Drank at Lure Fishbar in Soho for DB#1's 65th. Quite generous nose of plums, blackberry, cedar and leather. Dark ruby core with some slight bricking at the edges, still on the inky black side in the glass. Palate of this quite masculine wine shows plenty of meat on the bone--red and black fruit, graphite, touches of earthiness, cedar and forest floor. Tannins are mostly resolved, and there remain hints of vanilla and oak--remnants of when this was a baby blockbuster way back when... (Note: I did not decant for fear the wine wouldn't hold up, but I was quite mistaken. The wine improved immeasurably over time such that by the time the bottle had emptied, everyone--including our Somm--was quite disappointed that this lovely had gone so quickly). A wonderfully delicious wine that has maintained its high level of greatness. Pretty much certainly one of the best bordeaux blends you can find outside of the left bank. Alas, I am saddened to think this was my last of the wonderful 1999 vintage, but it was imbibed for a very good occasion--even if my buds didn't recognize or appreciate what they were drinking (the Som did, however...)
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Cellared since release in 2001. Enjoyed on September 18, 2023 with dinner after it was opened and placed in decanter, drinking it over the next two and a half hours. The glass revealed a purple core, surrounded by deep crimson with slight browning at the rim. The nose featured black fruit and tobacco. The wine seemed a bit closed initially, but within 15 minutes it opened to reveal lush cassis fruit that was deep, and pure. The tannins were integrated and soft, and the wine had an enjoyable textural mouth feel along with a definite “grip” to go along with a 20 second finish. It is a beautifully aged California Meritage with five to seven years of enjoyable drinking life ahead.
94 points.
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Popped and poured. Drinking well, but not as well as that last drunk in 2019, which in turn was better than that drunk in 2015. Might be due to bottle variation, but I think it’s best days are behind it. Still really good, however! Drank alongside a pan seared steak. Delish.
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Drinking very well. Cedar, tobacco, and a mix of red and black fruit. Drank across 4-5hrs. Well integrated and well built wine. Should drink well for another 10+ years.
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Absolutely amazing concentration and purity of fruit . Drank over three days. It lost a little freshness but none of the massive dark fruit. No sign of fading in the fruit. Almost desert on the last day
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I've had the pleasure of drinking this wine over many years, and remarkably, this was the very finest bottle I've had. Opened about 45 minutes before we sat down to some good grilled steaks, this was absolutely singing when we tasted it, and it only got better for the next 2 hours. The critics' and CT drinking windows have expired, which only illustrates the limitations of those recommendations. This was a majestic Cabernet blend in its prime -- which appeared likely to last another several years. Gorgeous fruit, great complexity, great length. Nothing about this wine is excessive or out of balance. It puts the lie to everything critics of Cali Cab rightly criticize. Bravo!
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What’s to be said about this wine that hasn’t already been said? The rim may be ruby shading to cranberry, but the core remains an opaque plum. The nose and palate are seamless with pomegranate, red currants, plum, blackberry, cedar, graphite and some saddle leather. And yes, a touch of vanilla and abundant chocolate both appear on the finish. Powerful, masculine and intense. The tannins are round and integrated with the abundant fruit, all of which will carry the life of this wine for a long time yet to come. The blend is Cabernet Sauvignon (71%), Merlot (21%), Petit Verdot (6%), Cabernet Franc (1%), and Malbec (1%). Heavy sediment circumnavigates the shoulder following decanting. From magnum. 14% alc. With standing prime rib (beef) roast with horseradish sauce and mushroom sauce and side of hasselback Irish and sweet potatoes. Christmas day, 2022. Highly Recommended.
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Bottle opened at 5:00, decanted at 6:15, tasting began at 7:00. Clear deep dark garnet-blood red color. Brooding bouquet of mixed black, blue and red fruits and their liqueurs; fennel; cigar humidor; violets, lilacs, bay leaf, forest floor. Similar on the palate, seamless, full body, beautiful balance, rich and generous, not too heavy. The best of both worlds: exuberant Napa fruit with the refinement and balance of Bordeaux. Splendid showing.
Brought to restaurant and enjoyed with bone in NY strips. The somm was a bit aggressive, or optimistic, when lifting the cork, which cracked after it was about 75% out and the wine had to be filtered and decanted. I suspect it would have been fine with a slower pull -- but in any event, the wine was drinking beautifully just minutes after the pour and it only improved over the next hour. This was always medium weight, never a fruit bomb, and 23 years in, it's all about subtlety, complexity, harmony and finesse. If I were drinking this blind, I might have thought it was from Pauillac. The tannins have softened completely. Just delightful. No reason to wait on remaining bottles, but I'm looking forward to my last two.
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Stunning, 98+ points. If I was blind tasting I would’ve never guessed Joseph. Long finish, fruit is there but in the background, soft oak and velvety. Feels like French right bank. Truly Magnificent. Glad I still have a magnum!
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Still a youngster Dark purple, no bricking so far. Tannins still present but well resolved. I really think the merlot brings out all the things we love about Insignia. We reversed things and started with Insignia (3 hour decant) and paired with24 month aged Dutch Gouda and 18 month aged cheddar from Australia. Amazing. Then some Brewer Clifton Pinot Noir to go with Duck ‘a L’Orange with Tokyo Turnips and their greens and duck fat roasted fingerling potatoes. Wonderful meal. And then we experienced food coma as we watched warriors game 1.
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This was stunning - popped and poured from magnum. A big, rich but noble nose with a touch of eucalyptus. Real balance on the palate - it's big with forest floor notes but there is also restraint and pedigree here. The texture is stunning. Balanced and very self-assured; in a perfect place right now.
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Found this lying about my mother in law’s cellar. We were having prime rib for dinner so I figured why not? Decanted one hour. Dark cherries,plums, chocolate. Full bodied, smooth with nice mineraity. Resembles a mature Bordeaux. Drinking quite well now. blend of 71% cabernet sauvignon, 21% cabernet franc, 6% merlot and 1% each petit verdot and malbec
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It's quite a rare occassion that I pick the Napa cab as my wine of the night, this Insignia was marvelous. The balance was pitch perfect. Across a range of meat dishes this kept coming out as the best match, elevating the dishes consistently. Great fruit, but not remotely overblown (looking at you SQN) and excellent length. I kept coming back to this over and over throughout the evening. Well stored bottles of this wine should be treasured and enjoyed in this lovely phase.
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Bottle 11 of 12...Exceptional wine. It's been 3 years since our last bottle and I wasn't sure what to expect - as it seemed to be in a semi-closed phase. This bottle was singing. Decanted 30 minutes and drank over the next 2 hours. Beautiful dark fruit and berry nose with a hint of leather. A bit of bricking on the edges. Full bodied, super smooth, still tons of fruit, with mineral, chocolate notes. Lovely super long finish. Perfectly paired with Prime Rib. Glad we have one more. Seems in no danger of expiring any time soon. Enjoy now or continue to hold. 95+
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Medium/deep garnet color. Black cherry and plum with some tobacco on the nose. Dark fruit and spice on the pallet, well integrated. Minimal decant for sediment; this is drinking beautifully right now!!
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Rarities dinner “Spectacular Californians” late Nov 2021: full rubin red color; intense cassis and red berries flavors; well balanced on the palate.
Out of six 1999 California Cab’s (other ones: Montelena, Dunn, Dominus, Caymus Special Selection and Opus One) this was the flight winner for most people present. Personally I preferred the Caymus and the Dunn.
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Visually there was no sign of bricking; rich dark purple. Amazing nose, floral elements, hint of sweet bannana, mixed berry fruit. Leather came through when rocknroller suggested it. Palate medium plus body, lush and ample fruit. Everything in balance. Oak is there but in background, yet earthy/”forest floor” is there.Considering where it is in its' suggested drinking window, I’m suprised how young and vibrant this wine is.. Can it get better?
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Very dark red color with no bricking. PNP with aeration. Drank several glasses over 3 hours. CS71, M21, PV6, CF1, Mal1. This has an inviting, spectacularly perfumed nose of sandalwood, dried roses, rose water, damp earth and porcini mushroom, olive tapenade, leather, ground pencil, and lovely dark berry fruits infused with hints of blue fruit; this may be the definition of forest floor. The palate is full bodied and lifted with a mix of dark black and blue fruits; cassis, boysenberry, mulberry, graphite, dried wood, leather and mushroom with succulent tannins and a blissful finish. Outstanding. 95+ to 96pts.
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With dear friends and Filet Mignon in Maine. I brought a bottle and my host and friend discovered that he had another left! So we had the arduous task of enjoying both bottles immensely. Insignia is living proof that the folks in California can make wonderful Cabernet blends, and every bottle of this was worthy of a fine house in the Medoc. Not overpowering but elegant and beautifully balanced with a long fine finish. Perhaps just past its peak but hardly over the hill. Glad I have one more left . . .
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Older Californians Surt & Turf Dinner (McKay's, The American Club, Exchange Square, Central, Hong Kong): Drank alongside a Ridge Monte Bello 2001 over a sublime and huge dry-aged Tomahawk steak. Opaque black depth lightening to red-purple. Nose is sweaty, lots of concentration of black and red small berries fruit. Lovely wasps of sun-warmed cedar roofs. Hints of bitumen. Palate is beautifully rich open and belly-filling fruit and oak driven. Integrated but still a work in progress. The tannin is a bit too strong at the moment. Revisit in 5-10 years. 92 for now but could improve. I love Insignia, particularly once it passes the 20-25 year mark. Thanks, Hans! 92+ for now.
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magnum, recalcitrant cork, double-decanted to travel. enjoyed in a social dinner gathering (!), in excellent shape, resolved & displaying house style w/out over-ripeness or exaggeration. no formal notes, but a fine representation.
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At dinner for my boy's 22nd Bday. Purchased on release, stored impeccably. I love my 2 youngest boys birth years 99 and 96 and the perfect opportunities for check-ins on their bdays. As we seated for dinner the cork pulled out easily and was intact. Surprised it was only wet on the bottom and not soaked through. A good amount of sediment gathered, (bottle was stood up for a week) but decided not to decant. Deep ruby in the glass with very little lightening at meniscus. Not super voluminous in scent, but a nice waft of anise, cassis, and roses on swirling. Mild silky tannins, fair weight, medium flavor concentration and it seems this is in a decent spot right now. Not a large Insignia. Adequate acidity for the package, very balanced. Just a touch of integrated wood evident. Finish was shorter than I expected, even considering this is a (weaker) vintage at Phelp's. A joy and treat for his birthday. Wish I had more. - It opened up after an hour + in the glass, took on some mid-palate weight and the finish lengthened a bit. Insignia's insignia notes of dark fruit, cherry tobacco, cassis, dark plum, black raspberry all lifted to a crescendo at about two hours into the bottle as we sipped and contemplated the past year and the year ahead. A very nice family dinner overall at a local gem in S NJ.
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dark red with brick rim - black fruit (black current, blackberry, plumbs) nose with substantial oak contribution, but not many complex aromas - same intense fruit in the mouth, round full body with mature tannins and balanced acidity - medium 15-20 sec finish - drinking beautifully, but always disappointed in how little complexity develops in the nose of many of the best CA cabs
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No question this was worth the wait - for my son's birth year, 1999 - we just loved it -- opened and was vibrant and full, exactly what you'd expect from Joseph Phelps - black and red currants were present for sure - while not the best year weather wise, this bottle was worth the wait! Open now
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Improved considerably after decanting 1-2 hours. Acidity is soft as some have commented. Beautiful fruit, cedar, leather, and earth notes. Beautifully integrated. Lovely!
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Dark crimson color still. Has a solid nose of cassis and cedar. Cassis on the palate, quite soft with some leather notes along with cedar. On the soft side, acidity mostly integrated. Just a hint of oak tannin on the finish. Seems fully mature to me. Will evolve but doubt it’ll improve. I don’t suspect this will go off a cliff either, but I probably would have preferred it to have more acidity. Plenty of fruit though and no suspicion of drying out.
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W burger (saturday night). My last note is correct;this is petering out. It opens nice, color is nice and dark butin hindsight a little dull. This is nice but not powerful, fresh and fun as you would expect from $100+ bottle. Too bad as i had the 2000 a month before and thatwas underwhelming as well. I’ll keep trying.
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Sometimes a wine is better with the company you keep. How many more Christmas wines will I have with my 90 year old father? Decanted an hour before it became better as dinner progressed through the night. Dark fruits and silky tannins with a lingering palate and slight bricking, cedar on the nose...great. The entire family enjoyed it. A new member to our family commented “Wow never had a wine like this it’s incredible..” Who could ask for more?
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Wine Flock Champagne Gala (Park Ridge CC): 98/99 flight. Very high toned fruit (bordering on volatile) in the nose. This is just too ripe and candied for my tasted. Decent concentration and depth, but I can't get over the fruit profile.
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Fantastic wine in a very sweet spot at the moment. Looking much younger than expected, it lost all the harshness and is now very smooth and with perfectly integrated tannins.
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I brought this to my 75th birthday celebration held at Prime-13 in Point Pleasant. Shared with Pat, Dom, Dom's significant other, Angry Prez and spouse who were at the table. Paired with NY Strip, baked potato and green vegetable. i presented a vertical including this 1999 and a 1997. did not decant as these wines were, according to most sources, at their drink by dates. i had thought that the 1997, being a 100 point wine would have been the WOTN. Surprisingly, i preferred this 1999 as it was more approachable, fragrant and charming. the wine was firing on all cylinders. ample dark skin fruit. acid and tannins resolved and in balance. lingering finish. all in all, a memorable experience due to the nature of the occasion, the hospitality and menu of the venue, and the sharing of a cellar gem with good friends.
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Always a nice and soulful Napa wine. I would drink any left now as this has peaked and while still some years left it is not as sublime as when younger.
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Opened and decanted for a few hours before serving. Notable sediment. Beautiful dark red color. Just a very well-aged, complex, solid wine. I can't say it wowed me, but consistent dark red fruit/leather/chocolate/aged cabernet/smooth finish. Would love to have more. I have yet to be disappointed by a 90s Insignia.
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3rd time trying in the last 5 years and still love it. No slowing down and consistent with previous notes. One of the better insignia, and love classic Bordeaux blend this vintage has.
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Popped and poured, and drank over two hours. Man, this stuff is good, good, good. The same amount of berry goodness as the bottle I had 5 years ago, but a slightly lower score given due to change in personal preference. Still exceptional.
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Decanted for 1-2 hours. Still initially slight tannic/acidic. Very inviting nose of alluring dark fruits. Medium full bodied and notes of strawberry with slightly harsh finish. Made this awful Superbowl quite tolerable. Very nice combination of fruit, mouth filling body, and pleasant taste from tip of tongue to swallowing.
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2018 Villa d’Este Wine Symposium – Kelly, RJ, Justin and Kevin's excellent adventure; 11/7/2018-11/11/2018 (Villa D’este, Lake Como): Very youthful Napa cab nose displaying blueberry liqueur, crème de cassis, ink, licorice, caramel, dark spices, milk chocolate, a hint of cedar and earth. Very good concentration, packed ripe blue and black fruit, unctuous and thick, warm and round, bright acidity, earthy mineral and a long intense black fruit driven finish. It is drinking nicely but can hold for another two decades or longer as there is plenty of fruit.
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Servi à l’aveugle… tout le monde ou presque a flairé le cab US. Une belle trame de fruits rouges, framboise, cerise, groseille et une légère pointe de vanille. En bouche, c’est bien enrobé, riche, soyeux et doté d’une belle fraicheur. Une bonne longueur appréciable.
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Bottle 10 of our case. Not much change since the last one 15 months ago. I still think it's past it's peak, but still very enjoyable. It still has loads of fruit, some secondary characteristics including tar and leather. Sweet oak with hints of Eucalyptus. Very smooth, tannins resolved. It's just a bit flat to me, and has lost that bit of sizzle/acidity that it use to have. Will try the next one in 2020, as I think it still has 2-5 years at this plateau, don't know, but I still doubt it will improve.
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Berrylicious nose with a hint of vanilla from the oak Fruit forward on the palate, with some eucalyptus and depth from tannin. The ripe fruit has a little of that cooked quality that reminds you that you’re drinking a 20 yo Napa cab. A nice balance of fruit, spice, tannin and acidity. A somewhat spicy finish but smooth with some cinnamon
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Ripe black raspberries, black cherries, plums, and oak spices. Medium + body, medium tannins. Not sure if this is just over the hill or it’s in fact too young. Still great though!
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Certainly well within its drinking window. Did not air out. Simply decanted for sediment. Also, don't know how long, after opening, this vintage would last before dying, as it was finished within an hour. Really elegant. Just tastes different than normal wine. Certainly no longer big and bold. Tannin's are completely gone, and, yes, it is mildly earthy, but not dramatically so. All in all, a real treat.
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W lamb chop. Upon opening and after 2 hour decant this had all indication of “superb”. The color was dark and beautiful, the nose was very full of fruit an other scents. On palate at first it was great BUT THEN it started petering out. It just lost vibrancy. Good but not super stellar. It felt as if the freshness was gone. I am going to try the next one next to the 1997.
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Magnifique vin concentré et long, mais très évolué malgré une cave parfaite. Les arômes tertiares sont très présents, mais on n'a malheureusement plus beaucoup de fruit. À boire sans plus tarder.
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Decanted for 30 minutes. Aromas of cherry, blackberry, currant and iron. Flavors of cherry, blackberry, currant and earth. Ends with a 40+ second finish. This stood out like a sour thumb because of how young it tasted compared to the other wines. This still has many years ahead of it.
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Perfect bottle, having come to the other side of 18 years now, still deep, dark, brooding, dark fruits, smooth silky entry, good long finish, great depth and good density but with a nice elegant mouthfeel and long finish.
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Pretty much a pop and pour. Past prime, no doubt. Hints of greatness but no staying power or lasting effect. Dark, brooding fruit, an exceptional nose (truly) but less there there. The mid- to late-palate falls flat. Great initial kiss but no sizzle. Perfectly fine but not even close to a great wine, more of a conversational piece.
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1 hour decant. Blackberry, dark rasberry and strawberry with leather and wet earth. Great balance with long medium plus finish and mediim tannin. Still has some years left in bottle..
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Not quite up to the level of a 2007 Realm Farella cab that it was competing with on this night. Mature, balanced, pretty wine that is probably a touch past peak. Silky and light on its feet even thought the fruit has some extraction. Dainty finish. Drink up.
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Sadly my first off-line in awhile, but a great reconnection w Wineismylife while SacredCow was visiting w us in Dallas area. No detailed notes very full-bodied for its age. Solid pop and pour, in fine condition today and capable of lasting a few more years. Might actually be 94, but was wine #6 of the night.
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Sort of between my 2013 and 2007 notes. Perfectly stored, I think a bit in a dumb phase, but there were sips and seconds of brilliance. Though in between a bit flat. Good dark fruits, starting to get some secondary notes like leather and floral elements, and a bit of cocoa. Good, perhaps will get outstanding, hard to say.
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Pronounced cedar and eucalyptus upon opening, but blew off in 20 minutes. A well-balanced Insignia with no sharp angles. Blackcurrant and blackberry fruit was plush. Tannins fully integrated. Acidity was softer than I expected. I would not hold longer than 3 more years.
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Consistent with previous note. Lovely Napa wine. Aged just right. Has that little extra oomph of complexity that is missing on a lot of other Napa wines. A velvety, fruity, delicious wine that paired well with BBQ.
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Always a crowd pleaser....but I do think it has begun it's slow decline. It was so amazing young, and it is still extremely good. There are hints of aging on the color, nose and palate and time will only tell if this vintage has what it takes to go the long hall.
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From Magnum. A lovely wine with lawyers of black and blue fruits, some tar and leather, sweet Oak, with hints of Eucalyptus. Very smooth, but not nearly the complexity or depth of the best vintages.
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Nose shows cherries, licorice and leather. Still a pretty ruby red with the slightest of bricking. Medium body with wonderful complexity. Plenty of black fruit on the palate, along with leather, meat and earth. Even detected some lead pencil with still a slight tannic grip. Sweet ripe fruit is still the first thing one notices, but there are plenty of other very pleasant elements to this wine. A bit short perhaps, but very tasty. Prime example of the best of what California is capable of. My WOTN.
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The 99 does not get much love but this bottle was beautiful and much better than the first one I opened. Light to medium on the palate, silky dark fruits and beautiful aged cabernet flavors. Good balance between tannin and acid. Excellent
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Popped and poured. Amazing bouquet. Can't believe this Cali wine is 17 years old! Smooth as a baby's bottom. Still a lot of fruit, and tannins present. Could have kept for a few more years still I think without going downhill, but I believe it is at perfect maturity now. So happy I opened it up!
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Plum, earth, and herbs. Typical of the vintage, the acid was a little low, but it all worked. Enjoyed with burgers with blue cheese and mushrooms on Fire Island.
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from magnum. decanted one hour (quite a bit of sediment.) still deeply colored, not purple, but appearing younger in the glass; anise, currant jam & earthy elements dominate the nose; med-full body, but not as dense as some vintages; rich in dark red fruits (red & black raspberries) w/significant earthy & iron components, particularly noteworthy for the absence of over-extracted characteristics or raisining; followed over 3 hours, seems to be at peak (in this format, at least) with more refinement & claret-like qualities than some years of Insignia. Became silkier & more supple over the evening.
grilled lamb loin chops w/oil-cured olives & lamb jus; grilled ratatouille, fingerling potatoes w/rosemary. Happy Father's Day to me!
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Number 8 from our cellar. Delicious as usual. I do believe these have past their peak, but they still should stay in this exceptional window until 2020.
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Decanted for only 30 minutes before first taste. Initially, in addition to the beautiful red cherry and licorice aromas, this had a whole lot of leather, earth, and savory aromas. Over time, the wine took on weight and sweetness of fruit, and became more silky. Very little tannin at this point and enough acidity for balance, but I'd drink up over the next 1-5 years. Would likely hold for another 10, but won't likely improve much, IMO.
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Third wine of night so maybe my taste buds were a bit "overwhelmed". Clearly fresh, still vibrant with deep red fruit and a very balanced palate. I was pleased and would not have pegged this as 16+ years of age.
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From magnum. Very enjoyable overall. Nicely mature with good combination of ripe and evolved flavors, with hints of what I'd imagine was once jammy character. Fun.
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Incredible showing for this wine. Decanted and drank over 3 hours. Beautiful nose, beautiful flavor profile (dark cherries, cinnamon, currant, mineral, forest), great depth, beautiful mouth feel, and a long finish. A tremendous wine on all accounts. So fresh, excellent structure. Still at peak. Doesn't need much breathing time....it's definitely good to go right now. Should be at a similar peak for at least a year, it may degrade slightly over next 3-4. Drink by 2020 for best results.
