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Joseph Phelps Insignia 2006
HED86348
75 cl
14.5%
£270.00
Taxes included.
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Joseph Phelps Vineyards was established in 1973 and is recognised as one of the finest producers of Cabernet-based wines in California. From the superb 2006 vintage, this is a blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot. It is deep, pure and layered with complex notes of cassis, plum, mocha, graphite and anise. Whilst now emerging into its prime drinking window, this will continue to evolve for at least another decade.
94 Jancis Robinson
The 2006 Insignia possesses a deep ruby/purple color as well as copious amounts of cassis, but has not yet developed secondary nuances. It remains a big, full-throttle, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine with 14.5% natural alcohol, impressive purity, sweet tannin, decent acidity and a monolithic personality. Everything needed for a graceful evolution is present, and the 2006 should keep for another two decades.
This is a 16,900-case blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot (100% estate fruit) from a vintage that experienced a slowly developing growing season as a result of cool weather and abundant winter rain. The 2006 vintage will be remembered for a huge, 10-day, 100+ degree Fahrenheit heat spike at the end of July, which was unsettling to both growers and vineyards.Robert Parker30th November 2013
This is a 16,900-case blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot (100% estate fruit) from a vintage that experienced a slowly developing growing season as a result of cool weather and abundant winter rain. The 2006 vintage will be remembered for a huge, 10-day, 100+ degree Fahrenheit heat spike at the end of July, which was unsettling to both growers and vineyards.Robert Parker30th November 2013
92 Vinous
(a late year in which Phelps started harvested on October 7): Bright medium ruby. Aromas of cassis, briary blackberry, mocha and black tea, plus a rocky, flinty minerality unlike any previous vintage of Insignia. Silky-sweet and fine-grained but with noteworthy energy to its dark berry, tar and mineral flavors. Finishes with huge tannins and slowly building length. This brooding, closed wine still needs time to absorb more of its tannins.Stephen Tanzer1st April 2016
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Joseph Phelps
Innovation and Quality in Napa
Founded in 1973, Joseph Phelps Vineyards is family-owned winery celebrated for its commitment to crafting world-class, estate grown wines from Napa Valley and the Sonoma Coast. Joe Phelps was a building contractor from Colorado who began investing in Napa Valley vineyards in the early 1970s, producing the first vintage of his now-famous "Insignia" in 1974 - one of the first super premium Bordeaux blends from Napa.
The current winemaker is Ashley Hepworth, who initially joined Joseph Phelps in 1999 as an intern. Alongside Insignia, Ashley and the team also make a number of varietal wines with the Freestone Vineyards Chardonnay being a notable high point.