tannic at this point, it is very supple on the palate and has flavors which mirror the nose. The alcohol (listed as 13.5%) is nicely integrated and the middle palate is solid. With a finish which seems to last forever, this is one which will make current bottle owners very happy over the next 5-7 years. I'm pleased to say that I made an educated guess which was quite close to identifying both the wine and the vintage. Even if you are not concentrating to that extent, you will love this wine! Drink now-2020.
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9/19/2013 - gew71walsh wrote: 95 Points
My WOTN. Deep color, great balance. Smooth tannins in the Insignia style, with a velvety finish. Still drinking well and has a few more years left. This vintage has a higher concentration of Cab Sauv than other vintages, and it will continue to evolve. Love to taste again in a few years.
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9/1/2013 - exonian Likes this wine: 95 Points
The cork broke on opening, but was otherwise perfect. This wine is now a deep garnet , with a fading rim, and impressive legs. The nose is pronounced and amazingly complex, yet so fresh. There is cassis, blackberry jam ,cedar, menthol, bay/rosemary, anise, spice, liqourice, cherries, a hint of salty minerality, and the occasional waft of tea rose florality. The palate is chewy with flavours of cooked plummy fruits, blackberry jam, coffee, and chocolate. On first opening , the acidity was medium plus, but calmed down to medium after an hour or so. Tannins are well integrated , and the 13.5 per cent alcohol is lightly worn , on the silky mouthfeel. This wine seemed in a perfect place - elegant, complex, smooth, and refreshing , yet still exhibiting hints of youthfulness. Built for the long haul, in a classic Bordeaux style, this is California Cab at its best. I' m looking forward to tasting my remaining two bottles of this vintage over the next 5 - 8 years. Went perfectly with wild venison steaks, served with a port and blackberry sauce ( our own blackberry jam and wild blackberries from the garden)
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6/25/2013 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com Likes this wine: 94 Points
Brown Bag Wine Dinner at Two Chefs; 6/25/2013-6/26/2013: The wine looks Garnet colored. The legs are Slow. It smells like Blackberry, Black currant (cassis), Cedar, and Violet. The body is Full. The wine has Bright texture. The wine finishes Long. Al's Insignia. thank You Al!!!
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6/10/2013 - KVM wrote: 94 Points
Med dark red. Lead pencil, cedar, black currant nose says "Bordeaux". In the mouth there is also something lighter - like red currant jelly. Some silkiness and red fruit on the long finish. Elegant and excellent.
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4/24/2013 - jeffm_fla Likes this wine: 92 Points
Good to very good. The fruit has died down, but still had that distinctive Insignia flavor profile. Balanced and a pleasure to drink.
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4/21/2013 - howardn Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking beautifully!! Everything Insignia is supposed to be.
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1/19/2013 - rockyal Likes this wine: 93 Points
The cork crumbled at the base but the wine was filtered and tasted fine. Tannins are soft, color is dark, fruit is black, medium body. Hints of cedar and oak. Ready to drink now.
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1/8/2013 - Mr T wrote:
Lovely mature Cali Cab PNP at in laws club after hellish drive with the older kids through a snowstorm on the day after Xmas. This was easily the highlight of my evening in all respects. DrEdwardo sums the wine up perfectly and I might even give it one additional point just for the elegance. Not a blockbuster at this point, but wonderful full fruit and tannins fully resolved and the oak integrated. My brother in law and I polished this one off efforlessly. Fortunately the rest of the family stuck to their normal white wines. Would gladly buy this wine again at a fair price
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1/6/2013 - SadEdjo Likes this wine: 94 Points
For a 17+ year old wine this was impeccable. Dark colour. Redolent sweet cassis nose. Obscenely silky entry: cassis, cedar, sweet, seamless tannins. Obvious oak treatment but at this point fruit, oak, acid and tannins are in perfect harmony. Many years ahead of it. Vinous craftsmanship
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1/5/2013 - stealthman_1 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking really well. Deep brooding, some nice bottle character, seamless. Was favorited slightly over the 2001 David Arthur cab, which we really liked as well.
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11/18/2012 - lesz wrote: 92 Points
needs more time
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10/28/2012 - taipanli wrote: 94 Points
Typical Insignia. Balance, integration, fruit forward, classy. Less acidity and seemingly softer than the 94. Drinking very nicely but longevity may be in question. 50+8+9+19+8=94
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8/24/2012 - RBaird wrote: 93 Points
still drinking incredibly well. very full of berries.
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6/28/2012 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Brittle cork when it was opened. After some breathing, the wine revealed terrific structure - very Bordeaux-like in character. Aromas of earth, dried herbs, black berries and anise. The palate is full and densely packed with flavors of black currant, cassis, smoke, chocolate, and espresso. Quite amazing with layered complexity, but doesn't match the 1997. Drink now until 2017.
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6/26/2012 - DarinC wrote: 90 Points
Typical insignia profile with dark red and black fruits with mocha, tobacco and spice. This bottle really benefited from at least 2hrs in the glass as the acidity was somewhat sharp and out of balance initially. Still very youthful with only slight secondary characteristics and moderately firm tannins on the long finish that softened with time. Medium body. Not as concentrated or complex as the best years. Not worth current prices.
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6/5/2012 - charleshetzel wrote: 97 Points
Enjoyed this tonight with my wife along with grilled Bryan Flannery steaks, grilled artichokes. The wine has about 10 years left -the color was a deep purple, the aromas typical of Insignia, and the fruit was amazing - lots of berries, cherry, and about a 10 second finish. Would love to try this wine in about 2, 5 and 10 years. An excellent Insignia.
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5/20/2012 - blaine wrote:
Decidedly youthful. Pop and poured, drank over about 90 minutes. No hint of age in the color. A bit of funk on the nose upon opening, but that blew off. Firm tannins and lots of tartness...though the fruit didn't keep up with the tannins. Has the structure to age longer, no worries there, but don't know how much longer the fruit will hold up to the tannins. I'd decant next time...if I had another...
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4/29/2012 - InflationHedge wrote: 95 Points
While its no 1970 Latour, this was definitely showing strong. Dark, dense and powerful, the vibrant dark fruit, cassis and herbs were well integrated. A long finish with soft but lively tannins, this was delicious
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4/18/2012 - davidwhitedc wrote: 95 Points
Epic Wine Dinner at Bourbon Steak (Washington DC): The wine is a baby. It's a beautiful example of young Napa Cab -- and I'm shocked to learn its 17 years old. The wine opens with fresh blackberry, huge dark fruits, and eucalyptus, with some earth, pencil lead, and wild mountain herbs playing a supporting role. The wine has great structure, soft-but-mouth-coating tannins, and delightful front-of-mouth acidity. Truly exceptional.
