Wine Advisor
Joseph Phelps, Insignia 2004
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This may be a fast-developing vintage as it is already displaying some tertiary nuances. Lots of cedarwood, forest floor, spring flower, black currant and blackberry characteristics intermixed with hints of charcoal and background oak emerge from this full-bodied, glycerin-filled, opulent effort. Aged 24 months in new French oak, this stunning 2004 should continue to drink well for 10-15 more years. Most Napa Valley vintners were high on this vintage. The growing season’s warm weather in early spring gave the vines a precocious start, and the textbook weather continued into June, July and August. However, by the end of August, a three-week heat wave arrived, with many days exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit, which dehydrated the fruit and caused considerable stress in unirrigated vineyards. Most growers felt this long heat wave reduced the crop size by 10-40%. The 2004 Insignia (the first of what became a succession of wines to be made from 100% estate fruit) has one of the highest alcohol percentages, 14.7%, of any Joseph Phelps wine. A 9,000-case blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 12% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec, it is performing fabulously well at present.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 12% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec, the 2004 Insignia was aged 24 months in new French oak. It boasts a dense ruby/purple color as well as rich, full-bodied, supple tannins, abundant fruit and exciting levels of complexity and richness. This cuvee’s large production makes it one of the finest quality/quantity Cabernets produced in Napa Valley. Drink it over the next two decades. Tel. (707) 963-2745; Fax (707) 963-4831
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The soft, opulent 2004 Insignia (a 10,000-case blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 12% Petit Verdot, and 2% Malbec) is already seductive and lush. Offering abundant quantities of cassis, incense, graphite, plums, blackberries, and black currants, it will be hard to resist young, but should age effortlessly for two decades or more. Not yet released. Previously recommended: 2002 Insignia (95), 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard (96+). Tel. (707) 963-2745; Fax (707) 963-4831
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
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. There are 10,000 cases of the 2004. Previously recommended: 2003 Insignia (94), 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard (96), 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa (88). Tel. (707) 963-2745; Fax (707) 963-4831
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
There are only 10,000 cases of the fat, opulent, full-bodied, heady, alcoholic 2004 Insignia (72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 12% Petit Verdot, and 2% Malbec). Abundant fruit is presented in a big, up-front, flamboyant style along with hints of soy sauce, blackberries, cassis, incense, minerals, charcoal, and graphite. It is ideal for drinking during its first 12-15 years of life. (Release date 9/07) Tel. (707) 963-2745; Fax (707) 963-4831
About the Producer
Joseph Phelps, a building contractor from Colorado, first invested in vineyards in the Napa Valley in 1972. In 1974 Phelps and his winemaker Walter Schugg produced their first vintage of Insignia, which at the time was one of the first Bordeaux style blends in California. Its Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot grapes are sourced primarily from Rutherford & Stags Leap (notably for `Insignia'); the Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc from Los Carneros & Napa (for the better quality fruit). Joseph Phelps Vineyards is a family-owned and operated wine estate with vineyards and wineries in Napa Valley and on the western Sonoma Coast. The winery was founded in 1973 by Joseph Phelps, a successful construction executive and entrepreneur whose early interest in wine led him to establish vineyards on a 670-acre former cattle ranch in Napa Valley. Over the next 42 years Joe became one of the most respected figures in the California wine industry, building Joseph Phelps Vineyards into a critically-acclaimed winery internationally known for its iconic wines and unwavering commitment to quality. Every wine in the Joseph Phelps portfolio is 100% estate-grown, overseen from grape to bottle by our dedicated winegrowing team. Their family owns and farms 390 acres of vines in Napa Valley on eight estate vineyards in St. Helena, Rutherford, Oakville, the Stags Leap District, the Oak Knoll District, South Napa and Carneros, as well as 100 acres over two vineyards on the western Sonoma Coast. Strategically chosen over many decades, each vineyard has its own personality and brings a different characteristic to our wines. Our commitment to the estate-grown model is our way of ensuring consistency and the highest quality we can possibly achieve. Our estate vineyards give our winemaking teams unparalleled depth and diversity when it comes to producing Joseph Phelps wines.
