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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 87.5 pts. and median of 88 pts. in 16 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Mbad77 on 4/30/2023 & rated 88 points: Dry cork. 13.5%
Ribena (blackcurrant) on nose when opened. In good shape. It’s certainly aged with a older Italian / French impression on nose.
Strong colour and plenty of fruit left. Quite soft and open and easy to drink but lacking any cut and rather simple / short. Touch of sourness for sone interest to wrap up finish. It does have just so little on the finish, short is an exaggeration- none is appropriate initially.
Didn’t expect anything as was part of an Auction bundle. Happy enough with this given age and expectations (214 views) | | | Tasted by brianofthevine on 12/31/2014 & rated 88 points: Past its prime, muted red fruit, subtle earth, short finish. (1561 views) | | | Tasted by AlexHop on 9/21/2009 & rated 87 points: Lean, not a lot of substance. (3195 views) | | | Tasted by AlexHop on 9/6/2009 & rated 89 points: Very good, well balanced and smooth. Not especially interesting but still solid. (3117 views) | | | Tasted by ejca on 6/17/2009: Very surpised, this was an outstanding wine that is drinking great right now. More cab like characteristics, especially in the finish. Wish I had more of this. (3212 views) | | | Tasted by GPujia on 3/25/2008 & rated 90 points: Pleasantly surprised. I forgot when/where I purchased the bottle, but found it to be one that I would buy again. Fruit forward, fairly balanced, cab like in many ways. Nose got better w/ time, finished very well. (3355 views) | | | Tasted by guyxjones on 1/17/2008 & rated 80 points: Tannins. No fruit. No nose. (2269 views) | | | Tasted by JBVino on 1/1/2008: no notes taken... (1653 views) | | | Tasted by bacchus on 11/2/2007 & rated 89 points: a wine with great character but not a masterpiece. good mouth feel. nice blackcherry flavor lingers a bit. still has tannins to shed but fruit must be fading since the nose came up short, in contrast with reviews by others who enjoyed several years ago. i don't want to be too critical of this wine but i assume it is made from grapes that have been de-selected from the insignia cuvee. enjoyable nevertheless and fairly priced. let's not forget that standing sideways, i would have to join the side of the debate that says that merlot is not the most successful grape in napa. (1837 views) | | | Tasted by skwid on 4/8/2006: Opened and poured, not decanted. Drunk from Spiegelau Vino Grande Bordeaux glasses.
Very aromatic upon opening with notes of chocolate and cherries. Tannins are there but not obtrusive. Finish is decent but not super long. (2547 views) | | | Tasted by davetong on 7/24/2005 & rated 91 points: Took to a friend's house for dinner; now I wish I'd kept it all for myself because it was excellent.
I'd say it was at its peak right now. (2478 views) |
| Joseph Phelps Producer website
In the late 60s, Joseph Phelps was running one of the largest construction companies in the U.S. when he won the bid to build Souverain Winery (now Rutherford Hill) located a few miles outside of St. Helena. Enamored with the beautiful Napa Valley and contemplating a career change, in 1973 he bought the 600-acre Connolly cattle ranch in Spring Valley, and began planting vineyards. The winery was completed in 1974 and that same year the first Syrah was made, the first grapes were crushed at the new facility and the first Insignia was produced. It was a period of unparalleled activity, creativity, ingenuity, entrepreneurship and risk-taking and it put Joe Phelps on the map of top Napa Valley wine producers.
Nearly four decades later, the flagship wine, Insignia, is recognized as one of the world’s great wines. Twenty nine of 34 vintages have been rated ninety or more points by various wine publications. From 1990 to 2007, the average score from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate is 94.5 pts., with the lowest score still a fabulous 91. The 2002 vintage was “Wine of the Year” by Wine Spectator Magazine, and the 2007 vintage has been rated 98 points by Robert Parker and 96 points by Wine Spectator Magazine.
Over the years, the goal of becoming 100% estate grown resulted in carefully planned acquisitions of prime vineyards in the Napa Valley. Today, the Phelps estate consists of the Spring Valley Home Ranch outside of St. Helena, Banca Dorada in Rutherford, Las Rocas and Barboza vineyards in Stags Leap, Yountville Vineyard in Oak Knoll, Suscol Vineyard in South Napa and Backus Vineyard in Oakville.
Beginning with the 2009 vintage, estate-grown wines include Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Insignia, Backus (the single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville) and Eisrébe, a dessert wine made from the Scheurebe grape. In addition, a small amount of Syrah is produced from fruit owned by Hyde Vineyards in Los Carneros.
Though the main focus is on Bordeaux varietals, Joe Phelps has had a life-long love affair with the wines of Burgundy and a desire to craft wines in that style. Originally Chardonnay was sourced from St. Helena, later from Yountville and then from Los Carneros. Through the years, however, Joe continued to search for the ideal spot to grow both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and his search ended when the perfect combination of climate, soil and location was found in Freestone, located in the Sonoma Coast AVA, a mere eight miles from the Pacific Ocean. In 1999, 200 acres were acquired and planting began. Today, 80 acres of Pinot Noir and 20 acres of Chardonnay are producing some remarkable wines which are available for tasting at the Freestone Guest Center. Visit Freestone Vineyards to learn more.MerlotMerlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to be a diminutive of merle, the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color of the grape. Its softness and "fleshiness", combined with its earlier ripening, makes Merlot a popular grape for blending with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, which tends to be higher in tannin.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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