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3/14/2012 - djdaqm wrote: 94 Points
Decanted an hour prior to drinking. The nose changed over the course of consuming, from something that more resembled Bordeaux at first to something more like Napa. At the beginning there was some mustiness and earthy notes, which gave way to dark berries and some mild spiciness. On the palate the wine is surprisingly light, with lots of acidity, medium fruit concentration, and mild tannins. There are notes of menthol and blackberries. It is light-bodied and at 13.5% alcohol it doesn't have any "hot" characteristics. Nicely balanced, but could use a little more fruit concentration to hold up for more aging. Tannins were well integrated. Not as complex as I would have hoped, but should continue to age well for 5+ years. A very subtle wine.
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3/8/2012 - HenryW wrote: 93 Points
Fresh dark-fruited nose. Palate has hints of beef stock, salt and graphite to go with the cassis. Some bitter earthiness on the finish.
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3/5/2012 - tgkswine wrote: 94 Points
A beautiful bottle of wine drinking wonderfully. Shared at Atlas Bistro in Scottsdale with Ogburns and Kirbys along side a '91 Dunn Howell Mtn. and '97 Silver Oak NV. A rich and succulent recipe of dark fruit, smooth tanins with a velvety mouthfeel. While this is driniking as well as you could ever hope it still have 5+ years in it. A great wine on a great evening.
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2/29/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Cassis, licorice, herbs, truffle, blackberry, tobacco and earthy aromas lead to a balanced, fresh, round style of California Sauvignon that ends with soft, ripe, layers of blackberry and cherry. This is drinking great today.
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1/22/2012 - nogohawk wrote: 91 Points
Opened after '93 Opus One - a bit darker than the Opus and more fruit, spice, plum and a much longer finish. Still has a year or two left but this was my last bottle.
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1/2/2012 - LorenGrossman wrote: 96 Points
From magnum. Having recently had a 91 Insignia that was tired at best, I was completely taken by surprise at this wine's youthfulness, depth, layered nuances and balance. Served blind I guessed the vintage correctly but thought this was Mouton instead of Insignia. It is a dead ringer for that wine. Gorgeous, polished, deep red and black fruit, lead pencil, touch of tobacco/leather, black olive and a pronounced minty note. Very youthful, packed palate with more black fruit, minerals, baker's chocolate. Amazingly deep, with superb balance and integration to a fine, long finish. A very special wine and about 180 degrees from the 91 we opened just a few weeks ago.
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12/26/2011 - Meerlust wrote: 95 Points
Dark, purple color that does not show a hint of its 15 years in the bottle. The nose was powerful with cassis, plums, spice, and violets. The palate is complete with ripe fruit, spice, licorice, and violets. Since the blend added layers of complxity, the Insignia's profile was slightly more impressive than the 95 Arrowood Reserve, but both wines were phenominal. Structurally, the mouthfeel is full-bodied and plush with balanced acidity and polished tannins. The finish coated the palate with an ocean of fruit and spice. Overall, this was excellent because of its vibrant fruit, plush mouthfeel, and layered palate. It should be considered one of the best wines made in 1995.
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12/25/2011 - BeavisCC wrote: 98 Points
A fantastic and still vibrantly youthful, pure example of California fruit, this '95 Insignia matched any prior bottle of the amazing '94. A wonderful, still jammy attack led to a well-stuffed mid-palate that possessed ample secondary notes (spice, saddle leather) and really distinguished this wine from the sea of very good but incredibly uniform-tasting California CS and blends that have been produced over the last 20 years. The finish was deep and long, and the overall impression left behind was richness with supple balance. This was a perfect complement to Julia Child's Beef Burgundy.
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12/23/2011 - hiroshisugi wrote: 97 Points
Wonderful wine that is at a perfect maturation stage. Mind blowing aromas of violets, dried and ripe fruit. Super smooth and very elegant mouthfeel. Great finish. Simply a great wine!
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11/30/2011 - flwino wrote: 94 Points
Dark red color
Nose of heavy fruit
Taste is a fruit bomb
Good finish
wish had more
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11/20/2011 - Marc wrote: 96 Points
Tasted alongside Pichon Lalande 1995 with Lamb Loin sauteed in hazelnut oil, this was a near profound wine. Rich cabernet fruit, brilliant texture, "Rutherford dust", gorgeaus aromatics. A very stunning wine that is clearly in a wonderful place but bottles in this condition will continue to develop positively. A finer pairing of Fr and US 95's that at the start fo the year with the Mouton and Araujo.
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7/27/2011 - chad1616 wrote: 95 Points
Chocolate.
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7/9/2011 - rcg62 wrote: 98 Points
Terrific (had two bottles, very consistent). Ripe fruit, hitting maturity but still so much left. Really as good as a Cali cab gets. Any score 96-100 I couldn't argue with.
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6/25/2011 - floydtp wrote: 93 Points
CellarTracker Wisconsin June 2011; 6/24/2011-6/25/2011 (Madison, WI- various venues): Tasted non blind at a tasting that included 94-99 Insignia. Nice nose of cassis and violets. Similar palate with mint and cigar box and a touch of sweetness in the middle. Very long and consistent finish. Drink now and over the next several years. Very nice overall and one of the standouts along with the 94 and 97.
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6/25/2011 - wineismylife wrote:
CellarTracker Wisconsin Offline I - Part Two - Double Vertical Tasting (petiteblanc's house in Madison, WI): WIMLNR
Tasted non blind at an offline. Double decanted and left cork out for four hours before serving.
Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. nose of underbrush, dried herbs, a bit of berry and a bit of lavender. Flavors of berries, currants and plums. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannins, full boded. Drink or hold.
At first whiff the wine smelled a tiny bit corky but not enough to notably mute the nose and palate. However, withholding a rating just to be safe.
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6/25/2011 - IWineAlot wrote: 92 Points
CT Wisconsin Offline (Madison, WI): On the nose I got sweet dark berries, a little green/earthiness on the nose, a slight black tea component.
The palate was smooth and packed with nice berries and plums. Nice dry tannins and a lovely finish.