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Previously sampled via CV and in a perfect place right now. Should be consumed within 2-3 years at most, but this is the epitome of what a well-aged and well-built calcab can become. Along with '99 Dunn Howell from magnum, best wine at Rose's 50th celebration.
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Westchester Wine School - Premium Wine Tasting (Bar Lees, Mamaroneck, NY): Drank at WWS tasting. Crimson red in color, showing some bricking. Lots of funk on the nose, which I found off-putting. I hadn't had this wine in awhile, and it's definitely on the downward trend. Some dark fruit still there, chocolate and forest floor too, along with a decent acidity level. Tannins mostly resolved. I recall this wine being a powerful, lush but well-balanced pour. Now, it seemed a bit tired and faded. I didn't love it, though several at our tasting very much enjoyed it. I still have some in the cellar so will have to revisit soon, hoping this bottle was just slightly tainted.
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I have to say this is probably the best American red I've had all year. What struck me about this wine was the purity of flavor - the amazingly fresh nose of dark rich fruit, forest floor, and spices that all come together so well. Tannins and acidity are present but not overly so. Despite the relative lack of tannins, the wine still really held together extraordinarily well for three hours in the glass, and in my opinion, shows no signs of slowing down in the coming years. The finish was 25-30 seconds with amazingly very little evolution as the night wore on. I know that many would say that a fairly mass-produced wine that is not a single vineyard product does not merit this high a score, but I'd have to dare those people to blind-taste this vs a Harlan since they are made in a very similar style. Among the best of California fruit-driven wine is contained within this bottle, just an absolutely terrific effort.
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Half way through my case. We've enjoyed tasting the evolution of this wine. It's in it's 'mature' window, but still has plenty of life left. There are plenty of tannins left to resolve, and right now it's slightly out of balance with the alcohol a bit too noticeable. That said, it's still a fabulous wine with great flavor, structure, depth, and an incredibly long finish. It's about where it was last year, maybe a tad better, but it's still not as opulent or impressive as it was when when it was younger. I expect secondary characteristics will show up soon.
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Had this wine in my cellar for 8 years and finally decided to open. The wine pours a very deep red with very little legs on it. On the nose, the smells leap out of the glass with notes of oak, courant, berries, ,little bit of smoke as well. On the palate, the wine is silky smooth with hints of oak that just linger on the finish and the berry, courant flavors just jump ahead. The alcohol level seems pretty high on the palate but could be because of the age of the wine. All in all a delicious wine from phelps this is my first time having the wine and hope to enjoy over the course of the night
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Unlike the last bottle I had of this, the cork was perfect. At the middle of it's drinking window, it was a beautiful silky Bordeaux style treat. Cassis, chocolate, dreid black fruits. Can't wait to pop another in a few years.
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Outstanding!!! Like an aged Bordeaux. Red fruit, leather, wet cedar, dark chocolate. Very silky smooth. What a great wine. Excellent from start to finish.
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Saturday Night Cali Cabs (Our House (2033 Brandywine)): Now 16ish years on, this appears to have peaked and is on the downward side of a long bell curve drinking window. There are signs it may be getting just a bit tired. That is not to say it was bad on this night. Still a powerhouse and delicious but it seemed to lose just a tad of the freshness and power from our previous bottle over 5 years ago. Tannins have subsided a bit. Acidity is still there. Chocolate, dark fruit and menthol make for a delicious wine. This will still be good for a few years but I would not hold for much longer.
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Decanted (some solids) and let breath for five hours. Wonderful! Deep purple in the glass. Very pure yet robust. Great nose. Fills the mouth and then lingers on the tongue. Complex yet well integrated. Great stuff from the first glass to the last. No sign of getting tired or flabby.
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Excellent but not as complex as some Insignia vintages. Given how wonderful I find many 1999 Napas almost a little disappointing. Great start and still shows nice fruit but a shorter finish than I'd expect.
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Saturated deep ruby red. Aromas of dark cherry and touch of mocha. Smooth and superbly balanced with a big finish. Stood up in cellar two days before drinking. Opened and sampled 8 hours prior to dinner and left unopened in cellar. Another sip 2 hours before meal. No decanting required. WOTN.
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Absolutely gorgeous medium red that really catches the light. Tightly restricted nose of rose petals, cloves, and freshly-crushed cranberry. Notes of diluted cherry cough syrup, extracted red fruits, with the slightest hint of green herbs in the finish along with slightly dusty tannins. This is at an ideal drinking stage, though it likely has at least another five years at this level.
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Thought I was opening an '02, suprised later when I realized the vintage. Not decanted, this seemed thin right out of the bottle in spite of its dark color and lack of bricking. I found that syrah stems added weight, grit, complexity and darker fruit, compared to cab stems which showed this as a bordeaux-styled wine lacking depth and finish. After two hrs the wine had picked up heft, showing some green pepper on the nose, red cherry, old tobacco and older leather on on both the nose and palate. Finish had lengthened as well. Still fine with some air, but clearly on the back nine. Drink by '17 to minimize deterioration, but clearly drinkable through 2020.
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Popped and poured. Inky purple blackness Not too much heat. Well balanced. Aftertaste of green pepper. Smooth and satisfying - like drinking gravy. Awesome. Nice little tingly bit on the tip of the tongue. Blackberry and boysenberry. Powdered sugar finish. Wine of the night.
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Excellent wine. This thing is ripping. Dark dark color, full bodied, delicious black fruits, red cherry nibs coming through, as well as mocha. Balanced with a rich finish. Definitely right in the spot for my liking. Ready to go for another 10+ years.
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dark red, magenta, orange, in the color. dark fruit, earth, on the nose. blackberry, spice, cigar, on the palate. high acid, low tannins, on the finish.
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Raspberry and smoke on nose. There was nice fruit forward of black currant with licorice on a long finish. Mid palate vegetal green pepper flavor. Decanted for a half an hour and developed nicely over the next hour or so. Tannins soften with time.
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This bottle confused me. I was using a Coravin over about a week on it. I could get what some notes were talking about, but there was a dry, over the hill, slight prune character in the foreground. Finally understood why tonight as I pulled the cork for the final glass and it completely fell apart!!
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Really beautiful nose exploding from this as it was being decanted for sediment. Served immediately, this was in a great spot. Mature, integrated tannins. Nice body, silky on the palate, still showing fruit. Stood up well with no hint of fading across the 90 minutes it was consumed in.
Still awesome, but has evolved a lot this past year. Each of the different grape varietals seem to be "competing" this go around - if that's possible. Made for an interesting couple of hours of tasting. Not as flamboyant and lush as in the past, turning more elegant, tannins well integrated. Still tons of dark fruit, spiciness, granite, some forest, herb, and touch of oak. Smooth, with a long, long finish. The mature plateau has been hit. Best over next 3-5 years, but drink by 2023.
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Screaming Eagle Showdown (Yellow Springs Inn): Part of a blind tasting of 1999 US Cabernets. This was in my top three, and virtually tied with the Screaming Eagle and Colgin Cariad. A massive, dark and brooding wine. I correctly guessed as Insignia. Drinking well with a good decant, but has a decade or more ahead of it.
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Served blind. Decanted for 75 minutes and drank over the next two to three hours. The nose was dusty bordering on musty but the palate was deep berry fruit with complex layers. Very long finish. I thought this fell off a little bit as the evening went on. My WOTN against a high powered line-up.
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Perfect balance between body and silky smooth finish. Aged so well in a magnum was hard to believe it was the same wine. Ready to drink upon opening. Had with Debragga and was perfect.
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Cigar box, graphite, tobacco, rare meats and dark, ripe fruit. Fleshy, dense, soft and rich, with medium/medium- acidity and fine sweet tannins. The alcohol was sticking out a little, with a noticable burn at the back of the throat.
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Stored at 55 degrees since release placed upright and brought to room temp over an hour. Perfect cork with moderate tartrate. Decanted with filtration and minimal agitation. Dark ruby with faint brick rim. Good legs. Nose of stewed red fruits and some plum with slight cigar box and slatey earth with a tinge of herb. Excellent mouthfeel still with good bing cherry and general red fruit character intermixed with leathery earthy undertones. Fine tannins but well integrated yielding a nice balanced wine with a long smooth finish. Definitely improved over 2 hours with dinner of porterhouse steaks from the grill with potatoes and tomato salad. In retrospect it might have done with a longer decant but alas it's my last one. 2018 at least.
This bottle was amusing. It played hide and seek from start to finish. Decanted for 2 hours for Bday dinner at Osteria Mozza. Upon opening, the bouquet exploded with lots of cassis, tobacco and meat as expected of classic higher end Napa cabs. The palate was spot on within 30 minutes of decanting with red fruits, cedar, chocolate. The tannins were silky smooth and balanced with the acid and fruits. Drank another sample after 2-hour decant before putting wine back in bottle to take to Mozza. It was very disappointing...bouquet is practically gone, palate was very tannic. Took along a 2004 Kapcsandy as back-up wine. Decanted again at the restaurant in hope that the magic would come back. And sure enough, the gorgeous bouquet and palate slowly came back...just to disappear again towards the end of the bottle. The wine got really tannic and out of focus about 2 hours into dinner. I don't know what to make of this bottle. I guess you can say I got punk'ed. Hahaha! It was very enjoyable nonetheless. Very nice wine overall. Got this bottle from a reputable auction site and it had good storage history. If I have another one, which I don't, I'd only decant less than an hour and would drink in 1 sitting. If you have some of these...cheers to you!
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Inky blood red. Cherries and tobacco nose. Decanted from a magnum and left to open for an hour. Could have used 3. A beautiful, powerful cab. Toasted bread, chocolate and cedar. Black fruits, clear acids, and rich, mildly sweet plums. This is drinking well, but has years to go.
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Opened and allowed to breathe for 2.5 hours, but not decanted. Tobacco, red cherry and crushed stone on the nose. Fruits are still fairly powerful for a wine of this age and the tanins, which are nicely integrated and although soft, show some grit. Wine shows its New World pedigree but is definatly done in a bordeaux style. Have three more bottles and believe I'll try to consume by 2016
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I let this breath for 2 hours in the bottle. It peaked at 30 minutes in the glass or 3 hours in the bottle. I wouldn't recommend decanting as these older insignias can go through a quick life cycle in my experience. Had it with filet and really enjoyed it all night long. Went nicely with the chocolate cake as well. What you'd expect from an insignia.
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Following the poor showing of both Merryvales, I needed a wine to please non-wine diners with us and try to make up for the definite failings of the first attempts. For that reason, I pulled the Insignia. Popped and poured with no time for slow oxygenation. I considered decanting, but I’d already been away from the table for awhile. As soon as the cork clears the bottle the bouquet delivers pomegranate, mint, menthol, blackberries and leather. This is a big and youthful wine. The color is purple from the rim to the core. Blackberry - almost cassis quality - dominates the palate, but the other elements of the bouquet distinguish themselves also. The leather carries from the attack to midpalate. Powerful and rich with layers of mocha, leather and plum transforming on the finish. This will last for several years. 14% alc. With prime rib (beef) and horseradish sauce and sides of scalloped potatoes and red pepper creme brulee. With the Washburns. Recommended.
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Nose of mocha, cassis, oak, and hints of exotic spice. Thick and delicious palate of rich black cherry, black currant, dark chocolate and gently flowing tannins. The tannins vibrate on the long, caressing finish with cherry wood, leather, and red soil.
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From magnum. This wine continues to improve in the bottle. The nose was just out of this world and easily worth 95-96 points. Complex, exhilarating black fruits with complexing elements of underbrush, graphite and chocolate. In the palate, it was full bodied, elegant, with resolved tannins and very decent length. A winner from an un heralded vintage.
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Outstanding, one of the best showing wines all year so far. Perfectly stored since release. Wonderful bouquet on the nose, dark fruits, herbs, some olive. Great presence on the palate, with oodles of flavors and a long finish. Simply wonderful.
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AT Kevin D's, last wine of the night for the group. He was very generous with hiss cellar this evening. Went into the cellar and pulled two 750s of this, popped and poured, drank over an hour. Could have used a chance to open up.
Delicious out of the chute, still a little tight. Ripe, dark fruits, mocha, mushrooms, eucalyptus, dark cherries (mid palate), some spice. Mild tannins, starting to resolve.
Very good, although in scheme of Insignia's would rank in the middle of what I have experienced.
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Mocha chocolate powder on the nose, intermingled with wet earth, mushrooms and mint. In my mind, the tell--tale sign of age is there. Lots of barrel toast and morello cherries on the palette. Tannins add superb texture and structure. Super long finish. This wine is outstanding.
:0)
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All the likely suspects of flavor. Very supple. Delicious and rich. Great cocktail wine with nibbles then cigars. Has plenty of life left and will improve in complexity.
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annie's favorite so we popped one, very nice wine, big nose with dark fruit and chocolate, rich on the palate but with nice tannin / acid bite to keep it in check, very full bodied with dark fruits and cocoa... nice effort even if a bit rich, also some herb or spice element sneaking around in the background
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Cork was a bit brittle, showing some signs of possible leakage into capsule. That being said, level was spot on.
Big beautiful nose immediately apparent upon opening, even without decant. Strong midpalate with well rounded tannins still in place. Finish was a bit short but not unexpected for a '99.
Probably at its peak. While no signs of bricking, don't believe anything better will come from further aging. Drink up.
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Tasted blind alongside 7 other Cali cabs, decanted for 2 hours. Gorgeous nose of dark cherry, anise, cedar and dark earth. Beautiful dark fruit and lovely structure and tannins - balanced right between primary and secondary. Excellent on its own and even better with food. My WOTN, #2 for the group
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dark, almost opaque; incredible lovely mostly fruity nose; smooth tannins, hint of walnut flavor; very nice finish - the standout thing about this wine was the nose, lovely in your face with every sip!
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Superbe, un vin profond, boisé à la hauteur, fruits mûrs, cette touche "sucré" sans l'être vraiment, propre au beau vin de la Californie. Il me faut faire un effort pour encaver de tels vins! 18/20
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Very nice. Full bodied with excellent intensity, lush fruit, and suave profile. Really a solid wine, soft and enjoyable with some very nice dark notes that keep it serious. Drinking very well right now and for the foreseeable future. Well built. Very much enjoyed by a bunch of smart Kiwis. B+/A-
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Got to agree with most of the tasting notes here. Great performance for a 1999. Not the level of intensity and concentration that one gets from the top years but no one is going to complain when served this late in the evening.
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Just perfect! This has plenty of time left but drinking wonderfully right now. Decanted 3 hours at cellar temp. Re-bottled and took to dinner. Upon first taste, my wife and I quickly exchanged knowing glances - as we recognized this bottle as being something special. And then we proceeded to fill our family's glasses with the other bottle that we brought to dinner so we could get more of this for ourselves! (For our family to drink a wine over $20 is a treat for them - so they were more than taken care of with the other wine! But a wine this good needs to be consumed by those that can appreciate it!!!) Excellent vintage. Going to see if I can find more.
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3rd time I have had this. This bottle was a gift from Dr.T. Opened at a Christmas party. Not decanted and moderately sedimented. Drinking beautifully now. Smooth and elegant. Very different than when released. Notes of cedar, herbs and plums. Integrated tannins. Long finish. 95 points.
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Consumed at the SAFW Reunion. Aromas and flavors of black cherry, blackberry, some dark chocolate, a touch of mint, cigar box from the oak. Intense, rich and full bodied. Velvety in the mouth. Nice balance. Tannins are soft and totally integrated into the wine. A long and appreciable finish of 30-40 seconds.
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The wine was decanted for an hour before pouring. A deep garnet color in the glass. Very pungent nose of red and dark fruits. We drank this wine at a Ned Towle (Westchester Wine School) tasting (appx 15 wines, some of great note and age) and it was voted the wine of the nite by a majority of participants. I'm writing this review more than a month after the tasting so I'm going from memory. Now, get this straight: I'm the last guy to sing the praises of California wines. I find them to be generally overrated, overly expensive, and way too alcoholic. But, I have to admit, I was flabbergasted that this wine outshone 05 Solaia, 94 Beringer Reserve, 86 Talbot et al. Lots of fruit on the mid palate, white pepper accents, decent acidity making for a very well balanced, modern-style, not-too-hot wine from California. I'm glad I have some more so I can revisit this beauty.
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Incredible cab mix with violets, dark fruit , herbal notes. Tannins settled. Paired beautifully with bison steaks. Peak now but will last for a couple yrs
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Took about 1 hour in the bottle to open up and was best at about hour 3. Drinking beautifully now, balanced, ellegant, soft tannins, not a powerful wine but very stylish. Likely will keep a few more years but why wait!
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Sweet dark cherry fruit, nice restrained chocolate, lots of cedar and licorice on the nose. Nice smooth palate, with good balance of dark fruit and tannins starting to move to secondary. Not a blockbuster, but nicely constructed and very ready to drink today. WOTN against some big boys from 1999 - Dominus, Monte Bello, Les Pavots, Togni...
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Scored this "just" a 91 (had scored it 93 on previous tasting). A very good bottle to be sure but it just didn't blow me away. Muted nose opened up after an hour.
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In this bottle the tannins have integrated to a more smooth palate feel with the fruit coming forward. Dark fruit flavors are the dominant aspect with a medium finish and medium acidity keeping this adolescent from being flabby. Glad we popped it now instead of a couple of years down the road.
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Extraordinary wine. I'm always excited about opening one of these...they never fail to please. Wish I could have one every night. So smooth and lush. The perfect weight and texture, - dances in my mouth with layers of flavors and oh, what a wonderful bouquet.
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Remarkably aromatic. Scents of lavender along with the classic California cab smells, but really intense. Did not decant long enough. Only at about 45 to 60 minutes in the glass did the acidity yield to dark flavors of earth and tobacco. Multi layered, long finish. Perhaps an underrated Insignia?
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Rich, smooth and incredibly balanced. Holding up well with age. I think this is my 16th bottle from this year and they have been consistently excellent.
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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 cassis nose with some tobacco. Very sweet on the palate with red fruit and some cedar. A bit one dimensional but well made. Somewhat short finish. Enjoyable enough but was my least favorite among the Insignias tasted. Drink now.
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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 started with a hint of coffee followed by a little tobacco, light notes of white pepper, red berries and plums. Flavors of red berries, red raspberries, red cherries and red plums. Bright acidity, medium to firm tannins, full bodied. Drink or hold.
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CT Wisconsin Offline (Madison, WI): Not as good as the '97 & '98 I had before this. Tight nose, cedar and plums jumped out right away. Big and tannic at this stage. Needs more time to come around on the palate.
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From Magnum. Not tasted blind. Very nice, subdued aromas of black fruits and cedar. In the palate it was full to medium bodied, very balanced, with low acidity and a nice, complex finish. I liked it better than the magnum of 1999 Dead Arom that we had alongside it.
De Magnum. No probado a ciegas. La nariz es un poco reticente, pero deliciosa. Con aromas de frutas negras y cedro. En boca, tiene cuerpo medio a lleno, muy balanceado, con baja acidez y un final largo y complejo. Me gustó más que la magnum de 1999 Dead Arm que nos tomamos junto a ella.
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Velvety smooth and still lots of fruit in this wine. Cranberry, plum, and cedar notes, plus a hint of kirsch on the first few tastes. Tannins have softened very nicely. Beginning to have a garnet color but was still showing a dark ruby presence. Not much improvement after about 30-45 minutes, but this Insignia did not fade either. Drink sooner than later. Not too sure if this will get any better with several more years of age.
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This 11 year old wine, had no trace of any oxidation; the color was a perfect dark purple. We decanted and when we did the aromas filled the room of plums, prunes or any other dark fruit, touched off with a terrific vanillan background. The flavors were just as dramatic. Truly a great wine.
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Right now, this bottle is leaning the line between youth and 2ndary notes--it's right there straddling the line. Great balance, no heat (as I recall tasting the 2003 a few years back and it stunk). This bottle was perfect and in a great drinking place between the two poles.
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Double-splash decanted and brought to a restaurant. Very pretty deep garnet in the glass. Dark berries, bit of leather and slight hints of tobacco in the nose. Dark cherry/berry in the mouth. Very nice texture and structure. Tannins have softened and this wine is in a nice place. Drink.
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Terrific all around wine. Dark blue fruit and sweet vanilla framed by wood. I'd actually prefer the wood to be a bit more subtle. A hint of chocolate covered fruit on nose. Palate is clean and fresh. Just remarkable that it is still so fresh. Great acidity. Coating fine tannins. Great fruit and concentration. Nice finish with good length.
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cork fell apart but looks ok; decanted for one hour (minor sediment); important deep plum and clean earth on the nose; red currant and sl tart red and black plum; cedar and tannins not quite integrated; medium mid palate; big but not ponderous; still has that firmness that the 99 cali cabs often show; didnt quite match with the bbq skirt steak with a sl sweet teriyaki sauce (which made it seem v sl sour)
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My last bottle sadly. just a great meritage that is in its sweetspot right now. The purity of fruit and well integrated tabins are all in balance. Matched well with a grilled rib roast.
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Dark red to rim. Forward nose of dark ripe fruits/berries, smoke, tar, cassis. Full body, layered lush fruits follow the nose, gets even bigger towards the mid and back-palate with great concentration, long finish, moderate complexity. Outstanding.
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Restaurant purchase; not decanted. This is still very youthful, very strong upon opening and needed 2 hours or so to tame into a more approachable wine. While I'm tempted to write that its strength and power even at 2+ hours lacked refinement, this was a well-structured and balanced wine, although still very fruit-forward. This has many fine years still ahead of it.
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Probably the most powerful Insignia I have ever had! Decanted and then poured after about an hour. BIG, concentrated flavors of cassis, blackberry and a hint of oak. Not as elegant as I am used to with Insignia, this is a huge wine with a massive body, superb concentration and multilayered flavors. Well balanced with lots of acidity and firm tannins that matched the concentration of the fruit. A ridiculously long, voluptuous finish. Like a typical Insignia -- but on steroids. This bottle had a long, long life ahead of it.
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Outstanding Insignia - decant 1 hr; loads of currant & fruit; excellent finish - has aged beautifully; paired with delmonicos on the grill; always one of my favs!
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How about this for an "off" year. Consistently one of the top wines in Napa. No other wine pleases as much as often as Insignia. Whether its food, poetry or seduction on the menu this is the wine to reach for when your reputation is on the line.
