2018 Joseph Phelps, Insignia, Napa Valley, California, USA
Critics reviews
Drink 2023 to 2040
Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux (October 2021)
Antonio Galloni, vinous.com (Jan 2021)
Drink 2024 - 2044
Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate (Jul 2021)
Drink 2022 - 2036
James Molesworth, Wine Spectator (Aug 2021)
James Suckling, jamessuckling.com (Aug 2021)
Jeb Dunnuck, jebdunnuck.com (Jan 2021)
About this WINE
Joseph Phelps
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).
Insignia, which is aged in oak barrels (25% American) for 22 months has been on hot streak since 1990 and current winemaker Craig Williams is producing richer and riper wines than before. The winery produces a wide range of wines apart from Insignia and of particular interest are its Rhône style wines made from Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, and Viognier.
Rutherford
Rutherford, located in the heart of Napa Valley, California, is particularly celebrated for its exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon. This small yet prestigious appellation, or American Viticultural Area (AVA), is nestled between the towns of Oakville and St. Helena, covering approximately 6,650 acres of vineyards.
Rutherford's prime location on an alluvial fan created by the Napa River and its tributaries results in gravelly, loamy soils that provide ideal drainage for vine growth. The region’s terroir is further influenced by its proximity to the Mayacamas and Vaca mountain ranges, which help shape its warm Mediterranean climate. This climate, characterised by hot days and cool nights, ensures that grapes retain acidity while developing rich, complex flavours.
The defining feature of Rutherford's terroir is often referred to as "Rutherford Dust," a term popularised by the legendary winemaker André Tchelistcheff. This phrase captures the unique soil characteristics that impart a distinctive, dusty, earthy quality to the wines, particularly the Cabernet Sauvignon. These wines are known for their robust structure, with deep flavours of dark fruit like blackberry and blackcurrant, complemented by secondary notes of cocoa powder, cedar, and a fine-grained tannin structure. The result is a wine that stands out in its youth and has the potential to age gracefully, developing even more complexity over time.
Rutherford's history is deeply intertwined with the development of Napa Valley as a premier wine-producing region. The area's viticultural roots trace back to the mid-19th century, when George C. Yount, a pioneering settler, planted the first vineyards in Napa Valley. The region was named after Thomas Rutherford, who received land from Yount as a wedding gift and began cultivating grapes. Rutherford’s reputation grew significantly through the contributions of historic wineries like Inglenook, which played critical roles in establishing Napa Valley's international acclaim.
Cabernet Sauvignon
The most famous red wine grape in the world and one of the most widely planted.
It is adaptable to a wide range of soils, although it performs particularly well on well-drained, low-fertile soils. It has small, dusty, black-blue berries with thick skins that produce deeply coloured, full-bodied wines with notable tannins. Its spiritual home is the Médoc and Graves regions of Bordeaux where it thrives on the well-drained gravel-rich soils producing tannic wines with piercing blackcurrant fruits that develop complex cedarwood and cigar box nuances when fully mature.
The grape is widely planted in California where Cabernet Sauvignon based wines are distinguished by their rich mixture of cassis, mint, eucalyptus and vanilla oak. It is planted across Australia and with particular success in Coonawarra where it is suited to the famed Terra Rossa soil. In Italy barrique aged Cabernet Sauvignon is a key component in Super Tuscans such as Tignanello and Sassicaia, either on its own or as part of a blend with Sangiovese.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
Joseph Phelps is practically the inventor of the Bordeaux blend in California, and the team has done a wonderful job with the Insignia in 2018. Clarice Turner, who began as a trainee 23 years ago, is now director, with Ashley Hepworth winemaker, and she knows exactly how to get both juice, tension and power out of Cabernet Sauvignon, while still maintaining nuance. A ton of interest and spice. Great persistence through the palate, soft black pepper, rosebud and oyster shell on the finish adds a fragrant, saline twist. I am always a fan of this wine, and love that it showcases the history and quality of Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa.
Drink 2023 to 2040
Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux (October 2021)
wine at a glance
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