2018 Joseph Phelps Insignia

The Insignia 2018 is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc. The grapes are picked from: 30% Las Rocas (Stags Leap District), 18% Yountville (Oak Knoll District), 13% Banca Dorada (Rutherford), 18% Suscol (South Napa Valley), 14% Home Ranch (St Helena ), 12% Las Rocas (Stags Leap District), 7% Barboza (Stags Leap District). It has matured for 24 months in 100% new French oak barrels.

The Cabernet Sauvignon Insignia from Phelps is a stately wine bursting with blackberry jam, tar, spices, leather and liquorice. Colored a deep garnet purple, it bursts out of the glass with powerful notes of blackcurrant, stewed black plum and boysenberry, plus hints of cedarwood, graphite, menthol and wet slate with a fragrant hint of clove oil. The medium to full-bodied palate already shows remarkable balance at this youthful stage, with a firm backbone of fine-grained tannins and a powerful freshness to support the tightly wound, crunchy black fruit, with a long and spicy finish.

99/100 Suckling and 97+/100 Parker