Joseph Phelps Insignia (bin soiled label) 1976

Professional Ratings

• 96 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  A big, rich red, it offers a dense garnet color along with notes of unsmoked cigar tobacco and Asian spices, a full-bodied, deep, concentrated, broad, savory mouthfeel, plenty of sweet red and black fruits, ripe tannin and remarkable freshness as well as delineation. This gorgeous, complex, classic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is fully mature, and probably should be consumed over the next 4-5 years.

  The 1976 Insignia was nearly perfect when I initially tasted it. An incredible drought in the summer months made 1976 one of the driest years on record, resulting in a tiny crop of thick-skinned, tannic berries with very little juice-to-skin ratio. This was the first vintages in which Joseph Phelps decided to utilize what is one of the great first-growth sites of Napa Valley, the Eisele Vineyard. The final blend was 94% Cabernet Sauvignon from Calistoga's Eisele Vineyard (now owned by the Bordelais, in particular Chateau Latour) and 6% Merlot from the Stanton Vineyard. The alcohols were 13.8% and 785 cases were produced. The 1976 also enjoyed a longer barrel aging of 15 months in a combination of American and French oak.