1993 Joseph Phelps Insignia

Community Tasting Notes (70) Avg Score: 93.0 points

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  3/10/2024 - WallingfordHome Likes this wine: 95 Points

  OG California Cab, made when they made real, non-fruit-bomb cabs.
  
  Details: Flawless cork, popped and poured with a ribeye dinner. Hardly any bricking. Did not decant.
  
  Make no mistake, this is a massive wine, and 30 years on it is still huge, luscious, ripe, and full of fruit. So many years ahead for this one, and no way over the hill yet.
  
  Acid? You betcha, balancing out those big fruit flavors. Soft muted notes of vanilla round out the almost forever finish.
  
  Oh, that they still made this style of wine, maybe the closest of which today is my favorite Mayacamas. However, you can tell this was made in in the valley, and it’s not at all a mountain wine like Mayacamas, but I make the comparison to show restraint, if one can believe that in this wine. But, back in 93 when they made this wine did they know they were still making a “restrained” wine of balance?
  
  Unmistakably California, and early style, and in my opinion, better than what is produced today.

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  11/19/2023 - Papies wrote: 93 Points

  Decanting advisable as the wine does need it time to open up.
  This benefits from the 1993 vintage being softer and not as ripe as others in the 90s as the wine does not suffer from the over pushing these guys sometimes went for with their wines. This is ripe but also well mannered, rich but in balance, a lot of spice, bright herby edge, licorice maybe at times , black currents and cherries and light coffee too. Very solid wine maybe could be a touch more elegant vs the other classic masters of the area. 93

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  11/24/2022 - seijaro Likes this wine: 95 Points

  A monster Napa Cab that is still full of flavor and life. Fully mature, of course, and just a classic. Three hour double decant was perfect and it really showed its stuff.

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  3/5/2022 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 96 Points

  Popped and poured, and drank over 2 hours. Paired well with the 1kg T bone steak at Wolfgang’s. Soaked cork, and the sommelier had to use a puller to get it out - he did a great job in getting it out in one piece. This wine has not aged in the six years since I last drank it. 29 years old and going strong. Great acidity. Unbelievable.

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  8/4/2021 - mclanew Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Decanted for forty five minutes and it needed it as there was a lot sediment. This is in great shape. Fairly classic in style with only a hint of overexuberance. Black currant, black cherry, tobacco and lead pencil comes through. The wine is at peak maturity but it still retain its structure and has well integrated tannins with only a touch of rusticity.

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