2005 Joseph Phelps, Insignia, Napa Valley, Magnum (1.5L)

RP96 "The 2005 Proprietary Red Insignia (14.5% alcohol and typically aged 24 months in new French oak) is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot and 1% Merlot. Juicy, fresh and vibrant, with a dense, ruby/purple color, and a classic nose of licorice and crème de cassis as well as hints of new saddle leather and earth, the wine is a brilliant blend that after ten years shows no evidence of the 24 months it spent in new French oak. Full-bodied, opulent, but still youthful, this wine looks set for another 25-30 years of aging. The wine’s best elements are its finesse and elegance allied to great richness and intensity. This wine is accessible now, as most Insignias tend to be, but much of its greatness will be revealed over the next two decades." RP Jun 28, 2015

"Joseph Phelps was one of the great visionaries of Napa Valley. He passed away several days before I arrived in Napa. His legacy is one of extraordinary quality. He was one of the first to see the merit in blending, which his legendary Insignia, which first debuted in 1974, has proven year after year. It remains one of the world’s finest Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blends. A pioneer in the Rhone-Ranger movement, although those wines never had the success that I’m sure he imagined, Plelps lived in Southern France for a number of years and loved the wines from that region. Nevertheless, he was a catalyst for this burgeoning movement, which today has a life of its own, and adds enormous attractiveness to the diversity of the California wine scene. He also wasn’t content to just stay at home in Napa, but branched out with cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vineyards on the Sonoma Coast. Joe Phelps was a leader, and one of the greats of the wine world." RP Jun 2015