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6/25/2011 - petitblanc wrote: 92 Points
CT Wisconsin Offline; 6/24/2011-6/25/2011 (Madison, WI): Initially very lovely perfume on the nose, turning slightly secondary on the palate. This seems to be developing nicely and may turn into a fine mature wine to revisit in 3-5 years.
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5/2/2011 - thalver wrote:
Decanted. The nose was initially fairly expressive, showing some plum, dark berries, hints of oak resolved tannins and a medium plus finish. Smooth and perfectly drinkable. After about three hours, it did begin to fade a bit, with the nose and palate becoming somewhat muted 92
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4/24/2011 - bsreid wrote: 93 Points
opened for an hour, then decanted through aerator and left for a second hour. perfectly balanced with pencil lead, soft tannins, and blackberry fruit. was still rising about two and a half hours after opening and can't hlpe but wish i had given it more time in the decanter. no signs of fading, but no reason to wait.
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3/1/2011 - Siggy wrote: 92 Points
Commanderie Pre-Dinner (Restaurant Vincent, Minneapolis): Double decanted approximately 4 hours before tasting; started out profound and seemed to fade a bit by the time we drank it. Rich and intensely flavored, showing plummy fruit, anise/licorice, baking spices, and dark chocolate. Long finish. Delicious, but outclassed by the '78 Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill.
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2/27/2011 - Ki Punwar wrote: 95 Points
opened for a steak dinner, this was really disjointed at first and dominated by oak and tannin. I decanted this about 5 hours before tastiing it, and only drank a bit then left it-on day 2 it was vastly improved, showing me the telltale Insignia characteristics-a rich, smooth wine with blackberry, dark chocolate, cassis and a very long lingering aftertaste that just stayed with me... can't imagine this getting any better than it is now.
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2/21/2011 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
Earthy, funky, a bit bretty with pleasant barnyard notes--a bit CdP like; Rich earthy mouth, stewed cherry, softer and plush, a bit low acidity at this stage is the only drawback.
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2/6/2011 - MichielV wrote: 90 Points
2 hrs in decanter. we drank it after a very good Paul Hobbs malbec (Cobos) which was super. This was great and balanced in te nose upon opening bu it fell flat when we poured, nose closed a bit and on the palate you tasted good fruit but something was missing. maybe it closed in between and needed more time to open up?? W'll get to try again soon I think. this should live for quite some more time normally. hope it was somewhat off-bottle
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1/5/2011 - djs wrote:
Overwhelmed by VA
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12/24/2010 - Anonymous Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wow, was this great! Initially when it was decanted from a magnum and tasted, it was very tight. It was slowly decanted from one decanter to another five or six times. It opened up and was pretty darn good! It had lots of red berries, tobacco, a bit of licorice, cedar and silky tannins. Great balance and mouthfeel from start to finish. You have plenty of time for this one.
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12/24/2010 - mappleton wrote:
A beautiful wine. The fruit remains strong as the first impression but the earthy finish was to die for. I've always loved the mid-90's Insignias and this one was no different. Going amazingly strong with years and years of life ahead. Merry Christmas!
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12/19/2010 - no leashes wrote: 96 Points
Wow, what a great wine. Rich dark fruit, some coffee, a hint of chocolate and a little smoke and earth, perfectly balanced, long finish. this is everything you'd want from a wine. Drink it either alone or with food.
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12/17/2010 - scollier wrote: 94 Points
Essentially pop and pour. Excellent nose, lots of berries with just a hint of smoke/oak. This is a very smooth wine now, no harsh tannins and not overdone. There is still a fair amount of fruit here, but certainly not a fruit "bomb". Just a very pleasant drinking wine, with or without food. Enjoyed it very much. Not sure holding it any longer will have any benefits. Drink now and enjoy. Wish I had another.
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11/13/2010 - RoccoSydney wrote: 90 Points
A bit disappointing. Nose a bit thin. Fruity and nice, but compared to Mondavi and Ducru wasn't up to snuff.
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11/7/2010 - TuckerTini wrote: 95 Points
Magnum. See my prior review for the 750ml bottle, note that the smaller bottle was not as good. Cork was intact with almost no intrusion. Decanted, filtered, minimal sediment. Opened some in the glass over drinking period, but I do not recommend an extended airing. Drank over 2 hours. Deep purple color. Nose of dark fruit, medium alcohol. Tannins fully integrated. Silky mouthfeel. Very well balanced on the palate with the expected Cali-blend taste of fine Cabernet fruit and just a hint of old-world left bank style. For this reason and my note that the 750 ml bottle was declining I believe this wine in the magnum is just past its peak and it is time to drink up. It will not get any better with age; if it loses any (more?) of its grape structure it may be thin on the palate. This is a $400+ bottle of wine in the magnum format....I've had it a long time in the cellar, and figured it was time, no regret for pulling this cork now. It compares quite well to some other aged Cali cab based blends on the cult side, but is a bit overpriced, likely due to its reputation as a "go to" high end selection. Insignia is dependable, that's for sure but it is priced a bit high.
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10/16/2010 - Rose Garden wrote:
Cork was very dry. Smooth with some complexity. Needed decanting and time before drinking.
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10/5/2010 - pdemaio wrote: 96 Points
very impressive. Aging beautifully. Simply georgeous with a very complex nose and palate. FInish for miles. Easy to drink but lots to pay attention too. Some medicinal, but very minor compared to other bif california reds. This wine lives up to the billing and is going to be more in line with old world drinkers than some other huge cali cult wines (and much better priced).
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9/24/2010 - burgcamel wrote: 95 Points
Strong showing but this has been cellared at 55 degrees since release. This wine is clearly at it's peak and there is no reason to continue to hold this wine. I plan on drinking the rest of my bottles over the next 4 years. I see no real faults in this wine other than lacking a little complexity.
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9/20/2010 - sajjy wrote: 92 Points
nice wine but past its prime
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7/13/2010 - mf9800 wrote: 95 Points
Amazing.
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7/3/2010 - timewithwine wrote:
A blend of 90% Cab. Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, aged in French oak. Right out of the shoot this is all California Cab with a nose and palate full of lip smacking anise, cedar, pencil finishing up with cocoa nots. This is much rounder and softer than the Arrowood. The first sip you taste is just like the last sip. From that aspect, it is a less cerebral wine than the Arrowood, but not any less pleasing to the senses. Although some of the fruit is Rutherford Bench, I cannot say I detect any distinct Rutherford Bench dustiness. Bob and Michael see it more akin to Lafite. Some sediment on the shoulder. 13.5% alc. With grilled duck with grilled plum sauce. With the Rosses and Col. Cuozzi. Highly Recommended.
