Wine Advisor
Joseph Phelps, Insignia 2018
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Description
WINEMAKER NOTES The 2018 Insignia opens with beautifully perfumed floral, dark fruit, anise and cigar box aromatics. A wine of depth, elegance and finesse, the palate is fresh and focused with creamy texture and layers of blackberry, mocha and black cherry. The seamless tannin structure and balance culminate in an uplifting, lengthy finish. VINTAGE NOTES The 2018 growing season in Napa Valley was marked by cool, mild weather. The cooler than normal spring delayed budbreak, bloom and veraison compared to the previous five year average. The mild weather patterns in August and September allowed for excellent overall phenological ripening and development of a complex aroma and flavor profile in the finished wines. Outstanding flavor development and color were key indicators of this exceptional vintage.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
A barrel sample, the 2018 Insignia is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 3% Malbec, to be aged for 24 months in 100% new French oak barrels. Very deep garnet-purple in color, 2018 Insignia sings of fragrant lilacs, chocolate covered cherries, underbrush and charcuterie with a core of crushed black currants, black raspberries, chocolate box and red currant jelly. Medium bodied, the-palate is an exercise in finesse, with a wonderful showing of restrained black fruit and mineral flavors layers and wonderfully ripe, fine-grained tannins, finishing long and uplifting.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
The 2018 Insignia is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc. The vineyard sources this year include: 30% Las Rocas (Stags Leap District),18% Yountville (Oak Knoll District), 13% Banca Dorada (Rutherford), 18% Suscol (South Napa Valley), 14% Home Ranch (St. Helena), 12% Las Rocas (Stags Leap District), 7% Barboza (Stags Leap District). It was aged for 24 months in 100% new French oak barrels. Deep garnet-purple colored, it comes storming out of the glass with powerful notes of blackcurrant cordial, stewed black plums and boysenberries, plus hints of cedar chest, graphite, menthol and wet slate with a fragrant waft of clove oil. The medium to full-bodied palate already demonstrates remarkable balance at this youthful stage, featuring a firm backbone of fine-grained tannins and bold freshness to support the tightly wound, crunchy black fruits, finishing long and spicy. 17,000 cases were made.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2018 Insignia is racy and exuberant to the core. Soft and plush, with fabulous balance, the 2018 is such a showy wine today. Blackberry jam, leather, mocha, cloves and menthol build effortlessly. The 2018 can be enjoyed with minimal cellaring, but it also clearly has the potential to age. It is a total charmer today.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2018 Insignia is a beautiful wine. It is also quite delicate and less bombastic than some recent vintages have been. Its hard to tell if that is just the personality of the year or if changes in farming and/or winemaking are also at play. I suppose time will tell. In the meantime, the 2018 is gorgeous Insignia with tons of potential. Blueberry jam, spice, menthol, dried herbs and licorice all develop in the glass, all lifted by the salivating acids of a long, cool growing season.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2018 Insignia is a boisterous, explosive wine. Medium in body and gracious, with striking aromatic presence and tons of silkiness, the 2018 is all class. Today it comes across as a more refined version of the 2016, with similar depth, but riper, sweeter tannin and perhaps a touch more finesse as well. I can't wait to taste it from bottle.
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.
