1981 Insignia

Fully mature with notes of sweet black tea, cinnamon, allspice and a candied cherry/currant component, this soft, attractive, spicy wine falls off slightly on the palate. There is a disconnect between the complex aromatics and the moderately endowed palate. Drink the 1981 over the next 5-6 years. This vintage had one of the earliest harvests in Napa Valley history because of very hot temperatures during the summer. The crop was extremely small because of drought and heat during the growing season, and most observers thought it was going to be a rich, forward, sexy vintage. However, most of the wines did not live up to those expectations, and were good rather than inspirational. The 1981 Insignia is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc, with 73% from growers and the rest from estate vineyards. The alcohol came in at 13%, and the wine spent 16 months in French oak.