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Outstanding wine!! The 99 Insignia was nicely integrated, well aged, still had plenty of fruit and a long long finish. Paired beautifully with a NY Strip.
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Opened the bottle and began drinking almost immediately...needed very little time to open up. Well balanced, plenty of fruit, elegant and pleasing. The tanins were there, but I wouldn't cellar this wine for too much longer. It's ready now. Wish I had another bottle. Enjoy!
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Had a lot going on with cooking and playing cards. However, I remember smelling the wine even before the cork was completely removed. Very nice tannins and great fruit in this bottle. More berry and cherry smells with no earth tones at all. Very impressed with this wine as were the guests.
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At the peak of its powers, dark purple in color, with big and bold blackberry, licorice, spice and smoke aromas. The palate is rich, balanced, elegant and smooth, with no rough edges. Full-bodied, with plenty of fruit left.
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We spent about 3 hours with this bottle. The color was a deep garnet, the perfect picture of a red wine (5/5). The aroma was cream de Cassis with sage and thyme notes which were present 2" from the top of the glass (13/15). On the palate this wine was still a bit tannic and dry even after 3 hours in the decanter. I think this is typical of the '99 Napa vintage as other wines I have had from this vintage had the same heavy tannins. It was tough to pick out a primary fruit although this wine had layers of complexity (16/20). This wine was another very high quality bottle from Phelps that still had some years left in it (9/10) for a total of 93. This wine reminded me of some top notch Bordeaux more than a Cali-Cab giving testimony to Napa's ability to produce very remarkable Bordeaux blends. Sad to say that the era of $100 Insignias are gone.
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Classic, typical Insignia (my favorite winery in all of Napa). Leather notes with good fruit and long finish. Tannins are holding up well, but I feel that this wine has reached its peak (I am finding lately that 10 year old Napa cabs are at their best).
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We let the wine breath for about 1.5 hours before getting into it. It is really soft and balanced with just the right amount of acidity. Great color / mouthfeel and the finish is wonderful. You just can't go wrong with this one but I'm not sure how many years this will hold- maybe 3-4?
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Outstanding bottle of wine. Great density and concentration. Deep garnet color. Not showing the 10 years of age. After 2+ hours in decanter, some slight bricking. This is a powerhouse, but understated at the same time. Nose of black fruit, plum, smoke, char and pencil lead. With time, secondary notes of dark bitter chocolate and coffee developed. Well integrated fine tannins coat well. Slightly bitter on the back end of the palate. Good acidity. Finish is strong.
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13th Annual Lyon 10 year Retrospective (Eugene, Oregon): I gave this 1 more point blind in this tasting than my last bottle unblinded. This bottle continues the trend for Insignia for me. I was pretty sure about my guess as there's a recognizable "iron fist in a velvet glove" aspect to this wine I've tasted many times before in various vintages. Black cherry, berry, currant, cedar, plum, stone, on and on... Tied for my WOTN w/ Lafite.
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big ripe and naturally sl sweet plum, cherry and mixed fruit; faint hints of prune but not overripe; wonderful mid palate and very complex flavor with well integrated oak, earth, tobacco, alfalfa, hints of cassis; relatively low acidity; sl bitter tannic backbone, which pales in comparison with the fruit; opens up over an hour in the decanter; one of my fave 99 cali cabs to date.
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Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of smoke, plums, florals, currants, raspberries and a bit of dark chocolate. Lovely flavors of plums, berrries, a bit of Bing cherry and a dash of raspberries. Medium acidity, firm tannins and body. Drink now with some air time or continue to hold.
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Very aromatic and obviously a blend after drinking two classic cabs first. Could really smell and taste the cab franc and petite verdot. Very nice with sweet tannins and deep fruit. Has years to go yet. Got some plum on the palate. A restrained Insignia compared with those north of 2000.
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I'm not going to under-rate this wine. This was truly a pleasure to drink. All at the table loved it. Similar tasting notes as last time. Easy 95 points.
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Beautiful nose especially in comparison to a 2003 Bond Matriarch. I agree with others who have describes this as Bordeaux-like- fairly restrained fruit but complex flavors of tobacco and cassis. A terrific pairing with a beautifully prepared aged strip steak. This is my first tasting of this vintage, but I'd say that this wine is probably in its peak drinking window.
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Sotheby's Pre-Auction Tasting (Sotheby's, New York): The best of the CA cabs at the tasting. This was intriguing, complex, and distinctive. There were layers of dark and red fruits, and the wine showed similarly to a '97 we tasted in March. Though I generally prefer old world wines, I would consider buying this wine.
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2nd time I have had this wine. This was opened by Otis as part of our 1999 Cal Cab retrospective dinner. This was the top wine in my opinion. When I first had this in 2003, it was tannic and unforgiving. It has opened up very nicely since then. Dark black red color without any bricking. The fruit was still concentrated but more pleasurable. Notes of black cherry, plum and light oak. Round finish. 93 points.
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A long weekend in Seaside, OR; 6/5/2009-6/7/2009 (Seaside, OR): Upon opening, the nose showed currant, cherry and cedar aromas. Over 2 hours the nose developed more to reveal tobacco, plum, and cherry aromas with the cedar note beginning to slip into the background. The palate had nice red fruits and earthy flavors with some nice minerality coming through after about 2 hours. Good mouthfeel and a long finish. This was the second time that I have tasted this wine, and I enjoyed it much more this time than I did a couple years ago. My WOTN, and a pleasant surprise.
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1994 and 1997 California Cabernet Retrospective (Chicago, IL): Pretty blue fruits and violet notes. Weighty, peasant mouthfeel. Well integrated and balanced wine, though I get the impression that it's still a bit closed and clearly has a lot of time left. Very solid. Rated 19/20.
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Wow, was this good! Sweet black fruit, accented by fresh tobacco and cedar. Silky smooth, yet concentrated, with a long finish. I haven't tried this before, but it must be in its prime drinking window. A wonderful marriage of the best of California and Bordeaux.
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A classic wine in the prime drinking window. Still dark garnet in color with nose of dark fruit, mocha, and hints of vanilla. Palate is extremely elegant and concentrated with layers of smooth/soft fruit. Lengthy finish. The key word here is elegant. Of note, the fruit is just starting to fade a bit thus if your not into aged wines then you may want to drink soon.
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This is a beautiful bottle of wine. Definitely ready to drink now. Ripe cherries, oak, vanilla and menthol. Still maintains nice balance and structure.
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P.S. I may have been a bit rash on my previous note: after two hours decanting the fruit finally made its appearance; but still not on the same level of quality as the Insignia '95, '97, '02, or even '04.
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Where’s the fruit, where’s the mid-palate? If you like Bordeaux you may like this one, but if you want fruit you may be disappointed (too Bordeaux-like for my taste.) The pedigree prevented me from giving it a lower score.
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Great bottle. The nose lets you know that what's in your glass is serious. Powerful aromas of dark berries and tar. Great structure without being overbearing. This wine is in a nice place right now.
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Opened, poured and drank; should have been decanted; still tight, but underneath the firm tannins there are rich concentrated dark berry fruit flavors; finishes long; looking forward to watching this one evolve over the next 10 yeas.
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Ten years old and it looks like a baby when decanting. Two hours later the dark fruit is still competing with the sturdy tannins. It's a great battle! Or bottle...
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Deep..............dark fruit color that gives up a big nose of fruit. A ton of black fruit that surronds the palate on top of medium to fine grained tannins. Opened up even more with about 30 minutes of decanting to reveal a bit of earthiness and some pepper. A truely delicious wine and much better, in my opinion, than the more recent Insignia wines. It seems in the last few years that the wines have become almost too big with really jammy fruit and have lost their old structure. Enjoy!!!
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12/10/08: Beautiful dark Ruby red color with a great nose of blackberry, cherry, chocolate, earth and spices. The flavor is cherries and blackberries, dried cherry, currant, chocolate, cedar, sage ,bell pepper and anise. Beatiful soft tannins, great structure, layered complexity bring it all together. The finish really never quits with beautiful soft tannin, fruit and earth.
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Outstanding. On my list, this beat all comers in a high-end Cali Cab tasting. Outstanding concentration of fruit, and still extremely young. Still developing. Loads of jammy fruit, cherries and berries galore. Finish lasted for 30 seconds. Truly excellent bottle.
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Blind California Cabernet Tasting: This wine had us all confused. Tasted as part of our blind Cali Cab tasting, it had a very similar nose to Wine No. 1, which turned out to be the 04 Corra and Wine No. 8, which was the 95 Shafer HSS. After all is said and done, most people ranked this as the top wine of the night, with everyone placing it at least first or second. New world style. Very impressive nose. Best nose of the night, that is for sure. Some floral notes, oddly enough, but huge red fruit nose with deep red color. A very concentrated wine that filled the mouth incredibly well. Full and rich with big bold fruit, both red and blue with brown sugar and syrup. A nice long finish. Very smooth with well integrated tannins. Probably an ideal time to drink.
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The last of our 99s. Pretty much the same note and rating as the previous bottles. We had this with oxtail stew and slow roasted lamb shanks. Great match. I think that 99 is a great vintage for Insignia and quite underrated.
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Tasted at the Saturday Cellartracker event in Seattle. I was a bit disappointed by this wine. I was expecting so much, and it didn't deliver. Don't get me wrong... it was good. It just doesn't deserve the accolades and high scores that it tends to garner. If I had to give it a score, I'd give it a 90. It was nice, but nothing special.
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Tasted at the CT Weekend Event. I found this wine to be very seductive, not as profound as some of the Bordeaux but utterly delicious. It is a rich, well-balanced blend.
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Decanted 3 hours prior to consumption. Deep ruby color leads to a mildly muted nose of blackberry, chocolate and currant. More currant, dark cherry, currant, chocolate and cedar carry into medium to full bodied palate. A hint of cedar and sage are also present. Finish is fully integrated and lasts 40 seconds. A very good bottle wine just entering its prime drinking window.
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Double decanted 24hrs ahead. A nose of precise black fruit with just the right amount of sweet cassis, cedar, mint and earthy notes. Fabulous texture on the plate with pure black fruits and vanilla. A grippy finish of excellent length that shows briary black fruit, a little dried leaf and that mintiness again. Appealing for its balance of ripeness and structure. Like many 1999 California Cabs, the once fierce tannins have softened. Drinking well now but 4-5 years will hopefully add a little extra secondary interest.
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This wine has really improved over the last 13 months. It is drinking great right now. Aromas of smoke, dark fruits, chocolate, leather and cedar. Dark and full bodied, it is very rich with great structure, balance and complexity. Tastes of cassis, plum, dark cherries, spice, earth, chocolate, and sage. Nice long finish. 14.5% alcohol. 94-95 pts. This wine was much better than the 99 Pine Ridge Stags Leap we also had which wasn't showing all that well.
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Initially a bit hard-edged, and missing the fruit of the bigger, riper vintages. However, after some time, this eventually became quite nice. After 1+ hour of air, the black currant, cassis and berry flavors came alive, and this showed very well. Impeccable balance, with a lot of structure that makes me think this will last for a while, but will probably never be as generous with providing enjoyment once the fruit starts to fade. (Score is based on the improvement with air.)
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This just keeps getting better and better. Nose of briary fruits and white pepper. The structure is there with sweet tanin and dark fruit. The finish long and lingering. Just a real joy to drink and I wish I had more than only one bottle left. I only hope the 01' and 02' turn out as well.
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Drank this along side a 97 BV GDL in the battle of the vintages. This one was significantly more youthful, showing the ageability of the 99's. This was terrific, nose of cherry and vanilla bean, with hints of dusty oak. Palate was full bodied and youthful, with still mildly austere tannin structure, loads of cherry, cassis, and hints of earth and sage. Finish was long, and balance was tremendous. Edged out the 97 GDL which was starting to show its age.
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Cherry nose with a slight vegetal backround. Sweet tannins and black fruit , cocoa. Open in one year and see th difference as the tannins smooth out even more.
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Insignia is one of our absolute favorite wines. When my wife and I open a bottle together, you would think that the comments would be "this is great", "amazing", etc. Instead, you will hear comments like "don't touch my glass!", "don't be taking an extra pour when I'm not looking!", or my favorite "get me a straw so I can drink the last drops without getting any sediment". Suffice to say, this is really really good stuff. On this particular bottle, the nose exploded out of the glass with tons of black cherry and current scents with new oak and the flavors were extremely smooth and perfectly balanced. You can truly call it an absolute pleasure on the palate. We did not decant this and there was really no need to. This vintage is in it's prime drinking window now but it is so well made that I think that window will be open for a long time. You could drink it now or you could drink it several years from now. Whenever you do, you will definitely enjoy it. Thanks for the bottle Denny!
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Tasted March 12, 2008. Served double blind. Dark purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. New world nose, "woody" from a heavy oak treatement with big jammy fruits with additional notes of white pepper, blueberries amd cocoa. Rich and jammy berries and cherries on the palate. Also "hot" on the palate as well. My double blind guess was a 2002 Joseph Phelps Insignia. Not rated because frankly it didn't show well, especially after the Bordeaux line up.
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Opaque ruby/burgundy colour. Aromas of green pepper/vegetation, vanilla, perfume, crushed black fruit, and brown sugar. Medium-full bodied, lush, with plum, spice, and vegetal notes. Moderate finish, ~35s, with vanilla and crushed fruit replays from the palate. Quite nice, but I was expecting more.
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let decant for over 1 hour. On the nose aromas of chocolate, leather, oak and cherries. The wine had a wonderful finish deep and long lasting. During dinner (steak) over 2 plus hours the wine stayed consistant and showed that it could go to a second day. Fortunately (or unfortunately) we finished the bottle in one seating. A really luscious affair.
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wine still youthful. should have decanted it. nonetheless, even the first glass very good after it sat, subsequent glasses excellent with grilled prime strip steaks
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Decanted and allowed to sit for an hour. Very floral nose; kitchen smelled of violets and greenery when decanting. I had a slight cold so my palate was shot, but the missus enjoyed it, questioning longevity simply because it was so drinkable now.
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This is drinking very well right now. Fully integrated tannins but still delivering a nice fruit component. Hints of tar and herbs, delightful with the lamb shanks.
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This one was tricky to rate...I couldn't tell whether the over the top tar and herbal notes were a sign of it being cooked, whether that is the style of the vintage, or whether it was slightly flawed or stored improperly. There was not any bricking on the edges so I think it has some life left in it. The body and finish was phenomenal and huge...I just could not even put it in the same league as the '01.
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As far as getting good value for our "Insignia Dollar" goes, we think we did ok when we got this 99 from winebid.com for $95. The wine was outstanding with a massively explosive nose of currant, leather, and still a lot of new oak. Cabernet Sauvignon makes up nearly 80% of this blend and it definitely shines through in every way. Full bodied with a big silky mouthfeel and a nice finish. I don't know how they can make such a good wine in such large quantities but J Phelps continues to do it year in and year out. With the newer vintages starting to creep up to silly price levels, it's nice to find one of the older ones for under $100.
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Not a bad bottle of Insignia - but not like their great vintages. Dark red color. Nice nose of leather, spice, tar, integrated oak with some black fruit and sweet tannins. After having the 97 recently, it's not the same game, but a good effort. Still has time left
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Edward Roberts Pre-Auction Tasting (Columbia Yacht Club): Garnet color. Aromas of cedar, blackberry, red currant and floral tones. Wonderful depth of fruit on the palate with a bit of wood and spice on the finish. The floral notes became more prominent with air.
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ERI Auction and Tasting (Chicago, IL): Tasted towards the end of the event and concentration was beginning to waver. In unfamiliar territory with what is obviously a big wine. Concentration for sure with spice, chocolate, smoked meats, coffee and oak. Dense and layered.
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Tasted at the Edward Roberts International wine auction in Chicago. Nice dark burgundy color. Floral nose which was surprising as I expected more "umph." Excellent, but a little disappointed considering the pedigree and vintage. Certainly a decent wine, but lacks the complexity I would anticipate from a Phelps. Mainly a plum flavor with a little hint of spice. May try decanting next time to see if it opens up.
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Plush and wonderfully integrated. High thread count of silky flavors. Certainly in its drinking window now, but has plenty of structure to age and improve.
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Disappointing for an Insignia. Pleasantly perfumed aromas. On the palate, not much complexity or structure. Could be in a dumb phase, but this wine was relatively simple with plum, herb and dill. The dill note at the end was a little distracting and not in character, perhaps it was a little bit of VA. I have one bottle left and I'm not hopeful, but I'll hold for a while to see if it comes around.
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the cassis and fruit are very evident on the nose, and the palate follows with clarity. Berry notes and a nice hint of licorish and herbs. the palate feel is full and the finish is well balanced. Overall a very nice wine.... which of course brings us to value and price. the very good vintages of insignia are undoubledly really first rate wines and worth 100 plus a bottle. the average vintages (of which this is one) are very fine bottles of wine, but they are a poor value at the price.
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Dark red, nose strong on green pepper; a dead ringer for a Chilean cab or Aussie Shiraz. Taste was better, good red fruit, reasonable tannin, somewhat sweet. Good.
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Dark ruby/garnet color. The nose of this wine was slightly woody and spicy along with the dark fruit aromas. Even after over an hour after being opened, it was still quite tightl with the palate revealing currant, licorice, and cherry flavors. I had tried the 1998 Insignia a couple years ago, and I wasn't a big fan of that. This vintage stayed true to my earlier impression of Insignia - it's just not my thing. A very good wine, but not one that knocks my socks off - especially for the tariff...
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This was my least favorite vintage of the 1998, 1999 or 2000. Certainly not worth even the highly discounted price I paid for it. It was light has and less fruit than the 1998 or 2000. I'm still stunned that Wine Spectator rated the 1999 vintage so strong when there are so few examples of great wines from that vintage. R Parker seems to have gotten this year right by giving it an 88 overall.
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Slight va on the nose with huge cherries and a little alchohol. Tight at firts but then opened up with nice plum and black cherrry flavors. Still firm on the finish and quite long. Good bottle.
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Drinking really well right now, don't see any reason to hold this if you have 750s. Easily outshined by the 3L of '97 but with strikingly similar nose. The '99 had copious cassis, chocolate, and cherry on the palate along with plush tannin and a persistent finish, but was not as polished and powerful as the '97. Meanwhile the '01 had greater concentration and imho had greater purity and just overall seemed like a much more focused wine. While I certainly didn't think the insignias showed the best out of the bunch, they are definitely a testament to just how consistent phelps is year in and year out.
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Drank the first glass right from the bottle. Nose is all about acohol. First taste no fruit. The wine has gotten better with decanting and goat cheese. Not much going on here in light of the vintage. Struggling to reconcile the taste with the reviews. May be generous with my score?
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Wow - my first go with this wine, and it's working for me. Quite tannic still (I'm sure related to the vintage), but with a load of dark fruit - currant, black- and blueberry - and some iodine to keep things in check. The tannins are a bit dominant or else this would really be a spectacular wine. Benefited from 90+ minutes of airtime. I didn't decant, but would do so 45 or more minutes before I wanted to drink it, at least at this stage.
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Drank as part of a five year virtical of Insignias. Tasted blind and thought this was the 2003 Insignia primarily because of the tannins. Picked up hints of chocolate and vanilla. The cab in this was really showing.
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This is definitely not a "blockbuster" vintage of Insignia but this wine showed off some winemaking finesse. The balance was superb. There are still some tannins in the finish but for the most part the wine seemed ready to drink. We've had this wine several times and this is the first one with some secondary characteristics. It was very tight upon opening but after an hour or so in the decanter it opened up. [Recommend at least an hour decant]
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Had it side-by-side with a 2001 Caymus Special Selection, and it was very good, but the Caymus was a bit better. Nice, long finish and good integration.
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Cab Lovers of NYC Insignia Vertical (Zoe): Where the '97 was all about "drink me" fruit, the '99 was all about backbone. Tightly wound with a dense core of currant, black cherry, anise and cedar. Nicely structured, with firm acidity and chalky tannins. It was not unpleasant to drink now (an understatement), but the grip really masks the complexity of the fruit and shortens the finish. A young blockbuster built to age, I thought this was kind of a throw-back to the finesse of the '91.
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-1999 Joseph Phelps Insignia: decanted 3 hours in a Riedel Ultra then moved back to bottle and corked for a 1/2 hour in the fridge, then poured into a Riedel "I guess it is a duck decanter" for the table (1/2 hour wait before serving). Total decant time of 4 hours......Color was dark as night in a Prince Rogers Nelson Purple Rain sort of way. However, that fact could be argued in Social Hall....Not much of a nose, possibly due to the refrig job before the serving, barely discernable fruit---only faint heat.....Puzzling On the mid palate, blackberry, currant (but not in a luxurious Bob Foley way) and prune, slight trace of cinnamon (oak maybe). There is an oak aftertaste, but it has not transformed itself into any sublety of mocha or vanillan. Finish was 45 seconds consisting of tannins (give it another 5 years) burning the mid palate flavors into your gourd. I will revisit this in 5 years, but at 6.5 years after vintage, I would not recommend for the dollars paid, good wine at this moment in time but not great....--88pts.
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Dark purple color, decanted for two hours and it showed a reserved nose of dark berries, spice, and to me a touch of caramel. Pleasant stucture and mouth feel, actually a very good balance. Adequate and firm fruit, but not overwhelming...a very good wine, but not great.
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1999 Joseph Phelps Insignia: decanted 3 hours in a Riedel Ultra then moved back to bottle and corked for a 1/2 hour in the fridge, then poured into a Riedel "I guess it is a duck decanter" for the table (1/2 hour wait before serving). Total decant time of 4 hours......Color was dark as night in a Prince Rogers Nelson Purple Rain sort of way. However, that fact could be argued in Social Hall....Not much of a nose, possibly due to the refrig job before the serving, barely discernable fruit---only faint heat.....Puzzling On the mid palate, blackberry, currant (but not in a luxurious Bob Foley way) and prune, slight trace of cinnamon (oak maybe). There is an oak aftertaste, but it has not transformed itself into any sublety of mocha or vanillan. Finish was 45 seconds consisting of tannins (give it another 5 years) burning the mid palate flavors into your gourd. I will revisit this in 5 years, but at 6.5 years after vintage, I would not recommend for the dollars paid, good wine at this moment in time but not great....--88pts.
