93 points,

Connoisseurs' Guide, Connoisseur's Guide, December 2004

Far and away the more polished of the two showcase bottlings from Phelps, this year's Insignia is simply bursting with well-extracted curranty fruit and is, from its first sniff through to its very long finish, a luxuriant wine that is layered with gorgeous oak. It claims different territory than its sturdier partner below, and it achieves a real sense of elegance without sacrificing richness or size...

99 points,

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, June 2011

The sensational, prodigious 2001 Insignia Proprietary Red Wine (89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec) has never performed better. Still extremely youthful with a dense purple color as well as a beautiful bouquet of cedar, charcoal, incense, creme de cassis and black cherry jam, fabulous intensity, a multidimensional mouthfeel and a skyscraper-like texture, it is a Napa classic that is still very youthful and belies its age of ten years. Like its stablemate, it should age impeccably for 35 or more years. Kudos to Joseph Phelps Vineyards!

94 points,

Stephen Tanzer's IWC, May 2004

...Wild aromas of black cherry, black raspberry, currant, game, espresso and licorice, with a liqueur-like sweetness. Then fat, broad and sweet, with impressively deep flavors of black raspberry, minerals and dark chocolate. Lush and large-scaled, but impressively well-balanced. The tannins are buried by fruit and mineral flavors on the very long finish.

96 points,

Wine Enthusiast, October 2004

A triumph. Aged nearly two years in all-new French oak, this massive wine stuns with its superb balance. Manages the elusive challenge of reining in hugely ripe black currant, cherry and oak flavors and sweet tannins while keeping the palate impression soft and alluring, almost feminine...

90 points,

Wine Spectator, November 2004

A sleek yet rich and polished young red, it slowly unfolds to offer complex currant, black cherry, mocha and hazelnut, with firm, integrated tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Malbec.

About Winery

In the late 60s, Joseph Phelps was running one of the largest construction companies in the U.S. when he won the bid to build Souverain Winery (now Rutherford Hill) located a few miles outside of St. Helena. Enamored with the beautiful Napa Valley and contemplating a career change, in 1973 he bought the 600-acre Connolly cattle ranch in Spring Valley, and began planting vineyards. The winery was completed in 1974 and that same year the first Syrah was made, the first grapes were crushed at the new facility and the first Insignia was produced. It was a period of unparalleled activity, creativity, ingenuity, entrepreneurship and risk-taking and it put Joe Phelps on the map of top Napa Valley wine producers.

Over the years, the goal of becoming 100% estate grown resulted in carefully planned acquisitions of prime vineyards in the Napa Valley. Today, the Phelps estate consists of the Spring Valley Home Ranch outside of St. Helena, Banca Dorada in Rutherford, Las Rocas and Barboza vineyards in Stags Leap, Yountville Vineyard in Oak Knoll, Suscol Vineyard in South Napa and Backus Vineyard in Oakville.

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