Joseph Phelps Insignia Magnum 1.5L

Tasting note:

The 2011 Insignia is layered with aromatics of dark fruit, cardamom, tobacco, Herbs de Provence and graphite on the nose. Fresh and lively this elegant wine boasts bright red cherry, blackberry and espresso throughout the palate with supple tannins.

Winery introduction:

Napa Valley’s Joseph Phelps Vineyards was established in 1973, at the cusp of a second ‘Golden Era’ of winemaking (the first being post-Prohibition). It was an era when the whole of California caught its big break on the world stage thanks to the 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting.

Unlike many of those 1970s pioneering estates – Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Heitz and others – Joseph Phelps remains family-owned to this day. It is a winery carved from the vision and determination of Joe Phelps, an entrepreneur who found himself in the perfect place at the perfect time. 

Many of Phelps’ contemporaries back then – such as Bob Travers of Mayacamas and Warren Winiarski of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars – created seminal estates of their own. While in recent vintages they, like so many others in Napa Valley today, have transitioned to a more slick, modern style for their wines, Phelps is content to let vintage conditions shine through, avoiding an overly homogenous style.