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As I was thoroughly enjoying this lovely wine, I got to thinking: Why don't more medium and large sized wineries in Napa produce wine as good as Joseph Phelps Vineyards does with Insignia, year in, year out? It would seem to reason. While I may be able to achieve more of a sense of place by having a small vineyard source, my viticultural success is always dependent on one little plot of land -- Sink or swim by one vineyard. Phelps and other medium or large size wineries, on the other hand, sometimes have 100's or 1000's of acres worth of grapes to source from. Shouldn't their premium release be among the best each year? With Phelps, it is. Insignia, in my opinion, is almost always one of the best wines to come out of the Napa Valley. They use the best grapes they have to produce their best wine. Even in underperforming vintages such as 1998 and 2000, Phelps Insignia is still a "go to" wine. Yet we can all name many wineries that surely have access to a lot of grapes and yet produce ho-hum wines as their flagship wine. Here's hoping that the commitment to making a superb wine, whether it be 30000 cases, or 500 continues to be a priority in the Napa Valley and if production needs to drop in order to maintain quality, we all continue that commitment.
So... regarding the 1999 Phelps Insignia... inky dark color. Dark fruit of blackberries, rum soaked bing cherries, vanilla, and maple. Slight mint notes, cedar, and oak backbone. This wine is all about balance. My recollection was it was great young. It's great now. And it will probably be great in 5 years. My advice is to enjoy this one in 2-3 years giving the still ample tannins time to continue to integrate. Balance. It's what Insignia always seems to be about: balance which is the essence of great winemaking.
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I decanted this about 1/2 hour to 1 hour before serving, and although it had a pretty nose and drank well, it seemed like it never really opened up. A great nose of sweet raisin flowers. Unfortunately no other notes that I can remember other than seeing some sediment.
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Slightly tannic... need more time to open. After a week in the fridge, still drank very well. It did not turn tart or tannic after bing so long in the fridge. Not a bad wine.
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Phelps Insignia Vertical 15+ Years: Vertical tasting. Primary and slightly jammy, less interesting than when I tried it at Phelps a few years ago. Big berry flavors showing perhaps a bit more heat than I'd want. Moderate length. Drink young.
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WIML92,WA91,WS94 Tasted October 1, 2005 at an offline so brief comments only. Opened and served immediately in a Riedel Restaurant Series Bordeaux stem. Dark purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of green beans did not bode well early on for this wine. However, that gave way to notes of pepper, leather, spice and lush dark fruits. Flavors of plum, chocolate and cassis. This turned out to be one of my favorite red wines of the evening. This wine seems to just be entering it’s drinking window and the solid structure here tells me this thing could go another 15 years. Recommended.
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Decanted for hour and a half. Still tight and tannic. way too young and will wait at least another two or three years bfore again trying. The stuffing and fruit are there but it still needs to come together.
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Had this last night. Uncorked and allowed to sit for 2 hrs, but poured out of the bottle / not decanted. Smooth dark berries with chocolate, tobacco and earth. Tanins evident but softened over time. Very drinkable with the time it was given, this baby still has a long life left in it. 93+pts today, more tomorrow. Much better than a year ago.
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2004/2005 New Years: (served blind). Dark, showing no age. At first whiff, I was thinking Aussie Cab. I got a sense of a candied cherry with black rasperry and oak on the back end. Upon tasting I got a mouthful of fruit and oak. The candied component paired with a licorice again lead me to believe Aussie. Only the wall of structure gave me hesitation. I really liked this but wish it had another 5 years on it to settle down. Very nice wine and a big suprise when revealed.
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Two bottles at the Tymetrix Christmas lunch @ Acqua. Beautiful. Dark, almost black. Medium bodied with a chocolate cherry nose of oiled leather, coffee, tar, chocolate and cherry pipe tobacco. Muscular mouth of ripe, black cherry. Tannic yet balanced. Beautiful finish. It is great and will get better for years, perhaps decades. Absolutely terrfic.
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ITB(?) dinner at Oceanaire (Seattle, WA, USA): As if we really needed a fourth bottle, Lorne ordered this at the last minute off the list, so we popped and poured with the briefest of decanting sessions. This wine was surprisingly complex with a spicy and lightly herbal nose that showed cocoa and a hint of dusty minerality. The palate was rich and complex, much more delicate, tight and complex than the 2001 Pride Merlot tasted alongside. This had very little time to open, and as consequence it mostly showed tight and tart red fruit with cranberry, black cherry, raspberry, and red currant. This one needed an hour or two in the decanter to really shine, but it was awfully tasty.
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The nose has a wonderful nose with briar and high pitched blackberry. The palate is thick and concentrated with cassis and loads of fruit and structure. Killer.
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Seattle Tasting Group does 22 years of Phelps Insignia (Bellevue, WA, USA): This has a very pretty nose of cassis, mineral and a little gunpowder. This has stunning balance, almost unreal. I was really very surprised and impressed by this wine and the poise it showed, as I have read so much about the 1999 vintage being overly tannic. Not this wine!
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Opened 2 bottles at Blue Ginger in Wellesley, MA, Ming Tsai's restaurant. I knew it was going to be great, and there was no disappointment. The nose was deep and rich berry. On the palate, the tannins were more intense than expected, but certainly judged as moderate. The wine was tight and focused, might have opened up a bit after 30 min of decanting (the second and third glasses) Berry, spicebox, tobacco, more cabernetish in this blend. A fantastic bottle of wine, highly recommended. (I should point out that this was the first Insignia I ever had)
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Gift from Alex Chako when we met him in DC in 9/02. Tried the 1991, 1997, 1999 and 2000 in the last year. We had the 1999 at the 2003 WS Grand Tour in May. It was a powerful, young, tannic wine which is not ready to drink. Chocolate and black cherry notes but most of the fruit is hidden. Wait 4 years on this and see how it evolves. 91-93+.
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Quick Day Trip to Napa (Napa Valley CA): Tasting at winery. Inky purple color. Gobs of ripe fruit on the nose. More fruit than structure, I think this will be a good young drinking Cali Cab/Meritage.
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Bright disc with opaque purple robe and purple rim. Clean nose requiring at least 30 minutes to develop. Intense currants, cassis, black cherry, vanilla, cedar and oak. The palate is full-bodied and multilayered, with a vevety texture and ample sweet tannins. The flavors are similar to the nose. Long, smooth finish. Beautiful now but will clearly get better over the next 4-6 years. I would disagree with Parker that this wine will hold until 2032!
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11/8/2023 - lesz wrote: 93 Points
part of veryical tasting
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10/2/2023 - cephomer Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank at Lure Fishbar in Soho for DB#1's 65th. Quite generous nose of plums, blackberry, cedar and leather. Dark ruby core with some slight bricking at the edges, still on the inky black side in the glass. Palate of this quite masculine wine shows plenty of meat on the bone--red and black fruit, graphite, touches of earthiness, cedar and forest floor. Tannins are mostly resolved, and there remain hints of vanilla and oak--remnants of when this was a baby blockbuster way back when...
(Note: I did not decant for fear the wine wouldn't hold up, but I was quite mistaken. The wine improved immeasurably over time such that by the time the bottle had emptied, everyone--including our Somm--was quite disappointed that this lovely had gone so quickly). A wonderfully delicious wine that has maintained its high level of greatness. Pretty much certainly one of the best bordeaux blends you can find outside of the left bank.
Alas, I am saddened to think this was my last of the wonderful 1999 vintage, but it was imbibed for a very good occasion--even if my buds didn't recognize or appreciate what they were drinking (the Som did, however...)
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9/21/2023 - PITT Wine Guy Likes this wine: 94 Points
1999 Joseph Phelps Insignia
Cellared since release in 2001.
Enjoyed on September 18, 2023 with dinner after it was opened and placed in decanter, drinking it over the next two and a half hours.
The glass revealed a purple core, surrounded by deep crimson with slight browning at the rim. The nose featured black fruit and tobacco. The wine seemed a bit closed initially, but within 15 minutes it opened to reveal lush cassis fruit that was deep, and pure. The tannins were integrated and soft, and the wine had an enjoyable textural mouth feel along with a definite “grip” to go along with a 20 second finish.
It is a beautifully aged California Meritage with five to seven years of enjoyable drinking life ahead.
94 points.
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9/16/2023 - Jhalpern27 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Still alive and kicking, definitely ready to drink but can also go longer in the cellar. Very enjoyable now though.
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7/28/2023 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Error
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6/4/2023 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped and poured. Drinking well, but not as well as that last drunk in 2019, which in turn was better than that drunk in 2015. Might be due to bottle variation, but I think it’s best days are behind it. Still really good, however! Drank alongside a pan seared steak. Delish.
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5/21/2023 - TEKinsider wrote: 96 Points
Drinking very well. Cedar, tobacco, and a mix of red and black fruit. Drank across 4-5hrs. Well integrated and well built wine. Should drink well for another 10+ years.
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3/30/2023 - Mich7 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Absolutely amazing concentration and purity of fruit . Drank over three days. It lost a little freshness but none of the massive dark fruit. No sign of fading in the fruit. Almost desert on the last day
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1/28/2023 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 95 Points
I've had the pleasure of drinking this wine over many years, and remarkably, this was the very finest bottle I've had. Opened about 45 minutes before we sat down to some good grilled steaks, this was absolutely singing when we tasted it, and it only got better for the next 2 hours. The critics' and CT drinking windows have expired, which only illustrates the limitations of those recommendations. This was a majestic Cabernet blend in its prime -- which appeared likely to last another several years. Gorgeous fruit, great complexity, great length. Nothing about this wine is excessive or out of balance. It puts the lie to everything critics of Cali Cab rightly criticize. Bravo!
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1/13/2023 - R E Garrity wrote: 91 Points
Still big flavors of ripe red fruits, back on and soft leather hint of mushroom tones. A little flabby on the finish.
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12/25/2022 - timewithwine Likes this wine:
What’s to be said about this wine that hasn’t already been said? The rim may be ruby shading to cranberry, but the core remains an opaque plum. The nose and palate are seamless with pomegranate, red currants, plum, blackberry, cedar, graphite and some saddle leather. And yes, a touch of vanilla and abundant chocolate both appear on the finish. Powerful, masculine and intense. The tannins are round and integrated with the abundant fruit, all of which will carry the life of this wine for a long time yet to come. The blend is Cabernet Sauvignon (71%), Merlot (21%), Petit Verdot (6%), Cabernet Franc (1%), and Malbec (1%). Heavy sediment circumnavigates the shoulder following decanting. From magnum. 14% alc. With standing prime rib (beef) roast with horseradish sauce and mushroom sauce and side of hasselback Irish and sweet potatoes. Christmas day, 2022. Highly Recommended.
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10/29/2022 - dofzin Likes this wine: 87 Points
Decanted. Light sediment. Needs 2+ hours out of the bottle. Deep ruby color, nose of dried fruits with hints of cherry and figs. Long finish.
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10/26/2022 - Javachip Likes this wine: 95 Points
Bottle opened at 5:00, decanted at 6:15, tasting began at 7:00. Clear deep dark garnet-blood red color. Brooding bouquet of mixed black, blue and red fruits and their liqueurs; fennel; cigar humidor; violets, lilacs, bay leaf, forest floor. Similar on the palate, seamless, full body, beautiful balance, rich and generous, not too heavy. The best of both worlds: exuberant Napa fruit with the refinement and balance of Bordeaux. Splendid showing.
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10/22/2022 - gmat5497 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Spectacular!!
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10/9/2022 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 93 Points
Brought to restaurant and enjoyed with bone in NY strips. The somm was a bit aggressive, or optimistic, when lifting the cork, which cracked after it was about 75% out and the wine had to be filtered and decanted. I suspect it would have been fine with a slower pull -- but in any event, the wine was drinking beautifully just minutes after the pour and it only improved over the next hour. This was always medium weight, never a fruit bomb, and 23 years in, it's all about subtlety, complexity, harmony and finesse. If I were drinking this blind, I might have thought it was from Pauillac. The tannins have softened completely. Just delightful. No reason to wait on remaining bottles, but I'm looking forward to my last two.
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10/8/2022 - glou.sf wrote: flawed
Horribly corked, what a shame.
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9/27/2022 - Markzittman wrote:
Good but not great
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6/11/2022 - Burgundy Al wrote: 87 Points
Jim's Retirement Party (Libertyville, IL): Ripe and getting tired, this seemed long in the tooth, showing warmth on its finish.
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6/11/2022 - Lewis6619 wrote: 98 Points
Stunning, 98+ points. If I was blind tasting I would’ve never guessed Joseph. Long finish, fruit is there but in the background, soft oak and velvety. Feels like French right bank. Truly Magnificent. Glad I still have a magnum!
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5/19/2022 - DrSteveP wrote:
A bit tired yet still good
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5/19/2022 - DrSteveP wrote:
With Eric after hell or high water deck building in the rain
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5/8/2022 - Genius Light Likes this wine: 98 Points
Magnificent. A symphony of rich aromas, oodles of dark fruit, & superb poise & balance. 98+
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4/16/2022 - psusfca Likes this wine: 97 Points
Still a youngster Dark purple, no bricking so far. Tannins still present but well resolved. I really think the merlot brings out all the things we love about Insignia. We reversed things and started with Insignia (3 hour decant) and paired with24 month aged Dutch Gouda and 18 month aged cheddar from Australia. Amazing. Then some Brewer Clifton Pinot Noir to go with Duck ‘a L’Orange with Tokyo Turnips and their greens and duck fat roasted fingerling potatoes. Wonderful meal. And then we experienced food coma as we watched warriors game 1.
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4/16/2022 - Capt Cutlass Likes this wine: 97 Points
This was stunning - popped and poured from magnum. A big, rich but noble nose with a touch of eucalyptus. Real balance on the palate - it's big with forest floor notes but there is also restraint and pedigree here. The texture is stunning. Balanced and very self-assured; in a perfect place right now.
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3/30/2022 - Franken Berry Likes this wine: 95 Points
Found this lying about my mother in law’s cellar. We were having prime rib for dinner so I figured why not?
Decanted one hour. Dark cherries,plums, chocolate. Full bodied, smooth with nice mineraity. Resembles a mature Bordeaux. Drinking quite well now.
blend of 71% cabernet sauvignon, 21% cabernet franc, 6% merlot and 1% each petit verdot and malbec
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2/19/2022 - Alex G. Likes this wine:
It's quite a rare occassion that I pick the Napa cab as my wine of the night, this Insignia was marvelous. The balance was pitch perfect. Across a range of meat dishes this kept coming out as the best match, elevating the dishes consistently. Great fruit, but not remotely overblown (looking at you SQN) and excellent length. I kept coming back to this over and over throughout the evening. Well stored bottles of this wine should be treasured and enjoyed in this lovely phase.
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12/25/2021 - wine4ever Likes this wine:
Bottle 11 of 12...Exceptional wine. It's been 3 years since our last bottle and I wasn't sure what to expect - as it seemed to be in a semi-closed phase. This bottle was singing. Decanted 30 minutes and drank over the next 2 hours. Beautiful dark fruit and berry nose with a hint of leather. A bit of bricking on the edges. Full bodied, super smooth, still tons of fruit, with mineral, chocolate notes. Lovely super long finish. Perfectly paired with Prime Rib. Glad we have one more. Seems in no danger of expiring any time soon. Enjoy now or continue to hold. 95+
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12/25/2021 - Drdredel wrote: flawed
Corked
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12/20/2021 - MGoBlue84 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Medium/deep garnet color. Black cherry and plum with some tobacco on the nose. Dark fruit and spice on the pallet, well integrated. Minimal decant for sediment; this is drinking beautifully right now!!
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11/27/2021 - Fatty Cat wrote: 93 Points
Rarities dinner “Spectacular Californians” late Nov 2021: full rubin red color; intense cassis and red berries flavors; well balanced on the palate.
Out of six 1999 California Cab’s (other ones: Montelena, Dunn, Dominus, Caymus Special Selection and Opus One) this was the flight winner for most people present. Personally I preferred the Caymus and the Dunn.
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9/25/2021 - AlexHop Likes this wine: 98 Points
Even better than the Shafer Hillside 99 we just had. Intense with lots of spice and a long long finish.
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9/4/2021 - BoulderWine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Smooth and fully resolved in my opinion. Purchased upon release when the pricing was more reasonable compared to today. Enjoyed with grilled steak.
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8/8/2021 - robertgf wrote: 96 Points
Visually there was no sign of bricking; rich dark purple. Amazing nose, floral elements, hint of sweet bannana, mixed berry fruit. Leather came through when rocknroller suggested it.
Palate medium plus body, lush and ample fruit. Everything in balance. Oak is there but in background, yet earthy/”forest floor” is there.Considering where it is in its' suggested drinking window, I’m suprised how young and vibrant this wine is.. Can it get better?
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8/6/2021 - rocknroller wrote: 96 Points
Very dark red color with no bricking. PNP with aeration. Drank several glasses over 3 hours. CS71, M21, PV6, CF1, Mal1. This has an inviting, spectacularly perfumed nose of sandalwood, dried roses, rose water, damp earth and porcini mushroom, olive tapenade, leather, ground pencil, and lovely dark berry fruits infused with hints of blue fruit; this may be the definition of forest floor. The palate is full bodied and lifted with a mix of dark black and blue fruits; cassis, boysenberry, mulberry, graphite, dried wood, leather and mushroom with succulent tannins and a blissful finish. Outstanding. 95+ to 96pts.
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6/25/2021 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 94 Points
With dear friends and Filet Mignon in Maine. I brought a bottle and my host and friend discovered that he had another left! So we had the arduous task of enjoying both bottles immensely. Insignia is living proof that the folks in California can make wonderful Cabernet blends, and every bottle of this was worthy of a fine house in the Medoc. Not overpowering but elegant and beautifully balanced with a long fine finish. Perhaps just past its peak but hardly over the hill. Glad I have one more left . . .
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6/16/2021 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 92 Points
Older Californians Surt & Turf Dinner (McKay's, The American Club, Exchange Square, Central, Hong Kong): Drank alongside a Ridge Monte Bello 2001 over a sublime and huge dry-aged Tomahawk steak. Opaque black depth lightening to red-purple. Nose is sweaty, lots of concentration of black and red small berries fruit. Lovely wasps of sun-warmed cedar roofs. Hints of bitumen. Palate is beautifully rich open and belly-filling fruit and oak driven. Integrated but still a work in progress. The tannin is a bit too strong at the moment. Revisit in 5-10 years. 92 for now but could improve. I love Insignia, particularly once it passes the 20-25 year mark. Thanks, Hans! 92+ for now.
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5/13/2021 - cgoumas wrote: 94 Points
Amazing.
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4/10/2021 - pigdaddy wrote: 92 Points
magnum, recalcitrant cork, double-decanted to travel. enjoyed in a social dinner gathering (!), in excellent shape, resolved & displaying house style w/out over-ripeness or exaggeration. no formal notes, but a fine representation.
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2/20/2021 - lesz Likes this wine: 92 Points
very nice but i think its time to drink my other bottles
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1/9/2021 - Dave Mosko Likes this wine:
At dinner for my boy's 22nd Bday. Purchased on release, stored impeccably.
I love my 2 youngest boys birth years 99 and 96 and the perfect opportunities for check-ins on their bdays. As we seated for dinner the cork pulled out easily and was intact. Surprised it was only wet on the bottom and not soaked through. A good amount of sediment gathered, (bottle was stood up for a week) but decided not to decant. Deep ruby in the glass with very little lightening at meniscus. Not super voluminous in scent, but a nice waft of anise, cassis, and roses on swirling. Mild silky tannins, fair weight, medium flavor concentration and it seems this is in a decent spot right now. Not a large Insignia. Adequate acidity for the package, very balanced. Just a touch of integrated wood evident. Finish was shorter than I expected, even considering this is a (weaker) vintage at Phelp's. A joy and treat for his birthday. Wish I had more.
-
It opened up after an hour + in the glass, took on some mid-palate weight and the finish lengthened a bit. Insignia's insignia notes of dark fruit, cherry tobacco, cassis, dark plum, black raspberry all lifted to a crescendo at about two hours into the bottle as we sipped and contemplated the past year and the year ahead. A very nice family dinner overall at a local gem in S NJ.
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1/4/2021 - Darin06 wrote: 87 Points
Has lost its fruit and is turning
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12/27/2020 - Verb Likes this wine: 93 Points
dark red with brick rim - black fruit (black current, blackberry, plumbs) nose with substantial oak contribution, but not many complex aromas - same intense fruit in the mouth, round full body with mature tannins and balanced acidity - medium 15-20 sec finish - drinking beautifully, but always disappointed in how little complexity develops in the nose of many of the best CA cabs
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12/26/2020 - gman4commerce wrote: 93 Points
No question this was worth the wait - for my son's birth year, 1999 - we just loved it -- opened and was vibrant and full, exactly what you'd expect from Joseph Phelps - black and red currants were present for sure - while not the best year weather wise, this bottle was worth the wait! Open now
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12/21/2020 - SoCal wrote:
Beautifully soft and nuanced. The tannins are resolved. The fruit was a bit dusty which leads me to think drink soon. Tasted from a magnum.
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11/15/2020 - Jim Moore Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for a hour still had great legs and beautiful color still drinking well
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9/25/2020 - Mezz Likes this wine: 94 Points
Cork was perfect, quick opening, VERY aromatic on the decanter pour, a teaspoon of mild and fine sediment.
Aromatics are still quite lush, though the fruit is somewhat faded, lots of spicy blackberry, mocha, a hint of green acidity.
Palate is weighty with glycerin and residual sugar, very integrated and smooth after nearly 20 years after harvest.
Definitely the best Insignia I've tasted, drink right away, no reason to wait. The tannins are still present but soon will overwhelm remaining fruit.
Excellent
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5/15/2020 - ralaspech wrote: 94 Points
Improved considerably after decanting 1-2 hours. Acidity is soft as some have commented. Beautiful fruit, cedar, leather, and earth notes. Beautifully integrated. Lovely!
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5/3/2020 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark crimson color still. Has a solid nose of cassis and cedar. Cassis on the palate, quite soft with some leather notes along with cedar. On the soft side, acidity mostly integrated. Just a hint of oak tannin on the finish. Seems fully mature to me. Will evolve but doubt it’ll improve. I don’t suspect this will go off a cliff either, but I probably would have preferred it to have more acidity. Plenty of fruit though and no suspicion of drying out.
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5/2/2020 - MichielV wrote: 90 Points
W burger (saturday night). My last note is correct;this is petering out. It opens nice, color is nice and dark butin hindsight a little dull. This is nice but not powerful, fresh and fun as you would expect from $100+ bottle. Too bad as i had the 2000 a month before and thatwas underwhelming as well. I’ll keep trying.
