2013 Joseph Phelps Vineyards Insignia, Napa Valley, USA 1.5L

2013 Joseph Phelps Vineyards Insignia, Napa Valley, USA 1.5L

$410.00
$485.00
Vintage
Country: 
Region: 
Grape/Blend
Pairing
Beef and Venison
Magnum Bottle (1.5 L) 0 units available

 

Tasting notes
The flagship wine of the estate in reds is their Insignia, which has been one of the great Bordeaux blends made in California since the debut vintage in 1974. It usually has 30+ years aging potential, even in lighter vintages, of which the 2012, 2013 and 2014 are decidedly not. The 2013 Proprietary Red Insignia was scheduled for bottling after my visit. A blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest smaller proportions of Petit Verdot, Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc, this is a smaller cuvée of about 12,300 cases. This could turn out even better than the 2012, although the final judgment will have to take place from bottle. An amazing, inky purple color offers up notes of pen ink, white flowers, blueberry and blackberry liqueur. Nicely coiled, its tense, but rich and extracted palate is full-bodied with layers of concentrated fruit, well-integrated wood, acidity and tannin, and a finish of a good 40-45 seconds. This stunner should hit its prime in 5-6 years and last 30-40 years.

Producer

Joseph Phelps Winery

The average American wine drinker, who is accustomed to drinking wines from the Americas, may hold a wine labeled by varietal in esteem over a “red blend.” This, of course, is a novice mistake. And as we fans of Bordeaux know, many of the best wines in the world are red blends. Today, thanks in part to an innovator named Joseph Phelps, some of these wines are American. In 1974, Phelps decided to make a separate cuvee for each year, a wine made from the best grapes his vineyard had produced—whatever they were. He named the wine Insignia. Because he was not limited by the maximum percentages ...
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