Seattle Tasting Group does 22 years of Phelps Insignia
Bellevue, WA, USA
Tasted Saturday, April 17, 2004 by Eric with 5,189 views
Introduction
Yesterday I had the good fortune to attend one of the most educational and special tastings of my life. As part of an extravagant weekend that Roy Hersh put together, the Saturday night special was a 22 year vertical of Joseph Phelps Insignia. We were also fortunate enough to have Tom Shelton (the President of Joseph Phelps Vineyards) on hand to lead us through five flights of memorable and often special wines. Thanks to both Roy and Tom for an amazing experience!
As if that weren't enough, we also assembled another 18 wines to have along with a series of dinner courses at Daniel's Steak House in Bellevue, WA. I would be lying if I didn't mention that by the 11th flight that people were getting weary. Can you say "too much of a good thing"... Thanks again Roy for another amazing experience!
Flight 1 (4 Notes)
We started off with Insignia from the 1970's. The first few vintages were actually aged in redwood barrels, and this lent a remarkably cedary character to the wines. The 1974 in particular was vibrant and stunningly good, one of the best wines of the evening!
Flight 2 (5 Notes)
The 1980's wines were a little weaker with strong showings from the 1984 and 1987. However, the 1985 and 1986 were our only poor bottles of the evening. And while there was a lot to admire about the 1989, it was not quite in the same league with the other wines.
Flight 3 (5 Notes)
The early 1990's were a bit more hit and miss (with the 1998 thrown in as well), but the 1991 was an absolute home run of a wine!
Flight 4 (4 Notes)
The mid 1990's was clearly the strongest and most consistent flight. These wines went from strength to strength, yet each showed very differently and was as much a reflection of the vintage as anything else. Everyone fell in love with these wines!
Flight 5 (4 Notes)
The turn of the century also bodes well for Phelps. The 2000 was the only weak wine, and even it was very respectable. I was quite surprised with the strong showing of the 1999, and the 2001 was ethereal and will seemingly be the best Insignia ever with time. (I scored it the same as the 1994 which is my current favorite.)
Flight 6 (3 Notes)
Wow, with 22 vintages of Insignia behind us we moved onto dinner and a dizzying series of wines. We started with a couple of gorgeous bubblies and a lovely White Burg.
Flight 7 (4 Notes)
Next we moved to four enchanting Châteauneuf-du-Pape. I am a huge lover of the Southern Rhone, although I found these wines in particular a bit tough to appreciate. After so much sweet cassis, the earthiness and dry, papery texture of the Grenache took some time for ones palate to adjust to. Still, there was a lot to like here.
Flight 8 (3 Notes)
Next we moved to a few wines in a California vein including my wine of the night in the form of the 1996 Abreu.
Flight 9 (4 Notes)
We followed with a lovely flight of Bordeaux highlighted by the structured but beautiful 1986 Lynch Bages.
Flight 10 (2 Notes)
We finished up the dry reds with one from Australia and one from South Africa.
Flight 11 (2 Notes)
Finally, we capped the evening off with a fabulous Zind-Humbrecht and a surprisingly nice dessert wine from Phelps.
Closing
All in all, this was an ethereal evening of stunning wines. Thanks again Roy!
1974 Joseph Phelps Insignia 95 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
This is 94% Cabernet and 6% Merlot, aged in redwood barrels, the inaugural release of Phelps Insignia. Out of 22 vintages tasted in a vertical tasting, this was one of the clear highlights. The highly expressive nose shows cedar, mint and a lightly floral element. It reminded me of a sauna! Oh my goodness, the palate is VERY much alive, very vibrant and full of fruit. Long, pure and sweet, this is a delicious and elegant wine, what a treat!
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1978 Joseph Phelps Insignia 88 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
This is a blend of 50% Cabernet, 30% Merlot, and 20% Cab Franc. The note shows raw meat and mint. If my notes are correct, this is the first vintage of Insignia to see French oak instead of redwood barrels. At first this was minty and lively on the palate, but it dried out very quickly and showed a lot less fruit than the 1974.
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1977 Joseph Phelps Insignia 89 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Wow, this one shows a lot more Brett than other Phelps of the 1970's, apparently due to somewhat dirty barrels. The nose is stinky with cabbage, cedar and very distinct barnyard that takes over with more air. However, the palate is much better than the nose. The finish is drying and somewhat astringent.
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1979 Joseph Phelps Insignia 90 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
70% Cab and 30% Merlot. Very youthful color. The nose on this is very expressive with cedar, cocoa, and cassis. The palate shows more structure than the other 1970's Insignias. The palate is stunning and vibrant with cooling mint. However, there are somewhat coarse tannins on the finish which holds this back a bit.
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