2021 Joseph Phelps Insignia
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
A Napa stalwart, the 2021 Insignia is a blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Malbec, aged in 100% new French oak. Cedar and vanilla scents accent black cherries and a hint of redcurrants on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is soft and plush, easy to enjoy now but with the requisite concentration to age for up to two decades. Long, silky and tart on the finish, it's another in a long line of successful Insignias.
Critic scores
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Always raised in 100% new oak, the 2021 Insignia checks in as 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Malbec. It has a rocking nose of blackcurrants, cedar pencil, chocolaty oak, and graphite. This carries to a deep, full-bodied 2021 with a dense, stacked mid-palate, ripe, polished, yet building tannins, the vintage's purity and structure, and a great finish. With roughly 16,000 cases, it's one of the few releases in Napa Valley to deliver this level of quality at this production level.
The 2021 Insignia is still in barrel, but it is immensely promising. Bright acids and beams of tannin confer freshness. This is a mid-weight vintage of Insignia that is built more on finesse than power. Crème de cassis, lavender, spice and new leather linger.
The 2021 Insignia is superb. Even as a young barrel sample, the 2021 is super-polished. Bright red/purplish berry fruit, spice, mocha and leather all race across the palate. All the elements are so well balanced. Medium in body and impeccable in its balance, the 2021 is positively stellar. I especially like the energy here.
About the producer
California winery Joseph Phelps is best known for its flagship Insignia cuvée, one of the first and finest proprietary red wines in the Napa Valley.