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12/25/2019 - Laminarman Likes this wine: 94 Points
Sometimes a wine is better with the company you keep. How many more Christmas wines will I have with my 90 year old father? Decanted an hour before it became better as dinner progressed through the night. Dark fruits and silky tannins with a lingering palate and slight bricking, cedar on the nose...great. The entire family enjoyed it. A new member to our family commented “Wow never had a wine like this it’s incredible..” Who could ask for more?
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12/22/2019 - chull Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted. Initial musty nose dissipated over time. Best 3 to 6 hours. Became very smooth. Great!
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12/21/2019 - Nanda wrote:
Wine Flock Champagne Gala (Park Ridge CC): 98/99 flight. Very high toned fruit (bordering on volatile) in the nose. This is just too ripe and candied for my tasted. Decent concentration and depth, but I can't get over the fruit profile.
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11/27/2019 - cbforever1 wrote: 94 Points
Fantastic wine in a very sweet spot at the moment.
Looking much younger than expected, it lost all the harshness and is now very smooth and with perfectly integrated tannins.
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10/12/2019 - bacchus wrote: 93 Points
I brought this to my 75th birthday celebration held at Prime-13 in Point Pleasant. Shared with Pat, Dom, Dom's significant other, Angry Prez and spouse who were at the table. Paired with NY Strip, baked potato and green vegetable. i presented a vertical including this 1999 and a 1997. did not decant as these wines were, according to most sources, at their drink by dates. i had thought that the 1997, being a 100 point wine would have been the WOTN. Surprisingly, i preferred this 1999 as it was more approachable, fragrant and charming. the wine was firing on all cylinders. ample dark skin fruit. acid and tannins resolved and in balance. lingering finish. all in all, a memorable experience due to the nature of the occasion, the hospitality and menu of the venue, and the sharing of a cellar gem with good friends.
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9/25/2019 - viking92067 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Always a nice and soulful Napa wine. I would drink any left now as this has peaked and while still some years left it is not as sublime as when younger.
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8/29/2019 - andolini wrote: 94 Points
Opened and decanted for a few hours before serving. Notable sediment. Beautiful dark red color. Just a very well-aged, complex, solid wine. I can't say it wowed me, but consistent dark red fruit/leather/chocolate/aged cabernet/smooth finish. Would love to have more. I have yet to be disappointed by a 90s Insignia.
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8/12/2019 - SonnyChiba wrote: 94 Points
3rd time trying in the last 5 years and still love it. No slowing down and consistent with previous notes. One of the better insignia, and love classic Bordeaux blend this vintage has.
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8/12/2019 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Popped and poured, and drank over two hours. Man, this stuff is good, good, good. The same amount of berry goodness as the bottle I had 5 years ago, but a slightly lower score given due to change in personal preference. Still exceptional.
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5/19/2019 - galewskj wrote: 94 Points
California Cabernet 2010 or older (Capital Grille): This was consistent with my experience of Insignia. There is great complexity, and also robust fruit that is in harmony with the rest of the wine.
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5/19/2019 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
Monthly Tasting Group: Cali Cabs 2005 and Older (Capitalle Grille, Mpls, MN): I think I had a about a single milliliter, but it was pretty dang impressive, lots going on – hopefully I’ll get a another shot at this.
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5/5/2019 - anthonyiez wrote: 94 Points
Delicious. Well stored bottles should be peaking soon and hold for many years.
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2/3/2019 - simkodam Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for 1-2 hours. Still initially slight tannic/acidic. Very inviting nose of alluring dark fruits. Medium full bodied and notes of strawberry with slightly harsh finish. Made this awful Superbowl quite tolerable. Very nice combination of fruit, mouth filling body, and pleasant taste from tip of tongue to swallowing.
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12/31/2018 - Janstan Likes this wine: 91 Points
Bramble blackberry, tobacco, earthy. Went well with mustard and herb crusted tenderloin of beef
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11/8/2018 - dcwino wrote: 94 Points
2018 Villa d’Este Wine Symposium – Kelly, RJ, Justin and Kevin's excellent adventure; 11/7/2018-11/11/2018 (Villa D’este, Lake Como): Very youthful Napa cab nose displaying blueberry liqueur, crème de cassis, ink, licorice, caramel, dark spices, milk chocolate, a hint of cedar and earth. Very good concentration, packed ripe blue and black fruit, unctuous and thick, warm and round, bright acidity, earthy mineral and a long intense black fruit driven finish. It is drinking nicely but can hold for another two decades or longer as there is plenty of fruit.
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11/2/2018 - fontaine wrote: 94 Points
Servi à l’aveugle… tout le monde ou presque a flairé le cab US. Une belle trame de fruits rouges, framboise, cerise, groseille et une légère pointe de vanille. En bouche, c’est bien enrobé, riche, soyeux
et doté d’une belle fraicheur. Une bonne longueur appréciable.
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9/26/2018 - wine4ever Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bottle 10 of our case. Not much change since the last one 15 months ago. I still think it's past it's peak, but still very enjoyable. It still has loads of fruit, some secondary characteristics including tar and leather. Sweet oak with hints of Eucalyptus. Very smooth, tannins resolved. It's just a bit flat to me, and has lost that bit of sizzle/acidity that it use to have. Will try the next one in 2020, as I think it still has 2-5 years at this plateau, don't know, but I still doubt it will improve.
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8/26/2018 - WoodieBayArea wrote:
no notes so NR, remember this being good and very young for its age... I think this could be better in 10 years
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8/24/2018 - Kevnzworld Likes this wine: 94 Points
Berrylicious nose with a hint of vanilla from the oak
Fruit forward on the palate, with some eucalyptus and depth from tannin. The ripe fruit has a little of that cooked quality that reminds you that you’re drinking a 20 yo Napa cab. A nice balance of fruit, spice, tannin and acidity.
A somewhat spicy finish but smooth with some cinnamon
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8/17/2018 - bobadopolis wrote: 93 Points
Surprisingly better on day 2
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7/17/2018 - floridawinedrkr Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank 3 of these last night. All were outstanding! see previous notes
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5/11/2018 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot wrote: 92 Points
Ripe black raspberries, black cherries, plums, and oak spices. Medium + body, medium tannins. Not sure if this is just over the hill or it’s in fact too young. Still great though!
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5/6/2018 - jzebrack Likes this wine: 94 Points
Certainly well within its drinking window.
Did not air out. Simply decanted for sediment.
Also, don't know how long, after opening, this vintage would last before dying, as it was finished within an hour.
Really elegant. Just tastes different than normal wine.
Certainly no longer big and bold. Tannin's are completely gone, and, yes, it is mildly earthy, but not dramatically so.
All in all, a real treat.
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4/1/2018 - MichielV wrote: 91 Points
W lamb chop. Upon opening and after 2 hour decant this had all indication of “superb”. The color was dark and beautiful, the nose was very full of fruit an other scents. On palate at first it was great BUT THEN it started petering out. It just lost vibrancy. Good but not super stellar. It felt as if the freshness was gone. I am going to try the next one next to the 1997.
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3/11/2018 - millesime66 wrote: 93 Points
Magnifique vin concentré et long, mais très évolué malgré une cave parfaite. Les arômes tertiares sont très présents, mais on n'a malheureusement plus beaucoup de fruit. À boire sans plus tarder.
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2/25/2018 - shaferguy91 wrote: 94 Points
1 hour decant. Beautiful wine. Probably at its peak but wonderful today.
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2/1/2018 - slywka7 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for 30 minutes. Aromas of cherry, blackberry, currant and iron. Flavors of cherry, blackberry, currant and earth. Ends with a 40+ second finish. This stood out like a sour thumb because of how young it tasted compared to the other wines. This still has many years ahead of it.
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1/8/2018 - floridawinedrkr Likes this wine: 95 Points
Awesome tonight. Silky smooth. Awesome depth. Took down a 2009 Harlan estate.
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12/27/2017 - Nutty08 wrote: flawed
Horribly corked! So sad
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12/6/2017 - TheEngineer Likes this wine: 95 Points
Perfect bottle, having come to the other side of 18 years now, still deep, dark, brooding, dark fruits, smooth silky entry, good long finish, great depth and good density but with a nice elegant mouthfeel and long finish.
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12/5/2017 - jeffal66 wrote: 90 Points
Pretty much a pop and pour. Past prime, no doubt. Hints of greatness but no staying power or lasting effect. Dark, brooding fruit, an exceptional nose (truly) but less there there. The mid- to late-palate falls flat. Great initial kiss but no sizzle. Perfectly fine but not even close to a great wine, more of a conversational piece.
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11/30/2017 - traxxx Likes this wine: 94 Points
1 hour decant. Blackberry, dark rasberry and strawberry with leather and wet earth. Great balance with long medium plus finish and mediim tannin. Still has some years left in bottle..
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11/14/2017 - iamandyc Likes this wine: 93 Points
Not quite up to the level of a 2007 Realm Farella cab that it was competing with on this night. Mature, balanced, pretty wine that is probably a touch past peak. Silky and light on its feet even thought the fruit has some extraction. Dainty finish. Drink up.
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10/6/2017 - KenK Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really impressive for the vintage, dark sweet blackberries, smooth rich, extracted. Yum
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10/6/2017 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Blind Tasting While Watching the Cubs Win NLDS Game 1 (Chez Kailin - Northbrook IL): Nicely evolved with good combination of ripe fruit and evolved earthy character. Very nicely balanced. Moderate weight and length.
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9/21/2017 - europat55 wrote: 91 Points
Nose: B++ Palate: A-
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9/13/2017 - Ssikes14 Likes this wine: 85 Points
Should have drank earlier
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9/1/2017 - crush wrote: 97 Points
Decanted for one hour. The wine was absolutely stunning.
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8/19/2017 - JackCali Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pretty amazing ready to drink
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8/5/2017 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 93 Points
Sadly my first off-line in awhile, but a great reconnection w Wineismylife while SacredCow was visiting w us in Dallas area. No detailed notes very full-bodied for its age. Solid pop and pour, in fine condition today and capable of lasting a few more years. Might actually be 94, but was wine #6 of the night.
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7/22/2017 - floridawinedrkr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Not as good as the last one but the cork on this bottle was very loose. Slight seepage. Still smooth as could be though. Very very good.
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7/5/2017 - cadamson Likes this wine: 92 Points
Sort of between my 2013 and 2007 notes. Perfectly stored, I think a bit in a dumb phase, but there were sips and seconds of brilliance. Though in between a bit flat. Good dark fruits, starting to get some secondary notes like leather and floral elements, and a bit of cocoa. Good, perhaps will get outstanding, hard to say.
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6/26/2017 - otisabdul Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pronounced cedar and eucalyptus upon opening, but blew off in 20 minutes. A well-balanced Insignia with no sharp angles. Blackcurrant and blackberry fruit was plush. Tannins fully integrated. Acidity was softer than I expected. I would not hold longer than 3 more years.
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6/19/2017 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really enjoyed this wine... just what I expected it to be.
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6/4/2017 - SonnyChiba wrote: 94 Points
Consistent with previous note. Lovely Napa wine. Aged just right. Has that little extra oomph of complexity that is missing on a lot of other Napa wines. A velvety, fruity, delicious wine that paired well with BBQ.
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4/29/2017 - levinml wrote: 93 Points
Drank well, middle of the fairway flavors and good overall balance. Drink anytime.
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4/7/2017 - wine4ever Likes this wine: 92 Points
Always a crowd pleaser....but I do think it has begun it's slow decline. It was so amazing young, and it is still extremely good. There are hints of aging on the color, nose and palate and time will only tell if this vintage has what it takes to go the long hall.
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2/25/2017 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 93 Points
From Magnum. A lovely wine with lawyers of black and blue fruits, some tar and leather, sweet Oak, with hints of Eucalyptus. Very smooth, but not nearly the complexity or depth of the best vintages.
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1/21/2017 - jonesjuice88 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Perfect balance
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12/31/2016 - jsebiri wrote:
Another 1999 wine for December . This one is Excellent. Classic California.
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12/16/2016 - Jake_Meister Likes this wine: 95 Points
Amazing body and tannins. Distinct fruity notes with long woodsy notes at the end.
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11/29/2016 - Vinophiliac559 wrote: 95 Points
94-95 Showing amazingly well, this was the WOTN for me. Mature Napa cab, pencil lead, resolved silky tannin, mocha, dark fruit. Whats not to enjoy?
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11/24/2016 - Rsblackley Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great bottle, still in its prime. Great fruit on the nose after corking, beautifully smooth after an hour decant. Great with the thanksgiving meal!
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11/1/2016 - cephomer Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nose shows cherries, licorice and leather. Still a pretty ruby red with the slightest of bricking. Medium body with wonderful complexity. Plenty of black fruit on the palate, along with leather, meat and earth. Even detected some lead pencil with still a slight tannic grip. Sweet ripe fruit is still the first thing one notices, but there are plenty of other very pleasant elements to this wine. A bit short perhaps, but very tasty. Prime example of the best of what California is capable of. My WOTN.
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10/9/2016 - scott w Likes this wine: 94 Points
The 99 does not get much love but this bottle was beautiful and much better than the first one I opened. Light to medium on the palate, silky dark fruits and beautiful aged cabernet flavors. Good balance between tannin and acid. Excellent
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8/29/2016 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 95 Points
Terrific and drinking very youthfully! Great mouth feel and a medium after taste. Practically a perfect wine right now.
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7/13/2016 - jjoyce Likes this wine:
Popped and poured. Amazing bouquet. Can't believe this Cali wine is 17 years old! Smooth as a baby's bottom. Still a lot of fruit, and tannins present. Could have kept for a few more years still I think without going downhill, but I believe it is at perfect maturity now. So happy I opened it up!
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6/29/2016 - Diane (LI) wrote:
Plum, earth, and herbs. Typical of the vintage, the acid was a little low, but it all worked. Enjoyed with burgers with blue cheese and mushrooms on Fire Island.
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6/20/2016 - pigdaddy wrote: 93 Points
from magnum. decanted one hour (quite a bit of sediment.) still deeply colored, not purple, but appearing younger in the glass; anise, currant jam & earthy elements dominate the nose; med-full body, but not as dense as some vintages; rich in dark red fruits (red & black raspberries) w/significant earthy & iron components, particularly noteworthy for the absence of over-extracted characteristics or raisining; followed over 3 hours, seems to be at peak (in this format, at least) with more refinement & claret-like qualities than some years of Insignia. Became silkier & more supple over the evening.
grilled lamb loin chops w/oil-cured olives & lamb jus; grilled ratatouille, fingerling potatoes w/rosemary. Happy Father's Day to me!
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6/18/2016 - wine4ever Likes this wine: 94 Points
Number 8 from our cellar. Delicious as usual. I do believe these have past their peak, but they still should stay in this exceptional window until 2020.
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6/13/2016 - bobadopolis Likes this wine: 94 Points
2 hour decant. Phenomenal wine.
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4/13/2016 - BRR Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for only 30 minutes before first taste. Initially, in addition to the beautiful red cherry and licorice aromas, this had a whole lot of leather, earth, and savory aromas. Over time, the wine took on weight and sweetness of fruit, and became more silky. Very little tannin at this point and enough acidity for balance, but I'd drink up over the next 1-5 years. Would likely hold for another 10, but won't likely improve much, IMO.
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2/14/2016 - guitarguy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Third wine of night so maybe my taste buds were a bit "overwhelmed". Clearly fresh, still vibrant with deep red fruit and a very balanced palate. I was pleased and would not have pegged this as 16+ years of age.
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2/7/2016 - KenK Likes this wine: 91 Points
Good, but a bit lean and hard vs others tonight. Sweet dark dirty black ripe fruits with good zip. A touch earthy and lean, still a good drink.
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2/7/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: 89 Points
From magnum. Very enjoyable overall. Nicely mature with good combination of ripe and evolved flavors, with hints of what I'd imagine was once jammy character. Fun.
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2/2/2016 - wine4ever Likes this wine: 96 Points
Incredible showing for this wine. Decanted and drank over 3 hours. Beautiful nose, beautiful flavor profile (dark cherries, cinnamon, currant, mineral, forest), great depth, beautiful mouth feel, and a long finish. A tremendous wine on all accounts. So fresh, excellent structure. Still at peak. Doesn't need much breathing time....it's definitely good to go right now. Should be at a similar peak for at least a year, it may degrade slightly over next 3-4. Drink by 2020 for best results.
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1/31/2016 - petenich wrote: 94 Points
Good nose, well balanced, near the end of peak drinking period.
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1/17/2016 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 94 Points
Previously sampled via CV and in a perfect place right now. Should be consumed within 2-3 years at most, but this is the epitome of what a well-aged and well-built calcab can become. Along with '99 Dunn Howell from magnum, best wine at Rose's 50th celebration.
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1/12/2016 - cephomer wrote: 89 Points
Westchester Wine School - Premium Wine Tasting (Bar Lees, Mamaroneck, NY): Drank at WWS tasting. Crimson red in color, showing some bricking. Lots of funk on the nose, which I found off-putting. I hadn't had this wine in awhile, and it's definitely on the downward trend. Some dark fruit still there, chocolate and forest floor too, along with a decent acidity level. Tannins mostly resolved. I recall this wine being a powerful, lush but well-balanced pour. Now, it seemed a bit tired and faded. I didn't love it, though several at our tasting very much enjoyed it. I still have some in the cellar so will have to revisit soon, hoping this bottle was just slightly tainted.
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12/26/2015 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 97 Points
I have to say this is probably the best American red I've had all year. What struck me about this wine was the purity of flavor - the amazingly fresh nose of dark rich fruit, forest floor, and spices that all come together so well. Tannins and acidity are present but not overly so. Despite the relative lack of tannins, the wine still really held together extraordinarily well for three hours in the glass, and in my opinion, shows no signs of slowing down in the coming years. The finish was 25-30 seconds with amazingly very little evolution as the night wore on. I know that many would say that a fairly mass-produced wine that is not a single vineyard product does not merit this high a score, but I'd have to dare those people to blind-taste this vs a Harlan since they are made in a very similar style. Among the best of California fruit-driven wine is contained within this bottle, just an absolutely terrific effort.
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11/23/2015 - Kemo Sabe Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still holding up well. Good flavors. Well balanced.
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9/11/2015 - wine4ever Likes this wine: 94 Points
Half way through my case. We've enjoyed tasting the evolution of this wine. It's in it's 'mature' window, but still has plenty of life left. There are plenty of tannins left to resolve, and right now it's slightly out of balance with the alcohol a bit too noticeable. That said, it's still a fabulous wine with great flavor, structure, depth, and an incredibly long finish. It's about where it was last year, maybe a tad better, but it's still not as opulent or impressive as it was when when it was younger. I expect secondary characteristics will show up soon.
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8/19/2015 - gmat5497 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Spectacular. Rich purple fully matured. Wonderful
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8/18/2015 - Gymcoach11 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Had this wine in my cellar for 8 years and finally decided to open. The wine pours a very deep red with very little legs on it. On the nose, the smells leap out of the glass with notes of oak, courant, berries, ,little bit of smoke as well. On the palate, the wine is silky smooth with hints of oak that just linger on the finish and the berry, courant flavors just jump ahead. The alcohol level seems pretty high on the palate but could be because of the age of the wine. All in all a delicious wine from phelps this is my first time having the wine and hope to enjoy over the course of the night
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8/11/2015 - Corkz284 wrote:
Cedar bouquet, thick and opaque, incredibly smooth and luscious black cherry and berries .
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7/13/2015 - WStucker wrote: 94 Points
Unlike the last bottle I had of this, the cork was perfect. At the middle of it's drinking window, it was a beautiful silky Bordeaux style treat. Cassis, chocolate, dreid black fruits. Can't wait to pop another in a few years.
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6/23/2015 - floridawinedrkr Likes this wine: 95 Points
Outstanding!!! Like an aged Bordeaux. Red fruit, leather, wet cedar, dark chocolate. Very silky smooth. What a great wine. Excellent from start to finish.
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5/6/2015 - dedwards wrote:
awesome
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2/28/2015 - jrobs7777 wrote:
Saturday Night Cali Cabs (Our House (2033 Brandywine)): Now 16ish years on, this appears to have peaked and is on the downward side of a long bell curve drinking window. There are signs it may be getting just a bit tired. That is not to say it was bad on this night. Still a powerhouse and delicious but it seemed to lose just a tad of the freshness and power from our previous bottle over 5 years ago. Tannins have subsided a bit. Acidity is still there. Chocolate, dark fruit and menthol make for a delicious wine. This will still be good for a few years but I would not hold for much longer.
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2/22/2015 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted (some solids) and let breath for five hours. Wonderful! Deep purple in the glass. Very pure yet robust. Great nose. Fills the mouth and then lingers on the tongue. Complex yet well integrated. Great stuff from the first glass to the last. No sign of getting tired or flabby.
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2/21/2015 - AlexHop wrote: 93 Points
Excellent but not as complex as some Insignia vintages. Given how wonderful I find many 1999 Napas almost a little disappointing. Great start and still shows nice fruit but a shorter finish than I'd expect.
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2/15/2015 - mvrla wrote:
Superb in every way
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2/14/2015 - Duncan Wine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Saturated deep ruby red. Aromas of dark cherry and touch of mocha. Smooth and superbly balanced with a big finish. Stood up in cellar two days before drinking. Opened and sampled 8 hours prior to dinner and left unopened in cellar. Another sip 2 hours before meal. No decanting required. WOTN.
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12/25/2014 - TexasBob Likes this wine: 92 Points
Absolutely gorgeous medium red that really catches the light. Tightly restricted nose of rose petals, cloves, and freshly-crushed cranberry. Notes of diluted cherry cough syrup, extracted red fruits, with the slightest hint of green herbs in the finish along with slightly dusty tannins. This is at an ideal drinking stage, though it likely has at least another five years at this level.
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12/24/2014 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 91 Points
Thought I was opening an '02, suprised later when I realized the vintage. Not decanted, this seemed thin right out of the bottle in spite of its dark color and lack of bricking. I found that syrah stems added weight, grit, complexity and darker fruit, compared to cab stems which showed this as a bordeaux-styled wine lacking depth and finish. After two hrs the wine had picked up heft, showing some green pepper on the nose, red cherry, old tobacco and older leather on on both the nose and palate. Finish had lengthened as well. Still fine with some air, but clearly on the back nine. Drink by '17 to minimize deterioration, but clearly drinkable through 2020.
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11/23/2014 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 95 Points
Popped and poured. Inky purple blackness Not too much heat. Well balanced. Aftertaste of green pepper. Smooth and satisfying - like drinking gravy. Awesome. Nice little tingly bit on the tip of the tongue. Blackberry and boysenberry. Powdered sugar finish. Wine of the night.
