Joseph Phelps Insignia 1993
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
As I reported last year, the 1993 Insignia is one of northern California's most impressive wines. While this vintage seems to suffer from a slight degree of irregularity, there is no shortage of profound Cabernets. For example, the 1993 Insignia possesses a dense, almost opaque ruby/purple color, as well as a huge, sweet nose of blackcurrants, fruitcake, spice, and vanilla. This classic, rich wine, with a sweet, ripe mid-palate, displays a full-bodied, layered, super-concentrated personality. Although still a baby in terms of development, it is remarkably successful because of the ripe tannin, high glycerin, and intensity of fruit. It will easily last for two decades, although I suspect most of it will be consumed within 7-10 hours of purchase. When speaking of great red wines, what about the succession of exceptional Insignias Phelps has produced since 1991? How much fun well-heeled collectors will have comparing the 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1995, and probably the 1996, in 10-20 years. The early line on these wines is spectacular, as all of them possess outstanding potential. The 1993 and 1994 Insignias appear to have an edge on the 1995, but I imagine the 1995 will perform more strongly with another 6-12 months of barrel age.
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Wine Spectator
A dense, compact, earthy style that definitely needs decanting, with firm, chalky tannins wrapped around a core of earth, tar, leather, mulch and currant. Finishes with mineral and earth flavors that start to grow on you.
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Joseph Phelps Vineyards is a family-owned winery committed to crafting world class, estate-grown wines. Founded in 1973 when Joe Phelps purchased a former cattle ranch near St. Helena in the Napa Valley, the winery now controls and farms nearly 375 acres of vines on eight estate vineyards in St. Helena, the Stags Leap District, Oakville, Rutherford, Oak Knoll District, Carneros and South Napa Valley. In 1999, the Phelps family added 100 acres of vineyard property near the town of Freestone on the Sonoma Coast, where Phelps now grows Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Phelps is best known for its flagship Napa Valley blend of red Bordeaux varietals, Insignia, first produced in 1974. Awarded Wine Spectator's "Wine of the Year" in 2005, Insignia is widely regarded as a qualitative benchmark for California winemaking.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.