February 2, 2024 - Delicious. Blackberry, plum, leather, vanilla and oak. Long finish with soft tannins. Still young with emerging notes of maturity.
January 13, 2024 - Decanted for one hour. Nose of blackberry, currant, cedar, graphite, dried herbs and anise. Ripe blackberry, cedar, graphite and dried herbs on the palate. Very long finish. Medium to full bodied. Served with grilled strip steaks and black truffle butter.
January 6, 2024 - Aromatics were nice, very classic Cali cab notes of cedar, black fruit, some sweet spice, touches of pine. Palate was a bit flat for me. Showing how aged CA wines from this generation can go flaccid with time. Some tar and stewed fruit notes. Very one sided at this stage. Definitely at drinking window.
January 1, 2024 - Very disappointed. This wine should be drinking very nicely right now. Opened it at dinner with friends for New Year's eve. We didn't have a decanter (they only had one and it was in use) so we left the bottle open for an hour. It was brownish in color and had an odor as if it were going bad but tasted okay - not great. Possibly a little corked but the cork looked fantastic. I have 11 more, I will give them a few years, maybe it's just at an awkward stage.
December 24, 2023 - Yondan has this right - wine is in a great place and drinking well. Served right after 2015 Clerc Milion (admittedly, too early), and the Insignia delivered what our table was looking for: well balanced, fruit forward, aromatic Napa Cab. Delicious.
September 25, 2023 - classic Cali cab, dark fruit, blackberry, cassis, hints of cedar, tobacco, integrated tannins, long finish, still very youthful, power with elegance
July 19, 2023 - Very well rounded wine. Very opaque, deep ruby red. The bottle had a lot of sediment and needed to be decanted. It would otherwise drink well directly from the bottle. It did not need air time. The wine gave off great aromas of cherry, and raspberry. Friendly tannins, medium acidity, full body and inviting. Red fruit ; cassis and plumb notes on the palate.
Very well balanced and rounded wine, smooth texture with a great lasting finished. Enjoyed with London Broil and baked potatoe.
This vintage is in a great place. Very appealing and a easy to drink. Allthough the wine can go a few more years in the bottle, the additional
time in the bottle will not improve the wine. Hold or save, you will totally enjoy this voluptuous wine.
July 19, 2023 - Wonderful! Notes of oak, dark fruit, spice, with bing cherry, blackberry, and chocolate on the palate, this has full-body, with a long, lasting finish. Rich, voluptuous, hedonistic, with well integrated tannins, this wine has good balance of power and finesse. In its prime at 15 years of age.
July 7, 2023 - Elegant, voluptuous, romantic, all can be used to describe this terrific Insignia. Opened to celebrate my 75th birthday. Wanted something special and was not disappointed. Blackberry dominates on the palate, but dark cherry is a close second. Tannins impeccably Intergrated. Doubt that time will improve this much, but there are many years of peak enjoyment remaining.
March 27, 2023 - My 60th (Abbot Street, Ngaio, Wellington, New Zealand): Drunk next to the black-hued and almost totally closed Pontet Canet from 2008, this felt riper and sweeter, and almost as rich, but also more- developed, with bricking noted on the meniscus of the wine while being poured. This wine expresses a very ripe Napa style, and certainly has great structure and proportion, but also emphasises a sweet countenance and supple fruit textures. The silky sweet-berry note on the finish was very appealing. My preference was for the closed and almost dour PC, but other enjoyed the voluptuous nature of this wine. No rush on this - it will be a fun wine to follow, but maybe not for the 30+ years I think the PC has!