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6/12/2010 - Marc wrote: 96 Points
Cork was slightly easy to pull out. Dense purple/ruby - not showing too much in the way of age. On first opening, the wine displayed dense plums, earth and cedar - classic Napa cabernet. Stunning wine in the mouth - liqueur-like intensity and wonderful length - this has great sweetness. Eucalypt and fennel seed - herbal in a gorgeous way. Tremendous balance - exceptional wine making. A great Napa wine in a very new world style - this would not be confused with bordeaux! It misses out in the end because there is not that extra dimension that one gets in profound wine, even taking into consideration the perfect balance. The wine held ll night at a very high level - a pleasure to drink. This wine is great now.
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5/23/2010 - mwhitmoe wrote: 91 Points
Overall a bit disappointing. The nose was quite lovely: cassis, cedar, vanilla, smoke and a touch of cinnamon. Palate was where things did not quite come together. Considering the year and quality of the vintner, I would not expect this wine to be past its peak. But alas, I think it is. The fruit was simply not there as it should be. The wine seemed to lack structure, and tasted a bit flabby. Still outstanding by almost any measure, just not (or at least no longer) extraordinary.
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5/7/2010 - HenryW wrote: 90 Points
Quite attractive dark-fruited nose. Prominent graphite notes on both the nose and palate. Fruit appears to have dropped off on the palate, making the tannins and oak more noticeable.
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5/1/2010 - FrankD wrote: 91 Points
Mouth filling flavor of cassis and blackberries, a hint of tar. Soft and not showing much tannin. Comments from people at table -- "Love it!" and one person noticed a maple syrup element, but that was subtle. I'm glad I drank this now, think maybe it's hit its peak.
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5/1/2010 - traxxx wrote: 91 Points
Opened for 30 min before drinking. Classic Insignia aromas and smooth silky finish. Not as full bodied as 94 or 97. Ready to drink now and looking forward to next bottle!
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4/24/2010 - Milos wrote: 94 Points
This wine was very slightly corked but drinkable and enjoyable. Last bottle of this wine I had 2 years ago was totally corked. Problem at the winery? Bright intense colour. Quite complex nose of red fruit, cedar and leather, very St. Julien. Tannins present but well integrated. Long finish.
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4/7/2010 - Vinomarcus wrote: 93 Points
Wednesday Night Blind - April 2010 (Peter Pratt's Inn): Blind Wine #5 - So familiar, in my mind when Lance said Insignia I knew he was right. These wines flat out rock! Great dark color, huge rich fruit, deep and complicated, richly textured. Great juice.
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1/13/2010 - wineismylife wrote: 92 Points
WIML91-92
Tasted January 13, 2010 at an offline. Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Slightly subdued nose (could've used more air) of roses, leather, talc, plum and berries. Flavors of plums, berries and cherries. Medium acidity, tannins and body. Drink or hold?
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12/25/2009 - profiler54 wrote: 93 Points
Nice youthful color, a bit closed and shut down in the first hour.. Then wine opened with a red berry, lead pencil, sage and Napa dust bouquet.. This wine possessed a very long sweet finish that was very fruit driven. The balance was good..
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12/2/2009 - Michael Mortensen wrote:
Var forkølet. Ingen note.
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11/29/2009 - dbg wrote:
Dark red core, slight lightening at the rim. Rich forward nose of cassis, plums, nints of cedar, tar, and floral notes. Medium-full body, ripe plush fruits, some Bordeaux-like aged notes of sweet tea and cedar, very nice balance, mostly resolved tannins, medium finish, not as big as a few years ago but still drinking very well, excellent.
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11/28/2009 - Goldstone wrote: 87 Points
Kevin & Margaret's Thanksgiving Dinner (Their House, Hong Kong): Deep blood red semi-transparent colour. Pure nose of Pauillac that is very remniscennt of Pichon Lalande. Palate is a real disappointment because it's just acidity and milk chocolate and surprisingly linear and surprisingly hot and acidic on the finish. I suspect this must have suffered from poor storage at some stage but I note that a lot of other CTers have had the same experience so maybe something went wrong with the bottling that year because there seems to be two distinctly different Insignia 1995s out there.
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11/26/2009 - How wrote: 93 Points
Perfumey floral bouquet of dark fruit, dark purple in color with finer sweet tannins. Maybe a little too sweet? Aerated for only 20 minutes but seemed to drink the same 3 hrs later. Fair amount of sediment at bottom of bottle as would be expected by now. I was more impressed by this wine in Nov. 1999 than now, but received rave comments from others present this time.
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9/5/2009 - CabIsKing wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for about a 1/2 hour. On the nose wonderful aromas of black fruits, cedar and hints of tobacco. On the palate the same with hints of chocolate. The tannins were silky smooth and the finish was as memorable as any. Gorgeous wine. Drinking wonderfully right now.
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8/6/2009 - TuckerTini wrote: 88 Points
Concentrated and purple, the color and nose would lead one to believe they are about to have a wonderful experience. However, the palate is unbalanced with dark fruit separating out from the relatively firm tannins in a borderline unpleasant manner for a wine of this heritage. The acidity and tannins were not in balance either. This wine did benefit from about an hour of aeration. I don't think that it will benefit from any additional cellaring either.
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7/25/2009 - Haltermr wrote: 89 Points
Beautiful complex nose on opening, smelling fresh but also with complex secondary notes. Palate did not live up to the nose, with the finish still being tannic but astringent, with a hole in the midpalate. Continued to harden with opening. This bottle had less than ideal storage, and likely suffered from this.
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6/28/2009 - shaferguy91 wrote: 93 Points
Still delicious but I believe a shade past its prime.
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5/31/2009 - tarheel17 wrote:
Simply delicious, with firm structure, plush and juicy dark fruits, and caramel undertones. I was most impressed by the structure and balance of this wine (my first Insignia).
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4/25/2009 - Jack wrote: 94 Points
Needed a couple of hours to breathe and then was hogged by Dave. Had it with the 89 Pichon Barron and 94 Mondavi Resv. I hogged the PB.
