2004 Joseph Phelps Vineyards Insignia Napa Valley, USA
$229.99 USD
Please note the image is of a representative bottle. For pictures of the actual bottle please contact the store.
Winemaker Notes
The 2004 vintage marks the first time Insignia has been blended entirely from estate-grown fruit - the fulfillment of a dream that has taken many years to realize. The low-yield vintage produced a wine with syrupy blackberry and blueberry aromas married with seductive spice, followed by velvety tannins, roundness in the finish and outstanding texture, all of which are superbly integrated.
Press
Rated 97 Points Wine Enthusiast
Tasted in October, 2007, the wine was mute, offering little aromatically except for teasing notes of blackberries and oak. That shyness extended to the taste, where strong, hard tannins provide an almost impenetrable coat of armor to what’s inside. But right down the middle of the palate is a deep, intensely powerful stream of perfectly ripened cassis that’s all the proof you need of ageability. This is a magnificently structured young wine, reminiscent of a fine young Pauillac. Best after 2012, and should have another decade after that, at least.
Rated 95 Points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2004 Insignia (the first to be 100% from the estate vineyards) is a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 12% Petit Verdot, and the rest Malbec. I had this wine several times in Napa, and it is a beauty. A flashy, exuberant style for Phelps, with dense ruby/purple color, a gorgeous nose of creme de cassis, incense, licorice, smoke, and spice, the wine has supple tannins, a flamboyant, full-bodied mouthfeel, and tremendous length. Despite its precociousness and up-front style, this wine should evolve easily for 20 or more years.
Rated 94 Points Wine Spectator
"Tight and complex, with a deep, potent core of ripe currant, herb, sage and dusty berry fruit, shaded by light toasty, cedary oak. Deftly balanced, intense and concentrated, this is young and closed in now, yet you can taste the depth and richness. Tannic. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec.
Rated 91 Points Wine & Spirits
This is the first vintage of Insignia to come entirely from estate-grown fruit, from vineyards in St. Helena, Stags Leap, Yountville and Rutherford, as well as a small portion from Oakville. Phelps crafted the ripe fruit of 2004 into a luxury wine, something you might order at one of the new top-end restaurants in Las Vegas. It's all about lovely richness, generous and dense with nothing out of place. Think of sweet cherries and Spanish hot chocolate. Ready to enjoy.
Winemaker Notes
The 2004 vintage marks the first time Insignia has been blended entirely from estate-grown fruit - the fulfillment of a dream that has taken many years to realize. The low-yield vintage produced a wine with syrupy blackberry and blueberry aromas married with seductive spice, followed by velvety tannins, roundness in the finish and outstanding texture, all of which are superbly integrated.
Press
Rated 97 Points Wine Enthusiast
Tasted in October, 2007, the wine was mute, offering little aromatically except for teasing notes of blackberries and oak. That shyness extended to the taste, where strong, hard tannins provide an almost impenetrable coat of armor to what’s inside. But right down the middle of the palate is a deep, intensely powerful stream of perfectly ripened cassis that’s all the proof you need of ageability. This is a magnificently structured young wine, reminiscent of a fine young Pauillac. Best after 2012, and should have another decade after that, at least.
Rated 95 Points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2004 Insignia (the first to be 100% from the estate vineyards) is a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 12% Petit Verdot, and the rest Malbec. I had this wine several times in Napa, and it is a beauty. A flashy, exuberant style for Phelps, with dense ruby/purple color, a gorgeous nose of creme de cassis, incense, licorice, smoke, and spice, the wine has supple tannins, a flamboyant, full-bodied mouthfeel, and tremendous length. Despite its precociousness and up-front style, this wine should evolve easily for 20 or more years.
Rated 94 Points Wine Spectator
"Tight and complex, with a deep, potent core of ripe currant, herb, sage and dusty berry fruit, shaded by light toasty, cedary oak. Deftly balanced, intense and concentrated, this is young and closed in now, yet you can taste the depth and richness. Tannic. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec.
Rated 91 Points Wine & Spirits
This is the first vintage of Insignia to come entirely from estate-grown fruit, from vineyards in St. Helena, Stags Leap, Yountville and Rutherford, as well as a small portion from Oakville. Phelps crafted the ripe fruit of 2004 into a luxury wine, something you might order at one of the new top-end restaurants in Las Vegas. It's all about lovely richness, generous and dense with nothing out of place. Think of sweet cherries and Spanish hot chocolate. Ready to enjoy.