Joseph Phelps Insignia 2003

Joseph Phelps Insignia 2003

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£280.00
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  • Robert Parker rating 93
  • Vinous rating 92
Joseph Phelps Insignia 2003
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HED82899

75 cl

14.4%
£280.00
Taxes included.

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Insignia is the flagship wine from the legendary Joseph Phelps Vineyards winery in California. 2003 was a challenging vintage for many and this is an elegant, early-drinking Bordeaux blend with layered aromas of black fruits, anise, dark chocolate and espresso. On the palate it is silken, mouth-coating and culminates in a long, fruit-laden finish.
92 Vinous
(the growing season featured a very cool, wet April and a very long, late harvest under favorable conditions): Saturated bright ruby-red. Aromas of currant, black cherry, graphite, licorice, sweet butter and bergamot, accented by dried herbs. Juicy, spicy and still a bit youthfully tight but with lovely sweetness to its flavors of black cherry, licorice and flowers. Finishes with big tannins supported by the wine's depth. Less viscous than the 2002. This wine has always been tight but may be starting to turn the corner. Phelps stopped doing pad filtration in 2003 after getting rid of the brettanomyces in the winery (they started washing their barrels with ozonated water in 1999). Many vintages since then have been bottled unfiltered, noted winemaker Hepworth, adding that we've never really employed fining, even in high-tannin years like 2013. We don't like what it does to mouthfeel.Stephen Tanzer1st April 2016

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Joseph Phelps

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.

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