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4/22/2009 - Goldstone wrote: 96 Points
Cult Californians Wine Tasting (Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): I have never been disappointed by Insignia when it has gone beyond 10 years, which is when it turns into my kind of a wine. Lovely powdery tannins, elegant, refined but still with power. Lovely........
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4/14/2009 - Phin wrote:
Structured and more primary than a 1997 Insignia side-by-side. Plenty of life left. Paired well with bison and black pepper notes.
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2/11/2009 - hcampana wrote: 92 Points
This is a 13 year old Napa Cab that truly evolved aromatically. The nose is incredibly appealing, offering a complex array of aromas. Leather, smoke and earth lace the fruitful core. It is an absolute pleasure to smell. In the palate, though, time has affected it adversely. It has lost density and weight, and the full midpalate it exhibitted when young falters now. This wine exhibits the weight of a 20 year Bordeaux. Tannin is not as evident as in its youth, but is still present, exhibitting a dusty quality. The finish is very long and pleasant. For the nose, this merits 96 points. For the palate, it only gets 88 points.
This was paired with a Fois Gras terrine and a steak au poivre.
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1/27/2009 - thenapalist wrote: 93 Points
Drinking window seems to be right in the wheelhouse at the moment with a possibility to improve just a bit more as the tannin stood out just a hair. A bit light on the mid palate but overall a nice drink. But IMO, inferior to the lush, rich 97.
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1/10/2009 - tommydiesel wrote: 92 Points
Special, always but seems to be sweeter out of a 3.0 liter. Great structure, balance and finish.Great blend.
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11/11/2008 - RJ Meyer wrote: 94 Points
I proposed to her on 11/11 at 11:11 in 1994. We got married the following year March 11, 1995. Not sure what it is about 11s but I'll never forget the day I proposed. So today, a 1995 Insignia to celebrate the occasion. I was blown away by the condition of this wine. No telltale signs of age but rather a dense, deep purple wine. It possessed a nose of dark fruit with hints of smoke, toast, pencil lead. Under any other circumstances I would expected this to be bordeaux. Palate of smooth sweet tannins, dark berries, pencil lead. Nothing but pure pleasure.
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11/3/2008 - jeffm_fla wrote: 93 Points
very Bordeux like nose and flavor including "blue cheese" notes. Tasted a little old and tired
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10/14/2008 - Kirk Grant wrote:
Looking into the glass there is only a slight bricking of the wine...but you have to look for it to really notice it. Scents of black fruits, leather, and slight pencil shavings could lead one to believe this was in fact from Bordeaux. Underneath it all there is a light hint of cinnamon that can be caught in a trail at the end. In the mouth this is everything that people love about California Cabernet based wines...it's plush, full, round, and offers such wonderful focus as flavors of black & blue fruits lead into a symphony of bakers chocolate, graphite, and intense minerality. An absolutely outstanding wine...
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10/1/2008 - zazoo wrote: 94 Points
Always delivers. Had some bad bottles so needed a last minute "pop and pour" . This wine delivered just that.
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6/1/2008 - GZ3 wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for 90 mins and put back in bottle for another 60. This wine still has loads of fruit and tannin. Improved significantly in the glass, so if i had another bottle, would let breath for at least 3 hours.
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5/31/2008 - JScott wrote: 90 Points
Nose was very promising but ultimately no fireworks on the palate. Least impressive showing out of maybe a case of prior bottles. Have to assume this is an outlier.
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5/20/2008 - Jack wrote: 97 Points
This was in the zone tonight. From the start it was pumping out the flavors (94ish) but really shined after a couple hours of air (97).
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5/11/2008 - VCvino wrote: 97 Points
Best wine ever had - ultra smooth with well integrated tannins. Glorious aroma as soon as the cork was poped.
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3/31/2008 - AzorianMatador wrote: 92 Points
Pulled this out, dusted it off and pulled the cork (cork was in excellent shape), allowed it to sit upright for 2 hours then decanted. Medium body, medium finish nice complexity.
Cedar, black currant, white pepper, chocolate, tobacco, and berries (no tar for me) on the nose and palate. This had the stuffing to easily go for another 5 years or so. It should gain in complexity and garner another point or two 92-94.
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2/24/2008 - amred wrote: 94 Points
This was a wonderful wine. Dark, no sign of age visually. The nose was exeptionally leathery, tar, tobacco...wonderful. In the mouth, very well-balanced with substantial sweet fruit with notes of tobacco and cedar. The smooth tannins were evident. Classic CA CS in traditional Insignia style. Not all all heavy or over-extracted. Terrific wine showing well now, but not remotely on the down side. Glad we have a few left.
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2/13/2008 - cab4me wrote: 91 Points
Tasted along with 2 other greats from 1995: Beringer Private Reserve Cab and Peter Michael "les Pavots". The Insignia was dark red in the glass with not much sign of aging. The nose was alluring fruit and wood spices. On the palate, the wine showed excellent intensity and seemed quite youthful. Black fruits dominate, along with vanilla and a bit of anise. The wine had medium body, not quite as velvety in texture as the Beringer. The finish was good, but didn't show much nuance. A fairly classic Insignia with plenty of aging potential from here.
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2/10/2008 - shaferguy91 wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 1 hour.
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2/2/2008 - the godfather wrote: 90 Points
super chocolately, oaky and showing some age, nice but not special
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12/23/2007 - cortoncharlie wrote: 94 Points
Still a baby with no sign of age. Dark and dense. Intense but primary. Fruit driven palete finishing with mouth drying tanins underneath the oak. There is a lot of stuffing here and this wine needs either a lot of air or more years inthe bottle.
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10/27/2007 - SteveHoch wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful bottle Great nose of dark fruit, licorice, spices. Great mouthfeel. Excellent fullness, great balance. nice long finnish. The group was divided over this bottle or the 1994 Pahlmeyer which were tasted side by side. This was a little more evolved of the two
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10/13/2007 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 92 Points
Thirty Years of Phelps Insignia (1974 through 2004): A nice nose of mainly dark fruit with a hint of VA/paint thinner that blew off in time. Very impressive on the palate with concentrated dark fruit and a heavier/oakier personality. Perfect balance. Very tannic. Should develop nicely with additional bottle age.
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10/13/2007 - Siggy wrote:
Insignia Vertical Tasting 1974-2004 (WA Frost, St. Paul): More floral nose than the other wines in the flight. Intense, brooding dark cherries. Seems to have higher acidity than the 1994. Well-structured, thick, and showing very young.
