90 Points & "Cellar Selection" - Wine Enthusiast Magazine:"A good wine, with jammy Cabernet flavors of blackberries, cassis and savory spices. It’s fairly low in alcohol, with a brisk, clean scour, but tannic and astringent. Feels immature even at the age of nearly five years, but it should develop. Give it another six years." S.H. (7/1/2011)
Joseph Phelps "Insignia" Estate Proprietary Red 2006 (Napa Valley, California) - [RP 95+] [CG 95] [WS 94] [WE 94] [ST 90+]
The
opaque, inky color of the 2006 Insignia is followed by concentrated
aromatics of lush black fruit, graphite, coffee, dark cocoa powder,
licorice, and cola syrup. The dense flavors and balanced tannins
integrate beautifully for a long, layered finish.
95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot from 100% estateowned Napa
Valley vineyards which break down as follows: South Napa, 33% (Suscol
Vyd.), Stags Leap District, 29% (Barboza Vyd. 17% and Las Rocas Vyd.
12%), Rutherford, 20% (Banca Dorada Vyd.), St. Helena, 10% (Spring
Valley Ranch Vineyards) Oak Knoll District, 8% (Yountville Vyd.)
Grapes were harvested between October 7–27, 2006 at an average 24.5°
Brix, fermented in stainless steel tanks, then aged 24 months in 100%
new French oak barrels from coopers Taransaud, Dargaud Jaegle, Nadalie,
Demptos, Marcel Cadet and Sylvain.
Ratings & Reviews
95+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:"The
2006 Insignia (95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot; 16,000 cases
produced) is a superb effort in this vintage. Another 30+ year wine, it
boasts a dense plum/purple color as well as abundant notes of licorice,
black currants, charcoal, black olives, and graphite. Full-bodied,
pure, and rich with moderately high tannins, it represents a California
version of a Bordeaux from Pauillac or St.-Julien. Anticipated maturity:
2014-2045.
In case you think the aging curves I have described
are unrealistically long, I have the Joseph Phelps regular Cabernets
from the mid-seventies as well as the Insignias in my cellar, and those
wines are still drinking beautifully at 30+ years of age. Today’s wines
are better made." - Robert Parker (12/2009)
94-96 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:"Since
2004, 100% of the Bordeaux varietals used in the Insignia proprietary
blend have been from estate vineyards. There are just under 15,000 cases
of the 2006 Insignia, a blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit
Verdot. Made in a dense, full-bodied, muscular style, it is less
charming than the 2005, with high tannin, extract, and richness. The
blackberry and cassis characteristics are accompanied by notions of damp
earth, subtle oak, licorice, and forest floor. It, too will benefit
from 3-4 years of bottle age, and should drink well for two decades or
more." -Robert Parker (12/2008)
95 Points - Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine:
"Already amazingly seductive with wonderfully rich aromas of sweet oak,
cocoa and fully expressed fruit making a first-rate introduction, this
riveting young wine in no way lets up on the palate and delivers deep,
multi-faceted flavors that combine ripeness, sweet oak and very precise
fruit in near-perfect proportion. As is often the case with Insignia
bottlings, it is so beautifully balanced that it invites early drinking,
and, while we do not condemn giving in to its charms, we also would
lobby strongly for patience as its best lies years down the line."
94 Points - Wine Spectator Magazine:"Teasing
with its floral, spicy cherry, wild berry and currant aromas, this is
full-bodied, firm and structured, tight and focused, offering glimpses
of what lies ahead with its complex mix of flavors and tightly wound
tannins. Yet its finesse and refinement are apparent on the finish.
Needs time. Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Best from 2011 through
2018. 16,900 cases made." –JL (10/15/2009)
94 Points & "Cellar Selection" - Wine Enthusiast Magazine:"There
are $15 Cabs that are better to drink now. This is so strong and
fruity, so oaky, so tannic, it just overwhelms the palate in its extreme
youth. Just massive in blackberries, black currants, coffee, cocoa,
dried herbs and 100% new, smoky-sweet French. Ridiculous to open it
anytime soon. Desperately needs time in the bottle, and the point score
reflects potential. Try 2012–2018." - S.H. (2/1/2010
90+ Points - Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar:"Good
full medium bright ruby. Fresher on the nose than the Napa bottling,
offering cassis, bitter chocolate and roasted herbs. Then very ripe and
dense but suave, showing good energy and a slightly clenched middle
palate. The tannins are serious and granular, but here there's plenty of
supporting mid-palate material. Still a bit awkward following the
recent bottling; this may well merit a higher score three or four years
down the road." -Stephen Tanzer (May/June 2009)