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11/23/2014 - SonnyChiba wrote: 94 Points
Excellent wine. This thing is ripping. Dark dark color, full bodied, delicious black fruits, red cherry nibs coming through, as well as mocha. Balanced with a rich finish. Definitely right in the spot for my liking. Ready to go for another 10+ years.
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10/9/2014 - affordableCollector wrote: 86 Points
dark red, magenta, orange, in the color. dark fruit, earth, on the nose. blackberry, spice, cigar, on the palate. high acid, low tannins, on the finish.
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10/3/2014 - garrigue65 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Raspberry and smoke on nose. There was nice fruit forward of black currant with licorice on a long finish. Mid palate vegetal green pepper flavor. Decanted for a half an hour and developed nicely over the next hour or so. Tannins soften with time.
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9/24/2014 - WStucker wrote:
This bottle confused me. I was using a Coravin over about a week on it. I could get what some notes were talking about, but there was a dry, over the hill, slight prune character in the foreground. Finally understood why tonight as I pulled the cork for the final glass and it completely fell apart!!
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8/24/2014 - Fugu Me Likes this wine:
Really beautiful nose exploding from this as it was being decanted for sediment. Served immediately, this was in a great spot. Mature, integrated tannins. Nice body, silky on the palate, still showing fruit. Stood up well with no hint of fading across the 90 minutes it was consumed in.
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8/12/2014 - boxedwine wrote:
drank with a 2000 cos and a 1987 grange. this was a distant third.
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8/4/2014 - wine4ever Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still awesome, but has evolved a lot this past year. Each of the different grape varietals seem to be "competing" this go around - if that's possible. Made for an interesting couple of hours of tasting. Not as flamboyant and lush as in the past, turning more elegant, tannins well integrated. Still tons of dark fruit, spiciness, granite, some forest, herb, and touch of oak. Smooth, with a long, long finish. The mature plateau has been hit. Best over next 3-5 years, but drink by 2023.
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7/29/2014 - JimN Likes this wine: 95 Points
Screaming Eagle Showdown (Yellow Springs Inn): Part of a blind tasting of 1999 US Cabernets. This was in my top three, and virtually tied with the Screaming Eagle and Colgin Cariad. A massive, dark and brooding wine. I correctly guessed as Insignia. Drinking well with a good decant, but has a decade or more ahead of it.
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7/29/2014 - PSUSteve Likes this wine: 95 Points
Served blind. Decanted for 75 minutes and drank over the next two to three hours. The nose was dusty bordering on musty but the palate was deep berry fruit with complex layers. Very long finish. I thought this fell off a little bit as the evening went on. My WOTN against a high powered line-up.
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7/4/2014 - werdna39 wrote: 94 Points
Pop and pour. Wonderful nose. Smooth, good fruit. Seems to be on it's mature plateau.
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6/22/2014 - Agreenblatt wrote: 96 Points
magnum made the difference. Great balance between body and silky smooth texture. Had much youth to it as opposed to the 750 ml. Perfect with steak.
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6/22/2014 - Agreenblatt wrote: 95 Points
Perfect balance between body and silky smooth finish. Aged so well in a magnum was hard to believe it was the same wine. Ready to drink upon opening. Had with Debragga and was perfect.
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6/16/2014 - Firefly78 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cigar box, graphite, tobacco, rare meats and dark, ripe fruit.
Fleshy, dense, soft and rich, with medium/medium- acidity and fine sweet tannins. The alcohol was sticking out a little, with a noticable burn at the back of the throat.
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5/26/2014 - 55degrees Likes this wine: 94 Points
Stored at 55 degrees since release placed upright and brought to room temp over an hour. Perfect cork with moderate tartrate. Decanted with filtration and minimal agitation. Dark ruby with faint brick rim. Good legs. Nose of stewed red fruits and some plum with slight cigar box and slatey earth with a tinge of herb.
Excellent mouthfeel still with good bing cherry and general red fruit character intermixed with leathery earthy undertones. Fine tannins but well integrated yielding a nice balanced wine with a long smooth finish. Definitely improved over 2 hours with dinner of porterhouse steaks from the grill with potatoes and tomato salad. In retrospect it might have done with a longer decant but alas it's my last one. 2018 at least.
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5/17/2014 - absolut Likes this wine: 93 Points
einfach wunderbar, grandiose Länge 60sec. plus
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5/10/2014 - Agreenblatt wrote: 94 Points
Best bottle yet. Drank out of bottle at Scarpetta. Braised beef agnolotti in bone marrow. Does not need to breathe.
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1/28/2014 - grafighter Likes this wine: 94 Points
This bottle was amusing. It played hide and seek from start to finish. Decanted for 2 hours for Bday dinner at Osteria Mozza. Upon opening, the bouquet exploded with lots of cassis, tobacco and meat as expected of classic higher end Napa cabs. The palate was spot on within 30 minutes of decanting with red fruits, cedar, chocolate. The tannins were silky smooth and balanced with the acid and fruits.
Drank another sample after 2-hour decant before putting wine back in bottle to take to Mozza. It was very disappointing...bouquet is practically gone, palate was very tannic. Took along a 2004 Kapcsandy as back-up wine.
Decanted again at the restaurant in hope that the magic would come back. And sure enough, the gorgeous bouquet and palate slowly came back...just to disappear again towards the end of the bottle. The wine got really tannic and out of focus about 2 hours into dinner.
I don't know what to make of this bottle. I guess you can say I got punk'ed. Hahaha! It was very enjoyable nonetheless. Very nice wine overall.
Got this bottle from a reputable auction site and it had good storage history. If I have another one, which I don't, I'd only decant less than an hour and would drink in 1 sitting. If you have some of these...cheers to you!
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12/31/2013 - PDavisMarble wrote: 94 Points
Inky blood red. Cherries and tobacco nose. Decanted from a magnum and left to open for an hour. Could have used 3. A beautiful, powerful cab. Toasted bread, chocolate and cedar. Black fruits, clear acids, and rich, mildly sweet plums. This is drinking well, but has years to go.
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12/1/2013 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened and allowed to breathe for 2.5 hours, but not decanted. Tobacco, red cherry and crushed stone on the nose. Fruits are still fairly powerful for a wine of this age and the tanins, which are nicely integrated and although soft, show some grit. Wine shows its New World pedigree but is definatly done in a bordeaux style. Have three more bottles and believe I'll try to consume by 2016
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12/1/2013 - fredman wrote: 93 Points
Day One: from Magnum
1 hour decant.
Nicely balanced with dark fruits dominate.
Sweet tannins.
Still alive and kicking. 94
Day Two: from Magnum
24 hour decant.
"Plumier" than the previous night.
Extremely well-made and very enjoyable. 92
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10/30/2013 - Agreenblatt wrote: 93 Points
I let this breath for 2 hours in the bottle. It peaked at 30 minutes in the glass or 3 hours in the bottle. I wouldn't recommend decanting as these older insignias can go through a quick life cycle in my experience. Had it with filet and really enjoyed it all night long. Went nicely with the chocolate cake as well. What you'd expect from an insignia.
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10/26/2013 - VDLT Wine Does not like this wine:
Undoubtedly a good wine but too much much for me.
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10/25/2013 - timewithwine wrote:
Following the poor showing of both Merryvales, I needed a wine to please non-wine diners with us and try to make up for the definite failings of the first attempts. For that reason, I pulled the Insignia. Popped and poured with no time for slow oxygenation. I considered decanting, but I’d already been away from the table for awhile. As soon as the cork clears the bottle the bouquet delivers pomegranate, mint, menthol, blackberries and leather. This is a big and youthful wine. The color is purple from the rim to the core. Blackberry - almost cassis quality - dominates the palate, but the other elements of the bouquet distinguish themselves also. The leather carries from the attack to midpalate. Powerful and rich with layers of mocha, leather and plum transforming on the finish. This will last for several years. 14% alc. With prime rib (beef) and horseradish sauce and sides of scalloped potatoes and red pepper creme brulee. With the Washburns. Recommended.
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10/22/2013 - jwittich wrote: 94 Points
Caught this at the right time, smooth, not very tannic
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10/12/2013 - VAGenius Likes this wine: 96 Points
Nose of mocha, cassis, oak, and hints of exotic spice. Thick and delicious palate of rich black cherry, black currant, dark chocolate and gently flowing tannins. The tannins vibrate on the long, caressing finish with cherry wood, leather, and red soil.
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10/9/2013 - Bin3016 wrote: 94 Points
- Garnet color with a medium/full body. Round texture - Decanted for 3 hours. This is drinking very nicely now. A perfect steak wine.
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8/24/2013 - hcampana Likes this wine: 93 Points
From magnum. This wine continues to improve in the bottle. The nose was just out of this world and easily worth 95-96 points. Complex, exhilarating black fruits with complexing elements of underbrush, graphite and chocolate. In the palate, it was full bodied, elegant, with resolved tannins and very decent length. A winner from an un heralded vintage.
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8/23/2013 - norsktorsk wrote: 92 Points
This is drinking well and holding up nicely.
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8/22/2013 - EMichels wrote: 93 Points
Nice; Doesn't jump out - just a beautiful subtle bottle; Nicely developed; Great clarity
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8/16/2013 - brucemll Does not like this wine: 84 Points
unfortunately this wine is beyond its time
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8/16/2013 - cadamson Likes this wine: 96 Points
Outstanding, one of the best showing wines all year so far. Perfectly stored since release. Wonderful bouquet on the nose, dark fruits, herbs, some olive. Great presence on the palate, with oodles of flavors and a long finish. Simply wonderful.
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8/8/2013 - walkerjfw wrote: 93 Points
AT Kevin D's, last wine of the night for the group. He was very generous with hiss cellar this evening. Went into the cellar and pulled two 750s of this, popped and poured, drank over an hour. Could have used a chance to open up.
Delicious out of the chute, still a little tight. Ripe, dark fruits, mocha, mushrooms, eucalyptus, dark cherries (mid palate), some spice. Mild tannins, starting to resolve.
Very good, although in scheme of Insignia's would rank in the middle of what I have experienced.
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8/1/2013 - dougie Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for an hour. Needed three. Fruit started to come out at that point. Very Bordeaux like for first few hours.
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7/20/2013 - TheDarkPrince Likes this wine: 95 Points
Mocha chocolate powder on the nose, intermingled with wet earth, mushrooms and mint. In my mind, the tell--tale sign of age is there. Lots of barrel toast and morello cherries on the palette. Tannins add superb texture and structure. Super long finish. This wine is outstanding.
:0)
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7/4/2013 - Dennis Cloutier wrote: 94 Points
Happy 4th
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6/25/2013 - JJB1 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great wine once again, making this a habit!!!
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5/28/2013 - JJB1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Unbelievable
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5/10/2013 - RonniePiemonte wrote: 92 Points
All the likely suspects of flavor. Very supple. Delicious and rich. Great cocktail wine with nibbles then cigars.
Has plenty of life left and will improve in complexity.
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5/8/2013 - Margauxguy wrote: 94 Points
Very good to great wine. Delicious, full, rich. Wait before drinking again
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5/7/2013 - WoodieBayArea wrote: 92 Points
annie's favorite so we popped one, very nice wine, big nose with dark fruit and chocolate, rich on the palate but with nice tannin / acid bite to keep it in check, very full bodied with dark fruits and cocoa... nice effort even if a bit rich, also some herb or spice element sneaking around in the background
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4/19/2013 - madalyn wrote: 92 Points
very nice Insignia, it is ready to drink
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4/12/2013 - Agreenblatt wrote: 94 Points
Let this breathe at least 2 hours.
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3/24/2013 - Feindinger wrote: 90 Points
Cork was a bit brittle, showing some signs of possible leakage into capsule. That being said, level was spot on.
Big beautiful nose immediately apparent upon opening, even without decant. Strong midpalate with well rounded tannins still in place. Finish was a bit short but not unexpected for a '99.
Probably at its peak. While no signs of bricking, don't believe anything better will come from further aging. Drink up.
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3/18/2013 - wine4ever Likes this wine: 97 Points
Incredible - again. And it just keeps getting better.
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3/18/2013 - 2oldwinos wrote: 90 Points
Needs at least 2 more years
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2/23/2013 - jreis wrote:
Tasted blind alongside 7 other Cali cabs, decanted for 2 hours. Gorgeous nose of dark cherry, anise, cedar and dark earth. Beautiful dark fruit and lovely structure and tannins - balanced right between primary and secondary. Excellent on its own and even better with food. My WOTN, #2 for the group
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2/20/2013 - Carniolan Likes this wine: 92 Points
dark, almost opaque; incredible lovely mostly fruity nose; smooth tannins, hint of walnut flavor; very nice finish - the standout thing about this wine was the nose, lovely in your face with every sip!
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2/11/2013 - kopke wrote: 93 Points
Superbe, un vin profond, boisé à la hauteur, fruits mûrs, cette touche "sucré" sans l'être vraiment, propre au beau vin de la Californie. Il me faut faire un effort pour encaver de tels vins! 18/20
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2/8/2013 - MRichman wrote:
Very nice. Full bodied with excellent intensity, lush fruit, and suave profile. Really a solid wine, soft and enjoyable with some very nice dark notes that keep it serious. Drinking very well right now and for the foreseeable future. Well built. Very much enjoyed by a bunch of smart Kiwis.
B+/A-
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1/20/2013 - PGB wrote: 93 Points
Got to agree with most of the tasting notes here. Great performance for a 1999. Not the level of intensity and concentration that one gets from the top years but no one is going to complain when served this late in the evening.
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1/11/2013 - TastesGoodToMe Likes this wine: 94 Points
Just perfect! This has plenty of time left but drinking wonderfully right now. Decanted 3 hours at cellar temp. Re-bottled and took to dinner. Upon first taste, my wife and I quickly exchanged knowing glances - as we recognized this bottle as being something special. And then we proceeded to fill our family's glasses with the other bottle that we brought to dinner so we could get more of this for ourselves! (For our family to drink a wine over $20 is a treat for them - so they were more than taken care of with the other wine! But a wine this good needs to be consumed by those that can appreciate it!!!) Excellent vintage. Going to see if I can find more.
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12/31/2012 - Tight Lines Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great nose, very smooth, medium body, very long finish. Continues to improve.
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12/24/2012 - Vino Me wrote: 95 Points
3rd time I have had this. This bottle was a gift from Dr.T. Opened at a Christmas party. Not decanted and moderately sedimented. Drinking beautifully now. Smooth and elegant. Very different than when released. Notes of cedar, herbs and plums. Integrated tannins. Long finish. 95 points.
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11/25/2012 - Smath wrote: 94 Points
Awesome !
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11/21/2012 - Chainthroer wrote: 93 Points
Consumed at the SAFW Reunion. Aromas and flavors of black cherry, blackberry, some dark chocolate, a touch of mint, cigar box from the oak. Intense, rich and full bodied. Velvety in the mouth. Nice balance. Tannins are soft and totally integrated into the wine. A long and appreciable finish of 30-40 seconds.
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11/16/2012 - gmat5497 wrote: 93 Points
Excellent. Everything fits
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8/18/2012 - fisk15 wrote: 94 Points
Really good, showed typical '99 herbal tinges, but very balanced and the best wine opened on the Chicago trip.
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6/10/2012 - FriendsInTown wrote: 95 Points
Outstanding as always BIG
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6/8/2012 - clarktoews wrote: 94 Points
just fantastic! lots of fruit but not overpowering and a bit of soie as well, perhaps white pepper?? too bad it was my last bottle
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6/5/2012 - twoamps wrote: 90 Points
nice mellowedcab blend. Not an OMG botle, but aged well (continuing the trend of the 99s doing better longer than the 97s. Maybe even worth the price.
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6/1/2012 - cephomer wrote: 96 Points
The wine was decanted for an hour before pouring. A deep garnet color in the glass. Very pungent nose of red and dark fruits. We drank this wine at a Ned Towle (Westchester Wine School) tasting (appx 15 wines, some of great note and age) and it was voted the wine of the nite by a majority of participants. I'm writing this review more than a month after the tasting so I'm going from memory. Now, get this straight: I'm the last guy to sing the praises of California wines. I find them to be generally overrated, overly expensive, and way too alcoholic. But, I have to admit, I was flabbergasted that this wine outshone 05 Solaia, 94 Beringer Reserve, 86 Talbot et al. Lots of fruit on the mid palate, white pepper accents, decent acidity making for a very well balanced, modern-style, not-too-hot wine from California. I'm glad I have some more so I can revisit this beauty.
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5/16/2012 - rdsboca wrote: 96 Points
Winner, winner chicken dinner. Great black and red cherry fruit, dry finish but incredibly well balanced and layered with mature fruit.
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3/31/2012 - wineruky wrote: 98 Points
Incredible bottle, enjoyed with the person who got me into wine with this very bottle 5 yrs ago. Bold, lush and brilliant.
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3/23/2012 - WDSteers wrote: 97 Points
Incredible cab mix with violets, dark fruit , herbal notes. Tannins settled. Paired beautifully with bison steaks. Peak now but will last for a couple yrs
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3/20/2012 - Papies wrote: 94 Points
Joseph Phelps Insignia Vertical 2008>1994 with Robert Baxter (Handford Wines, London): Big open beautiful nose. Much like a 90s Bordeaux with minty notes. On the palate it is supple and round. Could use some more age to assimilate the oak but overall a superb wine and very nice to drink now. 94
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12/28/2011 - cjsavino wrote: 94 Points
- Garnet color - Deep color, initial taste of olives and herbs which blew off after an hour, long finish.
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12/1/2011 - clarktoews wrote: 93 Points
wow! still lots of power, i would have guessed this wine was only 5yrs old not 12!
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11/15/2011 - dannyk8232 wrote: 95 Points
Outstanding. Lush fruit, big yet soft, and integrated perfectly. Tannins are fine and smooth......I love this wine.
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9/19/2011 - danielk168 wrote: 93 Points
Took about 1 hour in the bottle to open up and was best at about hour 3. Drinking beautifully now, balanced, ellegant, soft tannins, not a powerful wine but very stylish. Likely will keep a few more years but why wait!
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9/8/2011 - jreis wrote:
Sweet dark cherry fruit, nice restrained chocolate, lots of cedar and licorice on the nose. Nice smooth palate, with good balance of dark fruit and tannins starting to move to secondary. Not a blockbuster, but nicely constructed and very ready to drink today. WOTN against some big boys from 1999 - Dominus, Monte Bello, Les Pavots, Togni...
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8/26/2011 - fredman wrote: 91 Points
Scored this "just" a 91 (had scored it 93 on previous tasting). A very good bottle to be sure but it just didn't blow me away. Muted nose opened up after an hour.
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8/23/2011 - chateaumiller wrote:
EXCELLENT
In this bottle the tannins have integrated to a more smooth palate feel with the fruit coming forward. Dark fruit flavors are the dominant aspect with a medium finish and medium acidity keeping this adolescent from being flabby. Glad we popped it now instead of a couple of years down the road.
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8/18/2011 - wine4ever Likes this wine: 96 Points
Extraordinary wine. I'm always excited about opening one of these...they never fail to please. Wish I could have one every night. So smooth and lush. The perfect weight and texture, - dances in my mouth with layers of flavors and oh, what a wonderful bouquet.
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8/14/2011 - randyjc wrote: 94 Points
Remarkably aromatic. Scents of lavender along with the classic California cab smells, but really intense. Did not decant long enough. Only at about 45 to 60 minutes in the glass did the acidity yield to dark flavors of earth and tobacco. Multi layered, long finish. Perhaps an underrated Insignia?
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7/30/2011 - atwkite wrote: 96 Points
Rich, smooth and incredibly balanced. Holding up well with age. I think this is my 16th bottle from this year and they have been consistently excellent.
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6/27/2011 - garrigue65 wrote: 95 Points
jammy fruits on nose of dried fruits with a hint of chocolate. still plenty of fruit with luxurious tannins with long finish .
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6/25/2011 - floydtp wrote: 91 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 cassis nose with some tobacco. Very sweet on the palate with red fruit and some cedar. A bit one dimensional but well made. Somewhat short finish. Enjoyable enough but was my least favorite among the Insignias tasted. Drink now.
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6/25/2011 - wineismylife wrote: 93 Points
CellarTracker Wisconsin Offline I - Part Two - Double Vertical Tasting (petiteblanc's house in Madison, WI): WIML93
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 started with a hint of coffee followed by a little tobacco, light notes of white pepper, red berries and plums. Flavors of red berries, red raspberries, red cherries and red plums. Bright acidity, medium to firm tannins, full bodied. Drink or hold.
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6/25/2011 - IWineAlot wrote: 90 Points
CT Wisconsin Offline (Madison, WI): Not as good as the '97 & '98 I had before this. Tight nose, cedar and plums jumped out right away. Big and tannic at this stage. Needs more time to come around on the palate.
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6/25/2011 - petitblanc wrote: 91 Points
CT Wisconsin Offline; 6/24/2011-6/25/2011 (Madison, WI): Quite tannic and a bit hot. Seems a little disjointed now, but may this may have the structure to show better in time.
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5/13/2011 - Murzin wrote: 93 Points
Friday the 13th was not scary thanks to this delicious wine that has held up nicely.
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4/26/2011 - East of Napa wrote: 92 Points
drank with david for Donna's 55th birthday. Still a favorite and worth keeping until now. Will never have again.
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4/3/2011 - Screameagle wrote: 93 Points
Drinking so well now it must be in it's prime. Not as good as the '97 we recently consumed but very good none the less. Everyone loved it.
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4/2/2011 - Fugu Me wrote:
Velvety smooth with well integrated fruit. Very balanced and drinking incredibly well. Unlikely to improve with more aging.
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3/29/2011 - ews3 wrote: 93 Points
no note -- consumed over an enjoyable dinner
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2/12/2011 - hcampana wrote: 93 Points
From Magnum. Not tasted blind. Very nice, subdued aromas of black fruits and cedar. In the palate it was full to medium bodied, very balanced, with low acidity and a nice, complex finish. I liked it better than the magnum of 1999 Dead Arom that we had alongside it.
De Magnum. No probado a ciegas. La nariz es un poco reticente, pero deliciosa. Con aromas de frutas negras y cedro. En boca, tiene cuerpo medio a lleno, muy balanceado, con baja acidez y un final largo y complejo. Me gustó más que la magnum de 1999 Dead Arm que nos tomamos junto a ella.