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10/12/2007 - Eric wrote: 93 Points
Drinking beautifully. Loads of dark fruit and cassis on the nose. The palate has really opened up since up a couple of years ago. A little sweet but with a gorgeous core of Cabernet. Classy and tasty CalCab.
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9/20/2007 - thenapalist wrote: 94 Points
Perfectly mature Cali blend and the complexity is now in full force. Notes of cherry, blackberry, leather, tobacco and a bit of mint. The tannins have almost completely integrated making for a very smooth Bordeaux like bottle.
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9/7/2007 - jwsmith wrote: 92 Points
Very good sslighly muted alomst rhone like nose and finish, but this gives you a look into what great cabernet can be at 10 years age...
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8/30/2007 - PDD wrote: 96 Points
Gravel, oak, and dark fruits on the nose. Loads and loads of oak and dark fruits (black cherry, plum). Amazingly long finish with great complexity. I want more.
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8/22/2007 - wineguysf wrote: 97 Points
Just loved this wine. one of the best I've every had. Seriously, we put it up against some big tallent. And while I love the French this wine kicked their butts. Some of our Franco file friends wouldn't admit it, but that's OK.
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7/31/2007 - mdefreitas wrote: 94 Points
Well, the last sample I had of this wine must have been an aberration. This bottle was singing. Expressive nose of cassis, chocolate, and damp earth. Silky smooth on the palate with a wonderfully lengthy finish. Hints of tabacco leaf and smoke accented the ripe, fleshy fruit. A great cross of youthful fruit and aged complexity.
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6/3/2007 - SteveHoch wrote: 94 Points
This wine was excellent. Great nose of casis , chocolate and very rich texture smooth and velvety with great balance. Incredible fruit with great structure and depth. Nice 45 second finnish. This is a wine that shows great right now and delivers all the pleasure expected!
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4/4/2007 - BradKNYC wrote:
1995 California Cabernet Horizontal (Mercy, mercy, mercy.) (Ruth's Chris.): 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 3 % Petit Verdot.
I liked the '95 Insignia a smidge more than the '94 on release, but find that the '94 shows a little better today. Shows the thickest and richest mouthfeel of the evening with good levels of fruit and creamy oak that lacks the severe bite of many of the wines tonight. That said, it finishes with a touch too much of an alcohol burn, so I'd drink now. No real complexity, but there's a dearth of that tonight. Enjoy it for the fruit it has now. A-/B+.
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3/27/2007 - bsherwin wrote:
Just a fabulous bottle of wine. It still has the vibrancy of youth, yet continues to develop secondary nuance. Smoky and sultry, at its heart is a deep, dense core of layered sweet California fruit, although it is the breadth and not the depth that is special here. Exhibits world class concentration and delination. Finishes like a champ. Stellar.
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3/3/2007 - Neuman wrote: 95 Points
96 lynnch bages vs 96 penfolds bin 707 vs 95 insignia..no losers in the bunch. Around the world theme . Similar vegative nose. Insignia was #1 at the table. Lynch the classic and the penfolds was just very good
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12/16/2006 - danstrings wrote: 92 Points
Birthday bash part III, Tanglewood Santana Row! Insignias are always just great, especially the mid-90s. This bottle seemed really shy and subdued at first, but opened the Kimono as it warmed up in the glass. Loads of licoricey cherry and asphalt/graphite elements. Silky and seamless on the palate. This could be a newly released wine it is so youthful. Not a huge boisterous monster, but a class act nonetheless.
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12/12/2006 - MC wrote:
from memory last week with dinner, along with a '95 dalla valle. similar to last tasting, this wine is ready to go, and is drinking very well, with a softer, fruit forward style compared to the dalla valle, which had more concentration and structure, but probably needed more time. A-
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11/10/2006 - Russell Faulkner wrote: 93 Points
Trip to Dallas - 89/90 Bordeaux and Older Cali Cabs; 11/7/2006-11/10/2006 (Dallas, Texas): A big full wine, with complex red fruits a really enjoyable iodine/saline quality. Very solid tannins on the finish.
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10/20/2006 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 90 Points
Tasted unblinded from the Vintage Wines, Ltd. ("killer") wine bar. Bright disc. Youthful appearance, with a deep ruby robe and red rim. Clean nose, showing moderately intense aromas of vanilla, black fruits and Asian spices. Full-bodied on the palate, with low acidity, big ripe tannins and similar flavors as for the nose. The vanilla/oak component is a bit too dominant at this point. Long, smooth finish.
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8/19/2006 - mdefreitas wrote: 87 Points
Suprisingly mute on the nose. Soft on the palate with straitforward fruit, but not much secondary flavors. Simple and soft. Perplexing.
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8/18/2006 - jmd60611 wrote: 95 Points
So rich, so purple, so balanced...Beautiful nose, mouthfeel of silk, fruit and structure, singing like a beautiful canary
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8/9/2006 - cortoncharlie wrote: 94 Points
Drank after 1 hour of decanting. Coffee, vanilla and licorice. Impact mostly in the front, middle was slightly subdued in comparison but finish was long. Rich and chewy. A nice wine overall. Opened with a '92 Beringer Private Reserve which was more accessible but everyone thought both were good and represented different styles.
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7/1/2006 - redpine42 wrote: 84 Points
Uncle Ging's Wine tasting. This is the most awful wine I have ever tasted. Crushed rock and tabbaco are not flavors or smells I like. I've had so many other Insignia's that I absolutely love. This one is pure crap.
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6/8/2006 - Cheryl wrote:
No. 7% merlot, 3% petite bordeaux
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6/8/2006 - bsherwin wrote:
Cab Lovers of NYC Insignia Vertical (Zoe): The first WOW wine of the tasting. Deep, dark and brooding. The fruit jumps out of the glass here-very California. Young and vibrant, this one had a dense, complex core of fruit (blueberry, blackberry), as well as secondary notes of cedar and tobacco. If I had to pick a hole in this one it is that the finish wasn't as extraordinary as the rest of the experience. Still, a phenomenal wine. Drink now, drink later. Tied for WOTF. WOTN.
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5/13/2006 - MC wrote:
with a 95 la jota anniversary last night. big, ripe, rich wine with plenty of fruit and oak, and a great finish. really singing right now. although it may not have the structure of the la jota, it is great to drink right now. A
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3/28/2006 - GreenDrazi wrote: 90 Points
Atlanta Vielles Vignes – Bone’s and Cabs (Bone's Restaurant, Atlanta, GA): Slightly reticent nose. Dark, brooding black fruits and cassis and spice with great density in lieu of depth and significant tannins. Has a hint of violet. The finish was pleasant enough, but disappointing. This just had to be closed or a slightly off bottle – not what I had expected.
