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In 1974 Joe Phelps had the idea to make a separate cuvee each year, one that would represent the finest wine he could make from each vintage. He didn’t necessarily think it would always be a Cabernet Sauvignon. It might be a white wine in some years, a Chardonnay or a Riesling, or it might be a Syrah or Merlot. His only thought was to make one wine that represented the best of what Joseph Phelps Vineyards could produce each year. He decided to name the wine Insignia, a proprietary name that would give him the flexibility to make the wine out of any varietal he chose.
As it happened, 1974 was a great year for Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa Valley and the 1974 Insignia was 94% Cabernet from the Stags Leap District. The following year Merlot dominated the blend, and in 1976, it returned to Cabernet, this time from the Eisele Vineyard. It was becoming increasingly clear that red Bordeaux varieties – particularly Cabernet Sauvignon - were ideally suited to Napa Valley and would consistently yield the best wines of the vintage. From 1977 on, Cabernet Sauvignon was never less than 50% of the Insignia blend and gradually became the dominant varietal. Joe’s vision evolved: Insignia would always be a proprietary red Bordeaux-style blend.
Varietal | Proprietary Blend |
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Vintage | 1995 |
Rating | 98 RP |
Bottle Size | 750 ml |
Bottle Quantity | 1 |
Country | USA |
Region | California |
Location | North Coast |
Producer | Phelps Joseph |
Color | Red |
Wine Type | Table |
Rating | 98 RP - A wine of great intensity and richness, it displays classic notes of licorice, barbecue smoke, creme de cassis, cedarwood and forest floor. Full-bodied with sensational purity, a multidimensional mouthfeel and a long, voluptuous finish with no hard edges, it has only reached mid-adolescence, and has at least two decades of life ahead of it. Joseph Phelps is doing a phenomenal job with their Insignia. The winery produces 10,000-12,000 cases of this proprietary red wine, all of it aged in 100% new oak. Vintages since 1991 have been superb. Perhaps the best back-to-back vintages ever produced of this wine are the 1994 and 1995, which rival the great Insignias made in 1974 and 1976. RP |
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Varietal | Proprietary Blend |
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Vintage | 1995 |
Rating | 98 RP |
Bottle Size | 750 ml |
Bottle Quantity | 1 |
Country | USA |
Region | California |
Location | North Coast |
Producer | Phelps Joseph |
Color | Red |
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20,000 cases |
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