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12/31/2010 - Bcw1989 wrote: 94 Points
Velvety smooth and still lots of fruit in this wine. Cranberry, plum, and cedar notes, plus a hint of kirsch on the first few tastes. Tannins have softened very nicely. Beginning to have a garnet color but was still showing a dark ruby presence. Not much improvement after about 30-45 minutes, but this Insignia did not fade either. Drink sooner than later. Not too sure if this will get any better with several more years of age.
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12/25/2010 - cubswinws wrote: 93 Points
Has mellowed out and starting to gain some secondary flavors. Drinking well now but likely better in one to two years.
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12/22/2010 - genothevino Likes this wine: 95 Points
This 11 year old wine, had no trace of any oxidation; the color was a perfect dark purple. We decanted and when we did the aromas filled the room of plums, prunes or any other dark fruit, touched off with a terrific vanillan background. The flavors were just as dramatic. Truly a great wine.
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12/6/2010 - Brett wrote: 97 Points
last bottle....oh no!
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11/21/2010 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Right now, this bottle is leaning the line between youth and 2ndary notes--it's right there straddling the line. Great balance, no heat (as I recall tasting the 2003 a few years back and it stunk). This bottle was perfect and in a great drinking place between the two poles.
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10/23/2010 - Taylor56 wrote: 92 Points
Double-splash decanted and brought to a restaurant. Very pretty deep garnet in the glass. Dark berries, bit of leather and slight hints of tobacco in the nose. Dark cherry/berry in the mouth. Very nice texture and structure. Tannins have softened and this wine is in a nice place. Drink.
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10/16/2010 - jrobs7777 wrote: 94 Points
Terrific all around wine. Dark blue fruit and sweet vanilla framed by wood. I'd actually prefer the wood to be a bit more subtle. A hint of chocolate covered fruit on nose. Palate is clean and fresh. Just remarkable that it is still so fresh. Great acidity. Coating fine tannins. Great fruit and concentration. Nice finish with good length.
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9/19/2010 - wabi47 wrote: 92 Points
cork fell apart but looks ok; decanted for one hour (minor sediment); important deep plum and clean earth on the nose; red currant and sl tart red and black plum; cedar and tannins not quite integrated; medium mid palate; big but not ponderous; still has that firmness that the 99 cali cabs often show; didnt quite match with the bbq skirt steak with a sl sweet teriyaki sauce (which made it seem v sl sour)
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9/5/2010 - g-man wrote: 94 Points
My last bottle sadly. just a great meritage that is in its sweetspot right now. The purity of fruit and well integrated tabins are all in balance. Matched well with a grilled rib roast.
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9/3/2010 - Brett wrote: 96 Points
Just great!
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8/12/2010 - dbg wrote:
Dark red to rim. Forward nose of dark ripe fruits/berries, smoke, tar, cassis. Full body, layered lush fruits follow the nose, gets even bigger towards the mid and back-palate with great concentration, long finish, moderate complexity. Outstanding.
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8/2/2010 - TwoSmoochies wrote: 95 Points
Classic CA cab - "frei ranch" taste
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7/26/2010 - dougie wrote: 94 Points
Great stuff.
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7/25/2010 - davidandrose wrote: 94 Points
Restaurant purchase; not decanted. This is still very youthful, very strong upon opening and needed 2 hours or so to tame into a more approachable wine. While I'm tempted to write that its strength and power even at 2+ hours lacked refinement, this was a well-structured and balanced wine, although still very fruit-forward. This has many fine years still ahead of it.
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7/24/2010 - Brett wrote: 98 Points
A near perfect bottle of wine!!!
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6/26/2010 - Brett wrote: 96 Points
Fantastic
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5/9/2010 - rickspicks wrote: 95 Points
Probably the most powerful Insignia I have ever had! Decanted and then poured after about an hour. BIG, concentrated flavors of cassis, blackberry and a hint of oak. Not as elegant as I am used to with Insignia, this is a huge wine with a massive body, superb concentration and multilayered flavors. Well balanced with lots of acidity and firm tannins that matched the concentration of the fruit. A ridiculously long, voluptuous finish. Like a typical Insignia -- but on steroids. This bottle had a long, long life ahead of it.
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5/8/2010 - nogohawk wrote: 94 Points
Outstanding Insignia - decant 1 hr; loads of currant & fruit; excellent finish - has aged beautifully; paired with delmonicos on the grill; always one of my favs!
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5/7/2010 - ews3 wrote: 93 Points
Great Grapes for a Great Cause SQN Tasting -- 3rd Annual; 5/7/2010-5/8/2010 (Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC): more restrained than I remember, but still showing nice developing tannins and still a solid finish. Will need to check in on this again soon
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3/15/2010 - PGB wrote: 94 Points
How about this for an "off" year. Consistently one of the top wines in Napa. No other wine pleases as much as often as Insignia. Whether its food, poetry or seduction on the menu this is the wine to reach for when your reputation is on the line.
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3/5/2010 - jbouchy wrote: 94 Points
Outstanding wine!! The 99 Insignia was nicely integrated, well aged, still had plenty of fruit and a long long finish. Paired beautifully with a NY Strip.
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2/22/2010 - davidandrose wrote: 91 Points
1 hour decant; Mikes bday. Too many wines to take good notes.
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2/19/2010 - sextonaj wrote: 94 Points
Opened the bottle and began drinking almost immediately...needed very little time to open up. Well balanced, plenty of fruit, elegant and pleasing. The tanins were there, but I wouldn't cellar this wine for too much longer. It's ready now. Wish I had another bottle. Enjoy!
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2/14/2010 - Jadiii wrote: 92 Points
Wine is drinking very nicely, but do suggest decanting first, we drank it over a couple of hours, it was at its best an hour of so in.
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2/9/2010 - zeke26 wrote: 93 Points
Wonderful nose, plenty of fruit with a little spice. Big mouthful wine that is smooth as silk. Home run.
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2/8/2010 - bhalljr wrote: 94 Points
Had a lot going on with cooking and playing cards. However, I remember smelling the wine even before the cork was completely removed. Very nice tannins and great fruit in this bottle. More berry and cherry smells with no earth tones at all. Very impressed with this wine as were the guests.
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1/24/2010 - mdstenner wrote: 93 Points
At the peak of its powers, dark purple in color, with big and bold blackberry, licorice, spice and smoke aromas. The palate is rich, balanced, elegant and smooth, with no rough edges. Full-bodied, with plenty of fruit left.
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12/30/2009 - Arch57 wrote: 93 Points
We spent about 3 hours with this bottle. The color was a deep garnet, the perfect picture of a red wine (5/5). The aroma was cream de Cassis with sage and thyme notes which were present 2" from the top of the glass (13/15). On the palate this wine was still a bit tannic and dry even after 3 hours in the decanter. I think this is typical of the '99 Napa vintage as other wines I have had from this vintage had the same heavy tannins. It was tough to pick out a primary fruit although this wine had layers of complexity (16/20). This wine was another very high quality bottle from Phelps that still had some years left in it (9/10) for a total of 93. This wine reminded me of some top notch Bordeaux more than a Cali-Cab giving testimony to Napa's ability to produce very remarkable Bordeaux blends. Sad to say that the era of $100 Insignias are gone.
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12/28/2009 - FShone wrote: 94 Points
Classic, typical Insignia (my favorite winery in all of Napa). Leather notes with good fruit and long finish. Tannins are holding up well, but I feel that this wine has reached its peak (I am finding lately that 10 year old Napa cabs are at their best).
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12/27/2009 - MichelBesner wrote: 91 Points
Very smooth and beautiful aromas of berries, leather. Long finish.
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12/24/2009 - Laguna Red wrote: 92 Points
We let the wine breath for about 1.5 hours before getting into it. It is really soft and balanced with just the right amount of acidity. Great color / mouthfeel and the finish is wonderful. You just can't go wrong with this one but I'm not sure how many years this will hold- maybe 3-4?
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11/24/2009 - CMCLR wrote: 93 Points
Smooth, incredibly elegant.
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11/22/2009 - jeffm_fla wrote: 93 Points
A very good bottle. Not as big as some of the younger Insignias can be, but nice flavors and very pleasant with food.
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11/15/2009 - akeenan wrote: 95 Points
Amazing. Let it breath for an hour and it was just a near perfect wine. Perfect time to drink it
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11/5/2009 - Phin wrote: 93 Points
Soft red/black fruits. Good lush charachter but feels flabby and unrefined, no layers. Age shows negatively only because I know the wine so well.
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11/4/2009 - jrobs7777 wrote: 94 Points
Outstanding bottle of wine. Great density and concentration. Deep garnet color. Not showing the 10 years of age. After 2+ hours in decanter, some slight bricking. This is a powerhouse, but understated at the same time. Nose of black fruit, plum, smoke, char and pencil lead. With time, secondary notes of dark bitter chocolate and coffee developed. Well integrated fine tannins coat well. Slightly bitter on the back end of the palate. Good acidity. Finish is strong.
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11/1/2009 - Grinner wrote: 95 Points
13th Annual Lyon 10 year Retrospective (Eugene, Oregon): I gave this 1 more point blind in this tasting than my last bottle unblinded. This bottle continues the trend for Insignia for me. I was pretty sure about my guess as there's a recognizable "iron fist in a velvet glove" aspect to this wine I've tasted many times before in various vintages. Black cherry, berry, currant, cedar, plum, stone, on and on... Tied for my WOTN w/ Lafite.
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10/25/2009 - wabi47 wrote: 94 Points
big ripe and naturally sl sweet plum, cherry and mixed fruit; faint hints of prune but not overripe; wonderful mid palate and very complex flavor with well integrated oak, earth, tobacco, alfalfa, hints of cassis; relatively low acidity; sl bitter tannic backbone, which pales in comparison with the fruit; opens up over an hour in the decanter; one of my fave 99 cali cabs to date.
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10/17/2009 - wineismylife wrote: 92 Points
Sacred Cow is released into the wild (Restaurant X, Oklahoma, OK): WIML92
Tasted October 17, 2009 at an offline.
Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of smoke, plums, florals, currants, raspberries and a bit of dark chocolate. Lovely flavors of plums, berrries, a bit of Bing cherry and a dash of raspberries. Medium acidity, firm tannins and body. Drink now with some air time or continue to hold.
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9/20/2009 - iamandyc wrote: 93 Points
Very aromatic and obviously a blend after drinking two classic cabs first. Could really smell and taste the cab franc and petite verdot. Very nice with sweet tannins and deep fruit. Has years to go yet. Got some plum on the palate. A restrained Insignia compared with those north of 2000.
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8/14/2009 - wine4ever wrote: 95 Points
I'm not going to under-rate this wine. This was truly a pleasure to drink. All at the table loved it. Similar tasting notes as last time. Easy 95 points.
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8/1/2009 - MichelBesner wrote: 91 Points
Very smooth and beautiful aromas of berries, leather. Long finish ... this has evolved well since the last bottle i had ...
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6/14/2009 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful nose especially in comparison to a 2003 Bond Matriarch. I agree with others who have describes this as Bordeaux-like- fairly restrained fruit but complex flavors of tobacco and cassis. A terrific pairing with a beautifully prepared aged strip steak. This is my first tasting of this vintage, but I'd say that this wine is probably in its peak drinking window.
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6/10/2009 - TheBusiness724 wrote: 91 Points
Sotheby's Pre-Auction Tasting (Sotheby's, New York): The best of the CA cabs at the tasting. This was intriguing, complex, and distinctive. There were layers of dark and red fruits, and the wine showed similarly to a '97 we tasted in March. Though I generally prefer old world wines, I would consider buying this wine.
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6/9/2009 - Vino Me wrote: 93 Points
2nd time I have had this wine. This was opened by Otis as part of our 1999 Cal Cab retrospective dinner. This was the top wine in my opinion. When I first had this in 2003, it was tannic and unforgiving. It has opened up very nicely since then. Dark black red color without any bricking. The fruit was still concentrated but more pleasurable. Notes of black cherry, plum and light oak. Round finish. 93 points.
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6/6/2009 - otisabdul wrote: 93 Points
Great nose, wonderful length, velvety mouthfeel. Fuuit is plentiful and focused. Can still taste the new oak coming through. Needs time.
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6/5/2009 - last chance wrote: 94 Points
A long weekend in Seaside, OR; 6/5/2009-6/7/2009 (Seaside, OR): Upon opening, the nose showed currant, cherry and cedar aromas. Over 2 hours the nose developed more to reveal tobacco, plum, and cherry aromas with the cedar note beginning to slip into the background. The palate had nice red fruits and earthy flavors with some nice minerality coming through after about 2 hours. Good mouthfeel and a long finish. This was the second time that I have tasted this wine, and I enjoyed it much more this time than I did a couple years ago. My WOTN, and a pleasant surprise.
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5/15/2009 - prez wrote: 94 Points
Great bottle with balanced tannins and long finish. Good ceder and cherry on the palate. Lots of sediment. Drinking great now right out of the bottle.
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5/3/2009 - mcneil7 wrote: 94 Points
Dark fruit notes hit of blueberry and some chocolate. taste is balanced some tannins but otherwise a stellar wine with ;ots of fruit wonderful finish.
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4/28/2009 - psmith wrote:
1994 and 1997 California Cabernet Retrospective (Chicago, IL): Pretty blue fruits and violet notes. Weighty, peasant mouthfeel. Well integrated and balanced wine, though I get the impression that it's still a bit closed and clearly has a lot of time left. Very solid. Rated 19/20.
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4/18/2009 - ChrisR wrote: 94 Points
Wow, was this good! Sweet black fruit, accented by fresh tobacco and cedar. Silky smooth, yet concentrated, with a long finish. I haven't tried this before, but it must be in its prime drinking window. A wonderful marriage of the best of California and Bordeaux.
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4/6/2009 - mmyette wrote: 94 Points
See previous notes.
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3/28/2009 - J-Sho wrote: 94 Points
A classic wine in the prime drinking window. Still dark garnet in color with nose of dark fruit, mocha, and hints of vanilla. Palate is extremely elegant and concentrated with layers of smooth/soft fruit. Lengthy finish. The key word here is elegant. Of note, the fruit is just starting to fade a bit thus if your not into aged wines then you may want to drink soon.
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3/14/2009 - ptelgenh wrote: 94 Points
This is a beautiful bottle of wine. Definitely ready to drink now. Ripe cherries, oak, vanilla and menthol. Still maintains nice balance and structure.
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3/9/2009 - Rabelais wrote: 92 Points
P.S. I may have been a bit rash on my previous note: after two hours decanting the fruit finally made its appearance; but still not on the same level of quality as the Insignia '95, '97, '02, or even '04.
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3/8/2009 - Rabelais wrote: 90 Points
Where’s the fruit, where’s the mid-palate? If you like Bordeaux you may like this one, but if you want fruit you may be disappointed (too Bordeaux-like for my taste.) The pedigree prevented me from giving it a lower score.
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3/7/2009 - Cloverstudio wrote: 95 Points
Great bottle. The nose lets you know that what's in your glass is serious. Powerful aromas of dark berries and tar. Great structure without being overbearing. This wine is in a nice place right now.
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3/1/2009 - mmyette wrote: 95 Points
I love this vintage, and this is among the best of the vintage (Screaming Eagle notwithstanding). See previous notes.
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2/20/2009 - knelsfk wrote: 93 Points
Opened, poured and drank; should have been decanted; still tight, but underneath the firm tannins there are rich concentrated dark berry fruit flavors; finishes long; looking forward to watching this one evolve over the next 10 yeas.
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2/14/2009 - Grinner wrote: 94 Points
Ten years old and it looks like a baby when decanting. Two hours later the dark fruit is still competing with the sturdy tannins. It's a great battle! Or bottle...
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12/29/2008 - johnnyo wrote: 95 Points
Incredible wine! Decanted for 1 hour, wonderful fruit with notes of cassis, pencil lead, leather. very long finish.
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12/25/2008 - Ibetian wrote: 92 Points
From mag. No detailed notes, but an elegant Insignia, drinking well now.
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12/25/2008 - eSchrag wrote: 94 Points
Deep..............dark fruit color that gives up a big nose of fruit. A ton of black fruit that surronds the palate on top of medium to fine grained tannins. Opened up even more with about 30 minutes of decanting to reveal a bit of earthiness and some pepper. A truely delicious wine and much better, in my opinion, than the more recent Insignia wines. It seems in the last few years that the wines have become almost too big with really jammy fruit and have lost their old structure. Enjoy!!!
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12/13/2008 - enosnob wrote: 95 Points
12/10/08: Beautiful dark Ruby red color with a great nose of blackberry, cherry, chocolate, earth and spices. The flavor is cherries and blackberries, dried cherry, currant, chocolate, cedar, sage ,bell pepper and anise. Beatiful soft tannins, great structure, layered complexity bring it all together. The finish really never quits with beautiful soft tannin, fruit and earth.
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12/6/2008 - ews3 wrote: 96 Points
Outstanding. On my list, this beat all comers in a high-end Cali Cab tasting. Outstanding concentration of fruit, and still extremely young. Still developing. Loads of jammy fruit, cherries and berries galore. Finish lasted for 30 seconds. Truly excellent bottle.
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12/6/2008 - jrobs7777 wrote: 95 Points
Blind California Cabernet Tasting: This wine had us all confused. Tasted as part of our blind Cali Cab tasting, it had a very similar nose to Wine No. 1, which turned out to be the 04 Corra and Wine No. 8, which was the 95 Shafer HSS. After all is said and done, most people ranked this as the top wine of the night, with everyone placing it at least first or second. New world style. Very impressive nose. Best nose of the night, that is for sure. Some floral notes, oddly enough, but huge red fruit nose with deep red color. A very concentrated wine that filled the mouth incredibly well. Full and rich with big bold fruit, both red and blue with brown sugar and syrup. A nice long finish. Very smooth with well integrated tannins. Probably an ideal time to drink.
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11/27/2008 - Garfield wrote: 93 Points
Drinking perfectly right now. Decanted for 3 hours before dinner and it was exceptional. Always in good balance - A great wine for Thanksgiving.
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11/7/2008 - Terryjbg wrote: 92 Points
Well worth the wait. This wine was what you expect from an Insignia in a good year. Cherries and blackberries. A long, silky finish.
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11/1/2008 - TRS-Wine wrote: 97 Points
simply awesome. I agree with a prior comment that this was an under rated vintage of Insignia.
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10/23/2008 - Cheryl wrote:
Matriarch, Dunn, Insignia, Dominus, Shafer and My First WOTN! (Skinner's Loft, Jersey City, NJ): Very nice. Balanced. Chocolate notes as it opened up in the glass. I gave it my vote for 2nd runner up.
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10/17/2008 - MRASHTIANMD wrote: 96 Points
absolutely perfect, cant get better than that
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10/4/2008 - Rob MacKay wrote:
The last of our 99s. Pretty much the same note and rating as the previous bottles. We had this with oxtail stew and slow roasted lamb shanks. Great match. I think that 99 is a great vintage for Insignia and quite underrated.
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9/20/2008 - slywka7 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Dark red cherry and plum on the nose. Flavors of plum, cherry, earth sassafras with a 30-45 second finish. Drank very well tonight.
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9/10/2008 - Blue Shorts wrote:
Tasted at the Saturday Cellartracker event in Seattle. I was a bit disappointed by this wine. I was expecting so much, and it didn't deliver. Don't get me wrong... it was good. It just doesn't deserve the accolades and high scores that it tends to garner. If I had to give it a score, I'd give it a 90. It was nice, but nothing special.
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9/6/2008 - cgrimes wrote: 92 Points
Tasted at the CT Weekend Event. I found this wine to be very seductive, not as profound as some of the Bordeaux but utterly delicious. It is a rich, well-balanced blend.
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8/23/2008 - flashvictor wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 3 hours prior to consumption. Deep ruby color leads to a mildly muted nose of blackberry, chocolate and currant. More currant, dark cherry, currant, chocolate and cedar carry into medium to full bodied palate. A hint of cedar and sage are also present. Finish is fully integrated and lasts 40 seconds. A very good bottle wine just entering its prime drinking window.
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8/22/2008 - pgordon62 wrote: 92 Points
Double decanted 24hrs ahead. A nose of precise black fruit with just the right amount of sweet cassis, cedar, mint and earthy notes. Fabulous texture on the plate with pure black fruits and vanilla. A grippy finish of excellent length that shows briary black fruit, a little dried leaf and that mintiness again. Appealing for its balance of ripeness and structure. Like many 1999 California Cabs, the once fierce tannins have softened. Drinking well now but 4-5 years will hopefully add a little extra secondary interest.
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8/2/2008 - wine4ever wrote: 94 Points
This wine has really improved over the last 13 months. It is drinking great right now. Aromas of smoke, dark fruits, chocolate, leather and cedar. Dark and full bodied, it is very rich with great structure, balance and complexity. Tastes of cassis, plum, dark cherries, spice, earth, chocolate, and sage. Nice long finish. 14.5% alcohol. 94-95 pts. This wine was much better than the 99 Pine Ridge Stags Leap we also had which wasn't showing all that well.
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7/6/2008 - MarkC wrote: 92 Points
Initially a bit hard-edged, and missing the fruit of the bigger, riper vintages. However, after some time, this eventually became quite nice. After 1+ hour of air, the black currant, cassis and berry flavors came alive, and this showed very well. Impeccable balance, with a lot of structure that makes me think this will last for a while, but will probably never be as generous with providing enjoyment once the fruit starts to fade. (Score is based on the improvement with air.)
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6/15/2008 - g-man wrote: 94 Points
This just keeps getting better and better. Nose of briary fruits and white pepper. The structure is there with sweet tanin and dark fruit. The finish long and lingering. Just a real joy to drink and I wish I had more than only one bottle left. I only hope the 01' and 02' turn out as well.
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6/13/2008 - mmyette wrote: 95 Points
Drank this along side a 97 BV GDL in the battle of the vintages. This one was significantly more youthful, showing the ageability of the 99's. This was terrific, nose of cherry and vanilla bean, with hints of dusty oak. Palate was full bodied and youthful, with still mildly austere tannin structure, loads of cherry, cassis, and hints of earth and sage. Finish was long, and balance was tremendous. Edged out the 97 GDL which was starting to show its age.
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5/22/2008 - Cellared wrote: 92 Points
Cherry nose with a slight vegetal backround. Sweet tannins and black fruit , cocoa. Open in one year and see th difference as the tannins smooth out even more.