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3/24/2006 - pkwoods wrote: 93 Points
Great match with lamb to kick off spring break. Didn't decant...but after two hours, the aromas really came together. Black currants, cocoa, carmel, green peppers...very appealing nose. Palate was balanced, but medium bodied. Decent finish of 30-45 seconds. Struck me as a little more Bordeaux-like early on than other Insignia's we've had. Not quite as complete as the '94...but still very enjoyable.
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3/20/2006 - DRL01 wrote: 91 Points
A little disappointing. Very different from the '94, thin in the middle, medium bodied. Not at all a fruit bomb like the '94. It took two hours for the tannins to settle down. Creamy with tons of licorice. Very Bordeaux-like wine.
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3/8/2006 - Arbitrage wrote: 94 Points
holy ****. massive. toffee. power like a peaking barolo. coats my palette with a blanket of fruit.
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2/24/2006 - rudylai wrote: 96 Points
There was deffinitely a hint of coffee at the start, maybe mocha java, along with familiar Insignia aromas of black cherries, currants and cedar. The wine was still very dense with an inky purple color. The first taste showed the pure fruit that I love about great Insignias. Tannins were definitely quite present, but supple and controlled resulting in a silky mouthfeel. Oak is well integrated and pleasant and not at all overbearing. Over a decade old now, this wine is still young and vibrant. The finish lasts and lasts and there is still fruit, tanin and acidity present, which along with the density and structure of the wine, makes me believe that the best may be yet to come. If the tanins continue to integrate and soften, this wine could be even better down the road. I give it at least a 96 right now.
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2/7/2006 - MarkC wrote: 96 Points
My first '95 Insignia. Still plenty of purple in the color. The nose on this wine was amazing! Dark, rich, lush - hints of chocolate, cocoa, plum. Some spice - cedar? On the palate, this is still a youthful wine. While not a "new" wine, it is surprisingly fresh (given the other wines we opened tonight - '95 Opus One and '99 Spottswoode). Some tea, tobacco, red fruits, sweet tannins, and great balance. This was really, really awesome!
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2/5/2006 - SeaBud wrote: 93 Points
Nice balanced bordeaux-like Cali cab. Dark fruit did not overwhelm. Tobacco on the nose and mouth. Not a long finish and muted secondary characteristics.
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12/25/2005 - CSteefel wrote:
Medium ruby red with the faintest hint of garnet near the edges. On the nose, initially quite subdued, with classic Cabernet notes of Cuban tobacco, damp earth, and leather just beginning to emerge. In the mouth, this initially showed slightly agressive tannins, although the sheer flavor intensity and volume buffered this to some extent. With about a half hour of air, however, all of the elements came into play and balance, with the tannins (still present) integrating beautifully with a gradually expanding creme de cassis mouthfeel. The wine never showed as flamboyant and remained somewhat reserved on the nose and palate, but the creamy cassis mouthfeel actually reminded me a bit of some vintages of Leoville las Cases (especially the 1982, where tasters mentioned a reserved and only partially evolved nose and palate). This extremely fine, aristocratic, creamy character seems to leave some people unimpressed (whether here or in the LLC), but this Bordeaux-like wine is top shelf in my opinion. The tannins were a bit more troubling to some other tasters, so I think this vin de garde will be close to its peak in another five years.
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12/17/2005 - hcampana wrote: 94 Points
Tasting for newbies: Old World vs. New World (San Marcos, TX): Very dark ruby color. At first the nose was reticent and giving little. With about an hour and a half, the wine started showing its stuffing. Gorgeous and layered nose of coffee, black currant and chocolaty mocha. Full bodied with awesome texture and a great finish, this wine improved all night long. this wine is already developing aromatic complexity while retaing a lot of its fruit intensity. It was great with food. Group Points: 26 (second group favorite).
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12/8/2005 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
Phelps Insignia Vertical 15+ Years: Veritcal tasting. Black fruit on nose with just traces of spice. Still somewhat backward with lots of dry slightly roasted fruit, I think this is still really picking up weight and complexity. Very finish with good spice.
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11/13/2005 - amred wrote: 93 Points
At tasting. Was wonderful, but, did not knock our socks off as with past two bottles. Did not seem tired, but certainly drinking well right now. Great balance, smooth tannins. Classic CS, with Bordeaux features of lead pencil, cassis, and darker fruit almost chocolate overtones. This was a blind tasting with multiple CA grapes, and many but were reminded of a merlot.
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11/9/2005 - Jack wrote:
Richer than the 94. Real nice.
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9/22/2005 - Eric wrote: 92 Points
Nice. Bursting with cassis upon opening and then lots of rich, chocolate and fruit, cocoa dusted plums, a bit of blood, ripe, sweet on the mid-palate, yet finishing out with a nice mouthful of dusty tannins.
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9/12/2005 - fryguy wrote:
WOW! We really enjoyed this. I got home and bought 6 bottles of 2002 to age for future anniversarys! This was perfect balance. Drank at diinner at Carr's for 10th anniversary.
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9/4/2005 - corporatepunkrocker wrote: 92 Points
Labor Day Weekend Brunch at Essex (Essex Restaurant (New York, NY)): It is difficult to tell whether our tastebuds were responding to our expectations or to the actual juice. However, the Insignia showed good plumminess albeit less extracted fruit than we had anticipated. In fact, it was surprisingly tame. This may have been due to a storage mishap the day before. Nonetheless, the finish was strong and smooth and the wine complemented our burgers very well.
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6/19/2005 - Siggy wrote: 93 Points
Not decanted; moderate sediment. Extended Fathers Day dinner of grilled ribeye. Deep ruby color, with the slightest tough of lightening at the rim. Wonderful balance and mouthfeel; deep, rich flavors of cedar, lead pencil, red fruits, and tobacco. Loads of structure; held up well over a 3+ hour dinner. The tannins seem pretty well resolved. Drinking well now; potential upside over the next few years.
