2006 Insignia
| Publication | The Wine Advocate |
| Author | Robert M. Parker Jr. |
| Date | 12/23/09 |
| Award | 95+ Points |
| Review | "The 2006 Insignia (95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot; 16,000 cases produced) is a superb effort in this vintage. Another 30+ year wine, it boasts a dense plum/purple color as well as abundant notes of licorice, black currants, charcoal, black olives, and graphite. Full-bodied, pure and rich with moderately high tannins, it represents a California version of a Bordeaux from Pauillac or St. Julien. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2045.
In case you think the aging curves I have described are unrealistically long, I have the Joseph Phelps regular Cabernets from the mid-seventies as well as the Insignias in my cellar, and those wines are still drinking beautifully at 30 years of age. Today’s wines are better made." |
| Publication | The Wine Spectator |
| Date | 10/15/09 |
| Award | 94 Points |
| Review | "Teasing with its floral, spicy cherry, wild berry and currant aromas, this is full-bodied, firm and structured, tight and focused, offering glimpses of what lies ahead with its complex mix of flavors and tightly wound tannins. Yet its finesse and refinement are apparent on the finish. Needs time. Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Best from 2011 through 2018. 16,900 cases made." |
| Publication | Quarterly Review of Wines |
| Date | Winter 2009/2010 |
| Award | FIRST PLACE |
| Review | How do California’s best wines stack up against each other? Read on. "FIRST PLACE: JOSEPH PHELPS 2006 INSIGNIA Winning by a wide margin: it had great depth of flavor; it’s a perennial winner at our annual Best of the Best in California. Winemaker Ashley Hepworth and Director Damian Parker have not missed a beat since taking over the winemaking." |
| Publication | The Wine Enthusiast |
| Date | 02/2010 |
| Award | 94 Points |
| Review | "This is so strong and fruity, so oaky, so tannic, it just overwhelms the palate in its extreme youth. Just massive in blackberries, black currants, coffee, cocoa, dried herbs and 100% new, smoky-sweet French oak." |
| Publication | International Wine Cellar |
| Author | Stephen Tanzer |
| Date | 05-06 2009 |
| Award | 90+ Points |
| Review | "(Bottled in February 09.) Fresher on the nose than the Napa bottling, offering cassis, bitter chocolate and roasted herbs. Then very ripe and dense but suave, showing good energy and a slightly clenched middle palate. The tannins are serious and granular, but here there’s plenty of supporting mid-palate material. This may well merit a higher score three or four years down the road." |