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5/17/2008 - Rob MacKay wrote: 94 Points
Insignia is one of our absolute favorite wines. When my wife and I open a bottle together, you would think that the comments would be "this is great", "amazing", etc. Instead, you will hear comments like "don't touch my glass!", "don't be taking an extra pour when I'm not looking!", or my favorite "get me a straw so I can drink the last drops without getting any sediment". Suffice to say, this is really really good stuff. On this particular bottle, the nose exploded out of the glass with tons of black cherry and current scents with new oak and the flavors were extremely smooth and perfectly balanced. You can truly call it an absolute pleasure on the palate. We did not decant this and there was really no need to. This vintage is in it's prime drinking window now but it is so well made that I think that window will be open for a long time. You could drink it now or you could drink it several years from now. Whenever you do, you will definitely enjoy it. Thanks for the bottle Denny!
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4/15/2008 - JoelZ wrote: 98 Points
This Insignia was in perfect balance. Still tons of red fruit, but within the confines of the tannins, chocolate on the finish.
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3/24/2008 - MRASHTIANMD wrote: 95 Points
just a perfectly aged insignia, can't get better than this. wished I had this wine on daily bais
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3/12/2008 - wineismylife wrote:
Dallas 2nd Wednesday - March 2008 (Lola's, Dallas, TX): WIMLNR
Tasted March 12, 2008. Served double blind. Dark purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. New world nose, "woody" from a heavy oak treatement with big jammy fruits with additional notes of white pepper, blueberries amd cocoa. Rich and jammy berries and cherries on the palate. Also "hot" on the palate as well. My double blind guess was a 2002 Joseph Phelps Insignia. Not rated because frankly it didn't show well, especially after the Bordeaux line up.
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2/23/2008 - Phin wrote: 93 Points
Magnum. Decanted 1 hour. Medium to full body. Rich with great tannin integration. Less smoke, dark fruit and tobacco than the newer vintages.
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1/30/2008 - futronic wrote: 91 Points
Opaque ruby/burgundy colour. Aromas of green pepper/vegetation, vanilla, perfume, crushed black fruit, and brown sugar. Medium-full bodied, lush, with plum, spice, and vegetal notes. Moderate finish, ~35s, with vanilla and crushed fruit replays from the palate. Quite nice, but I was expecting more.
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1/21/2008 - g-man wrote: 94 Points
This is really evolving into a very good Insignia. Rich mouthfeel with dark fruit and tobacco and some cedar and with a lengthy finish.
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1/21/2008 - rjayson wrote: 93 Points
let decant for over 1 hour. On the nose aromas of chocolate, leather, oak and cherries. The wine had a wonderful finish deep and long lasting. During dinner (steak) over 2 plus hours the wine stayed consistant and showed that it could go to a second day. Fortunately (or unfortunately) we finished the bottle in one seating. A really luscious affair.
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1/1/2008 - ddarienzo wrote:
wine still youthful. should have decanted it. nonetheless, even the first glass very good after it sat, subsequent glasses excellent with grilled prime strip steaks
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12/15/2007 - davidandrose wrote: 92 Points
Decanted and allowed to sit for an hour. Very floral nose; kitchen smelled of violets and greenery when decanting. I had a slight cold so my palate was shot, but the missus enjoyed it, questioning longevity simply because it was so drinkable now.
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11/8/2007 - MeMyself&I wrote: 90 Points
This is drinking very well right now. Fully integrated tannins but still delivering a nice fruit component. Hints of tar and herbs, delightful with the lamb shanks.
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10/13/2007 - Dave Dalluge wrote:
Thirty Years of Phelps Insignia (1974 through 2004): Reserved nose. Lots of oak and vanilla to go with the concentrated fruit. Should be fine with additional bottle age.
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10/13/2007 - Siggy wrote:
Insignia Vertical Tasting 1974-2004 (WA Frost, St. Paul): Slightly more reticent nose than the 1997. Coffee and dark fruit. Very concentrated; showing plenty of vanilla/oak.
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10/9/2007 - napaJ6 wrote: 92 Points
This one was tricky to rate...I couldn't tell whether the over the top tar and herbal notes were a sign of it being cooked, whether that is the style of the vintage, or whether it was slightly flawed or stored improperly. There was not any bricking on the edges so I think it has some life left in it. The body and finish was phenomenal and huge...I just could not even put it in the same league as the '01.
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10/6/2007 - Rob MacKay wrote: 93 Points
As far as getting good value for our "Insignia Dollar" goes, we think we did ok when we got this 99 from winebid.com for $95. The wine was outstanding with a massively explosive nose of currant, leather, and still a lot of new oak. Cabernet Sauvignon makes up nearly 80% of this blend and it definitely shines through in every way. Full bodied with a big silky mouthfeel and a nice finish. I don't know how they can make such a good wine in such large quantities but J Phelps continues to do it year in and year out. With the newer vintages starting to creep up to silly price levels, it's nice to find one of the older ones for under $100.
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10/5/2007 - DaveF wrote: 92 Points
Not a bad bottle of Insignia - but not like their great vintages. Dark red color. Nice nose of leather, spice, tar, integrated oak with some black fruit and sweet tannins. After having the 97 recently, it's not the same game, but a good effort. Still has time left
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9/8/2007 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
Edward Roberts Pre-Auction Tasting (Columbia Yacht Club): Garnet color. Aromas of cedar, blackberry, red currant and floral tones. Wonderful depth of fruit on the palate with a bit of wood and spice on the finish. The floral notes became more prominent with air.
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9/8/2007 - Dulcie and Aylwin wrote:
ERI Auction and Tasting (Chicago, IL): Tasted towards the end of the event and concentration was beginning to waver. In unfamiliar territory with what is obviously a big wine. Concentration for sure with spice, chocolate, smoked meats, coffee and oak. Dense and layered.
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9/8/2007 - bupika wrote: 88 Points
Tasted at the Edward Roberts International wine auction in Chicago. Nice dark burgundy color. Floral nose which was surprising as I expected more "umph." Excellent, but a little disappointed considering the pedigree and vintage. Certainly a decent wine, but lacks the complexity I would anticipate from a Phelps. Mainly a plum flavor with a little hint of spice. May try decanting next time to see if it opens up.
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9/8/2007 - reddog wrote: 90 Points
Nice wine, smooth, but no Wow. holding my others a couple of years.
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9/1/2007 - otisabdul wrote: 92 Points
Plush and wonderfully integrated. High thread count of silky flavors. Certainly in its drinking window now, but has plenty of structure to age and improve.
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8/13/2007 - TomTom wrote: 88 Points
Disappointing for an Insignia. Pleasantly perfumed aromas. On the palate, not much complexity or structure. Could be in a dumb phase, but this wine was relatively simple with plum, herb and dill. The dill note at the end was a little distracting and not in character, perhaps it was a little bit of VA. I have one bottle left and I'm not hopeful, but I'll hold for a while to see if it comes around.
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8/10/2007 - huntly wrote: 90 Points
the cassis and fruit are very evident on the nose, and the palate follows with clarity. Berry notes and a nice hint of licorish and herbs. the palate feel is full and the finish is well balanced. Overall a very nice wine.... which of course brings us to value and price. the very good vintages of insignia are undoubledly really first rate wines and worth 100 plus a bottle. the average vintages (of which this is one) are very fine bottles of wine, but they are a poor value at the price.
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6/29/2007 - cadamson wrote: 90 Points
Dark red, nose strong on green pepper; a dead ringer for a Chilean cab or Aussie Shiraz. Taste was better, good red fruit, reasonable tannin, somewhat sweet. Good.
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6/15/2007 - last chance wrote: 89 Points
Dark ruby/garnet color. The nose of this wine was slightly woody and spicy along with the dark fruit aromas. Even after over an hour after being opened, it was still quite tightl with the palate revealing currant, licorice, and cherry flavors. I had tried the 1998 Insignia a couple years ago, and I wasn't a big fan of that. This vintage stayed true to my earlier impression of Insignia - it's just not my thing. A very good wine, but not one that knocks my socks off - especially for the tariff...
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6/8/2007 - Wayne Richmon wrote: 88 Points
This was my least favorite vintage of the 1998, 1999 or 2000. Certainly not worth even the highly discounted price I paid for it. It was light has and less fruit than the 1998 or 2000. I'm still stunned that Wine Spectator rated the 1999 vintage so strong when there are so few examples of great wines from that vintage. R Parker seems to have gotten this year right by giving it an 88 overall.
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5/21/2007 - WineForRob wrote: 92 Points
Slight va on the nose with huge cherries and a little alchohol. Tight at firts but then opened up with nice plum and black cherrry flavors. Still firm on the finish and quite long. Good bottle.
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5/17/2007 - Crackers wrote: 93 Points
Drinking really well right now, don't see any reason to hold this if you have 750s. Easily outshined by the 3L of '97 but with strikingly similar nose. The '99 had copious cassis, chocolate, and cherry on the palate along with plush tannin and a persistent finish, but was not as polished and powerful as the '97. Meanwhile the '01 had greater concentration and imho had greater purity and just overall seemed like a much more focused wine. While I certainly didn't think the insignias showed the best out of the bunch, they are definitely a testament to just how consistent phelps is year in and year out.
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4/21/2007 - pikemasterflash wrote: 90 Points
Drank the first glass right from the bottle. Nose is all about acohol. First taste no fruit. The wine has gotten better with decanting and goat cheese. Not much going on here in light of the vintage. Struggling to reconcile the taste with the reviews. May be generous with my score?
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3/7/2007 - kstoddard wrote: 83 Points
Phoenix eRP Offline - California Cabernet Sauvignon (Backstreet Wine Salon, Phoenix): VA on the nose. Blackberries. Layered mid palate. Little alcohol on the finish. Off bottle?
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3/7/2007 - mattiasjansson wrote: 90 Points
Backstreet - California Cabernets (Backstreet Wine Salon, Phoenix, AZ): Ok. Well balanced.
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2/10/2007 - mgl wrote: 94 Points
Smooth!!
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1/30/2007 - sgamiz wrote: 93 Points
Open at Ruth Chris: Great Nose; but the flavor did not measure up to the excelent smell - but a great bottle of wine nonetheless!!!!!!!!
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12/29/2006 - MarkC wrote: 92 Points
Wow - my first go with this wine, and it's working for me. Quite tannic still (I'm sure related to the vintage), but with a load of dark fruit - currant, black- and blueberry - and some iodine to keep things in check. The tannins are a bit dominant or else this would really be a spectacular wine. Benefited from 90+ minutes of airtime. I didn't decant, but would do so 45 or more minutes before I wanted to drink it, at least at this stage.
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12/6/2006 - AZ Wine Lover wrote: 94 Points
Excellen
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11/19/2006 - redpine42 wrote: 93 Points
Drank as part of a five year virtical of Insignias. Tasted blind and thought this was the 2003 Insignia primarily because of the tannins. Picked up hints of chocolate and vanilla. The cab in this was really showing.
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11/6/2006 - paulst wrote: 89 Points
Lucious rapsberry and dark fruit with a lingering finish.
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10/3/2006 - Winetex wrote: 93 Points
This is definitely not a "blockbuster" vintage of Insignia but this wine showed off some winemaking finesse. The balance was superb. There are still some tannins in the finish but for the most part the wine seemed ready to drink. We've had this wine several times and this is the first one with some secondary characteristics. It was very tight upon opening but after an hour or so in the decanter it opened up. [Recommend at least an hour decant]
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7/2/2006 - anacapa1 wrote: 93 Points
Had it side-by-side with a 2001 Caymus Special Selection, and it was very good, but the Caymus was a bit better. Nice, long finish and good integration.
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6/8/2006 - Cheryl wrote:
Yes. 71 cab, 21 merlot, 6 PB, 1 Cab Franc, 1 malbec
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6/8/2006 - bsherwin wrote:
Cab Lovers of NYC Insignia Vertical (Zoe): Where the '97 was all about "drink me" fruit, the '99 was all about backbone. Tightly wound with a dense core of currant, black cherry, anise and cedar. Nicely structured, with firm acidity and chalky tannins. It was not unpleasant to drink now (an understatement), but the grip really masks the complexity of the fruit and shortens the finish. A young blockbuster built to age, I thought this was kind of a throw-back to the finesse of the '91.
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4/16/2006 - JLL wrote:
-1999 Joseph Phelps Insignia: decanted 3 hours in a Riedel Ultra then moved back to bottle and corked for a 1/2 hour in the fridge, then poured into a Riedel "I guess it is a duck decanter" for the table (1/2 hour wait before serving). Total decant time of 4 hours......Color was dark as night in a Prince Rogers Nelson Purple Rain sort of way. However, that fact could be argued in Social Hall....Not much of a nose, possibly due to the refrig job before the serving, barely discernable fruit---only faint heat.....Puzzling
On the mid palate, blackberry, currant (but not in a luxurious Bob Foley way) and prune, slight trace of cinnamon (oak maybe). There is an oak aftertaste, but it has not transformed itself into any sublety of mocha or vanillan. Finish was 45 seconds consisting of tannins (give it another 5 years) burning the mid palate flavors into your gourd. I will revisit this in 5 years, but at 6.5 years after vintage, I would not recommend for the dollars paid, good wine at this moment in time but not great....--88pts.
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4/5/2006 - Tejano wrote: 90 Points
Dark purple color, decanted for two hours and it showed a reserved nose of dark berries, spice, and to me a touch of caramel. Pleasant stucture and mouth feel, actually a very good balance. Adequate and firm fruit, but not overwhelming...a very good wine, but not great.
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4/1/2006 - JLL wrote: 88 Points
1999 Joseph Phelps Insignia: decanted 3 hours in a Riedel Ultra then moved back to bottle and corked for a 1/2 hour in the fridge, then poured into a Riedel "I guess it is a duck decanter" for the table (1/2 hour wait before serving). Total decant time of 4 hours......Color was dark as night in a Prince Rogers Nelson Purple Rain sort of way. However, that fact could be argued in Social Hall....Not much of a nose, possibly due to the refrig job before the serving, barely discernable fruit---only faint heat.....Puzzling
On the mid palate, blackberry, currant (but not in a luxurious Bob Foley way) and prune, slight trace of cinnamon (oak maybe). There is an oak aftertaste, but it has not transformed itself into any sublety of mocha or vanillan. Finish was 45 seconds consisting of tannins (give it another 5 years) burning the mid palate flavors into your gourd. I will revisit this in 5 years, but at 6.5 years after vintage, I would not recommend for the dollars paid, good wine at this moment in time but not great....--88pts.
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2/27/2006 - babnik wrote:
As I was thoroughly enjoying this lovely wine, I got to thinking: Why don't more medium and large sized wineries in Napa produce wine as good as Joseph Phelps Vineyards does with Insignia, year in, year out? It would seem to reason. While I may be able to achieve more of a sense of place by having a small vineyard source, my viticultural success is always dependent on one little plot of land -- Sink or swim by one vineyard. Phelps and other medium or large size wineries, on the other hand, sometimes have 100's or 1000's of acres worth of grapes to source from. Shouldn't their premium release be among the best each year? With Phelps, it is. Insignia, in my opinion, is almost always one of the best wines to come out of the Napa Valley. They use the best grapes they have to produce their best wine. Even in underperforming vintages such as 1998 and 2000, Phelps Insignia is still a "go to" wine. Yet we can all name many wineries that surely have access to a lot of grapes and yet produce ho-hum wines as their flagship wine. Here's hoping that the commitment to making a superb wine, whether it be 30000 cases, or 500 continues to be a priority in the Napa Valley and if production needs to drop in order to maintain quality, we all continue that commitment.
So... regarding the 1999 Phelps Insignia... inky dark color. Dark fruit of blackberries, rum soaked bing cherries, vanilla, and maple. Slight mint notes, cedar, and oak backbone. This wine is all about balance. My recollection was it was great young. It's great now. And it will probably be great in 5 years. My advice is to enjoy this one in 2-3 years giving the still ample tannins time to continue to integrate. Balance. It's what Insignia always seems to be about: balance which is the essence of great winemaking.
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1/15/2006 - bubbachumps wrote: 91 Points
This wine has yet to come together. This is the second time having this vintage. Needs a couple more years. Has all the stuffing to come together.
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1/1/2006 - tanglenet wrote:
I decanted this about 1/2 hour to 1 hour before serving, and although it had a pretty nose and drank well, it seemed like it never really opened up. A great nose of sweet raisin flowers. Unfortunately no other notes that I can remember other than seeing some sediment.
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12/28/2005 - jhngo wrote: 91 Points
Slightly tannic... need more time to open. After a week in the fridge, still drank very well. It did not turn tart or tannic after bing so long in the fridge. Not a bad wine.
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12/8/2005 - Burgundy Al wrote: 88 Points
Phelps Insignia Vertical 15+ Years: Vertical tasting. Primary and slightly jammy, less interesting than when I tried it at Phelps a few years ago. Big berry flavors showing perhaps a bit more heat than I'd want. Moderate length. Drink young.
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10/1/2005 - wineismylife wrote: 92 Points
WIML92,WA91,WS94
Tasted October 1, 2005 at an offline so brief comments only. Opened and served immediately in a Riedel Restaurant Series Bordeaux stem. Dark purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of green beans did not bode well early on for this wine. However, that gave way to notes of pepper, leather, spice and lush dark fruits. Flavors of plum, chocolate and cassis. This turned out to be one of my favorite red wines of the evening. This wine seems to just be entering it’s drinking window and the solid structure here tells me this thing could go another 15 years. Recommended.
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9/17/2005 - g-man wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for hour and a half. Still tight and tannic. way too young and will wait at least another two or three years bfore again trying. The stuffing and fruit are there but it still needs to come together.
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8/5/2005 - anthonyiez wrote: 95 Points
a very nice wine. imo i think it needs another 2 yrs to fully open up. drinking very well with about 90 minutes of decanting
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4/9/2005 - brianofthevine wrote: 94 Points
Black currant and caramel, long smooth finish.
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1/30/2005 - davidandrose wrote: 93 Points
Had this last night. Uncorked and allowed to sit for 2 hrs, but poured out of the bottle / not decanted. Smooth dark berries with chocolate, tobacco and earth. Tanins evident but softened over time. Very drinkable with the time it was given, this baby still has a long life left in it. 93+pts today, more tomorrow. Much better than a year ago.
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1/10/2005 - CoopGolfWine wrote: 95 Points
Enjoyed two bottles for New Years Eve. Very nice wine. Really showed well after a couple of hours.
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12/31/2004 - ErikK wrote: 93 Points
2004/2005 New Years: (served blind). Dark, showing no age. At first whiff, I was thinking Aussie Cab. I got a sense of a candied cherry with black rasperry and oak on the back end. Upon tasting I got a mouthful of fruit and oak. The candied component paired with a licorice again lead me to believe Aussie. Only the wall of structure gave me hesitation. I really liked this but wish it had another 5 years on it to settle down. Very nice wine and a big suprise when revealed.
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12/27/2004 - johnnywebs wrote: 95 Points
Two bottles at the Tymetrix Christmas lunch @ Acqua. Beautiful. Dark, almost black. Medium bodied with a chocolate cherry nose of oiled leather, coffee, tar, chocolate and cherry pipe tobacco. Muscular mouth of ripe, black cherry. Tannic yet balanced. Beautiful finish. It is great and will get better for years, perhaps decades. Absolutely terrfic.
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10/9/2004 - Blair Curtis wrote: 94 Points
Delyap's Killer '99 Cabathon (An unnamed, very hospitable restaurant): Raspberry jam nose. On the palate, nice medium-weight wine. Clean Cab fruit plus apple skins, cherries and kirsch. Tannic and tight at first. Opened to reveal very nice structure under the fruit.
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6/1/2004 - Eric wrote: 94 Points
ITB(?) dinner at Oceanaire (Seattle, WA, USA): As if we really needed a fourth bottle, Lorne ordered this at the last minute off the list, so we popped and poured with the briefest of decanting sessions. This wine was surprisingly complex with a spicy and lightly herbal nose that showed cocoa and a hint of dusty minerality. The palate was rich and complex, much more delicate, tight and complex than the 2001 Pride Merlot tasted alongside. This had very little time to open, and as consequence it mostly showed tight and tart red fruit with cranberry, black cherry, raspberry, and red currant. This one needed an hour or two in the decanter to really shine, but it was awfully tasty.
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4/17/2004 - Jason wrote: 96 Points
The nose has a wonderful nose with briar and high pitched blackberry. The palate is thick and concentrated with cassis and loads of fruit and structure. Killer.
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4/17/2004 - Eric wrote: 95 Points
Seattle Tasting Group does 22 years of Phelps Insignia (Bellevue, WA, USA): This has a very pretty nose of cassis, mineral and a little gunpowder. This has stunning balance, almost unreal. I was really very surprised and impressed by this wine and the poise it showed, as I have read so much about the 1999 vintage being overly tannic. Not this wine!
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3/12/2004 - NeuroDoc wrote: 95 Points
Opened 2 bottles at Blue Ginger in Wellesley, MA, Ming Tsai's restaurant. I knew it was going to be great, and there was no disappointment. The nose was deep and rich berry. On the palate, the tannins were more intense than expected, but certainly judged as moderate. The wine was tight and focused, might have opened up a bit after 30 min of decanting (the second and third glasses) Berry, spicebox, tobacco, more cabernetish in this blend. A fantastic bottle of wine, highly recommended. (I should point out that this was the first Insignia I ever had)
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5/2/2003 - Vino Me wrote: 92 Points
Gift from Alex Chako when we met him in DC in 9/02. Tried the 1991, 1997, 1999 and 2000 in the last year. We had the 1999 at the 2003 WS Grand Tour in May. It was a powerful, young, tannic wine which is not ready to drink. Chocolate and black cherry notes but most of the fruit is hidden. Wait 4 years on this and see how it evolves. 91-93+.
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1/11/2003 - Burgundy Al wrote: 89 Points
Quick Day Trip to Napa (Napa Valley CA): Tasting at winery. Inky purple color. Gobs of ripe fruit on the nose. More fruit than structure, I think this will be a good young drinking Cali Cab/Meritage.
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10/18/2002 - brianofthevine wrote: 95 Points
Dark cherry, blackberry, licorice and pepper notes. Rich and bold, huge wine, long finish, firm tannins.
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6/26/2002 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 93 Points
Bright disc with opaque purple robe and purple rim. Clean nose requiring at least 30 minutes to develop. Intense currants, cassis, black cherry, vanilla, cedar and oak. The palate is full-bodied and multilayered, with a vevety texture and ample sweet tannins. The flavors are similar to the nose. Long, smooth finish. Beautiful now but will clearly get better over the next 4-6 years. I would disagree with Parker that this wine will hold until 2032!
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6/8/2002 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 89 Points
Vineyardgate tasting of cabs. Very dark. Quite nice nose, but not a blockbuster. Softer, butternut quality to the fruit. 5-11-16-7: 89/100
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