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4/23/2005 - otisabdul wrote: 95 Points
My friend brought this to dinner at Montparnasse in NYC and said it was singing. Man, was he ever right. A bravura performance, with all components parts in expressive harmony right now. A gorgeous bouquet and lots of showy fruit on the palate. Soft plush mouthfeel, with tannins barely lurking in the background. Did not even need decanting. Seems to be at its absolute apex. Drink now.
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4/19/2005 - Pool Boy wrote: 93 Points
Pure cab deliciousness. Plenty of fruit, now very well integrated. Quite supple but with a firm backbone that still let you know who you were talking to. I really enjoyed this. It was great to try this, I wish I had some in the cellar. It's showing very well right now so there is certainly no harm at all in cracking this anytime. Terrific. 93 points.
Had this at the DC Crü April dinner at Corduroy.
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4/1/2005 - tko wrote:
delicious and perfectly balanced, rich yet elegant, bursting with currants, dark berries, vanilla, cedar, flowers, coffee.
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3/1/2005 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
Forward aroma of black fruit and vanilla. Tight black fruit and coffee on the palate. Reminiscint of a nice Cote Rotie. 3/05
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2/19/2005 - futronic wrote: 90 Points
Dark ruby/black colour to ruby rim. Aromas of coffee, earth, black licorice, eucalyptus. Medium-full bodied with red licorice, black plums, pepper, spice, leather. Moderate-long finish, 40s, with blackberry notes.
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2/13/2005 - jamiekutch wrote:
Long Island Wine's VS. The World... Who was the winner? You will be surpriced (Paumanok Vineyards, North Fork, Long Island, New York): Before this wine even reached my lips I knew we had a winner. Dark luscious red in color, the nose gave off hints of bubble gum and bright red fruit nuances. The palate was magnificent and this was easily picked as a California Cabernet. The copious fruit held up in the glass easily over the 30 minute flight and I couldn't keep my hands off it... Easily my wine of the flight and a wonderful wine experience.
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2/1/2005 - Koods wrote:
Great cassis, vanilla and clove nose. Inviting. Lush soft palate of blackberries, blueberries, cedar, olive, a touch of green pepper, and a touch short on the finish. this felt a little tired tonite, but still excellent. reminded me a ton of the 95 Dominus. Very good.
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11/2/2004 - texaswino wrote: 96 Points
Wow. Super smooth and delicious wine. Balanced and just wonderful juice. This wine is in its prime right now IMHO. Yummmmmm!
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8/1/2004 - danstrings wrote: 94 Points
Bistro Elan Palo Alto--just gets better, olive tapenade and espresso notes, exquisite balance.
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7/23/2004 - Eric wrote: 94 Points
Dinner at Lampreia. Upon opening this wine at home the nose exploded with a huge burst of cassis. I poured the wine back into the bottle and sealed it up to head to the restaurant. Upon decanting again, the wine had already tightened up and was initially much more reticent. With some coaxing the nose showed copious notes of smoky cassis with mint, charcoal, and mineral. It was dark and brooding. The palate was similarly intense, initially quite stern but ultimately yielding a bit to show quintessential Napa Cabernet with a powerful yet taut core of cassis, mint and a surprising amount of mineral. This wine is loaded with intensity, yet it is still bound up amidst a huge amount of structure. I would wait 2-3 years before popping another cork.
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4/17/2004 - Jason wrote: 93 Points
The nose seems closed with only an element of vanilla showing through. The palate is dark and sweet but a touch short. There are strong tannins on the finish. It will be interesting to see if there is fruit to match over time.
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4/17/2004 - Eric wrote: 95 Points
Seattle Tasting Group does 22 years of Phelps Insignia (Bellevue, WA, USA): On the nose there is a hint of VA with a very mineral rich character. Wow, the palate is very pure with screaming cassis and a very black, brooding element behind the fruit. This is very nicely balanced with stunning, tooth-coating tannins, so dusty, silky and persistent. Amidst the 1994, 1996 and 1997 this stood out for having the best structure.
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8/7/2003 - otisabdul wrote: 92 Points
Sampled at a Mexico City off-line with Pelochain and gusbo featuring a blind tasting of '95 Napa cabs (others were Caymus SS, Opus One, and Silver Oak Alex). The darkest and densest wine on the table. Smooth and soft, with a chunky core of black raspberry, vanilla, and earth. Well-balanced, with tannins that seem fully integrated. Seemed like it had more fruit than structure at this point in its life cycle. Perhaps nearing its peak.
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5/1/2002 - danstrings wrote: 93 Points
Berlin--dinner at Sweta's place. Soars from the glass with blackberry, olive, bing cherry. Great balance with graphite, espresso and tar. Wow!
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5/24/2001 - Charlie Carnes wrote: 97 Points
This Bordeaux-Medoc style blend has a wonderful deep dark purple/red opaque color. Beautiful nose of crushed ripe grapes, and creme de casis. Almost tactile aromas of roasted nuts and coffee beans. Very ripe and very tasty. The wine is already slippery, but the tannins are still very strong and lively. Very sweet, dry, thick and unctuous. Brother used the descriptor of a slow burn, which is an interesting description, one in which I would add to his credit.
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5/1/2001 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
($110) The First Big DFW Tasting, Casa Vineyard: Delicious stuff, as were all the Insignias. Chocolate cherry milkshakes that are low in acid, ripe, concentrated and very supple. Aimed at a wide audience and succeeding. DFW Tasting.
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12/25/2000 - brianofthevine wrote: 94 Points
Dark fruit with a dirty earth component, great long finish, smooth tannins.
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5/20/2000 - mdefreitas wrote: 95 Points
Big classic California Cabernet. Ripe, crystallized cassis, rich and deep. Excellent.
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10/14/1999 - mdefreitas wrote: 95 Points
Older Cabs, etc in NYC (NYC): Another stellar showing for this wine. Cassis syrup, spice, minerals, herb. Penetrating wine, with an awesome finish.
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5/25/1999 - mdefreitas wrote: 96 Points
Wonderful, sweet fruit nose. Crystalized, sweet fruit, great extraction. An almost buttered popcorn element. Fun wine.
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5/13/1999 - mdefreitas wrote: 96 Points
Very intense cassis and spice on the nose. Beautiful, seamless, velvety wine with extremely great balance. Persistent finish. I could drink this all night.
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5/8/1999 - mdefreitas wrote: 92 Points
Insignia Vertical @ Surf Village (Milford): Youthful, purple color. Tight and closed. Good extraction of fruit here, but not expressing itself very much at this time. Hold for further evaluation.
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