I loved the 2001 Insignia, and it more than held its own in a serious lineup of great wines. Still ruby/plum-hued, with a killer nose of sweet red and black fruits, spicy oak, flowers, and graphite, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered, opulent, yet still remarkably precise mouthfeel, sweet tannins, and a blockbuster of a finish. It's very much in the style of this structured vintage, and it has a slight Bordeaux-like vibe. I love it today, yet it has another 10-15 years of prime drinking with a gradual decline thereafter.

(98+ points) Still a young wine at age 12, the 2001 Insignia exhibits a dense purple color along with a sweet bouquet of camphor, blackberries, cassis, incense and spring flowers. Full-bodied, rich and heady with sweet tannin, stunning concentration and a fabulous finish, this remarkable Insignia has 25 or more years of life ahead of it. A whopping 18,000 cases were made of this great vintage of Insignia, a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec (the first vintage of Insignia with no Merlot included). Seventy-three percent came from the estate vineyards and 27% from growers. The 2001 spent 23 months in new French oak, and the alcohol came in at 13%. The year began impressively, with warm weather early-on followed by heat spikes in May that continued off and on through July. Both August and September were cooler than normal, but in early October, Napa Valley experienced temperatures in excess of 100 degrees Fahrenheit for seven straight days. As I have written previously, 2001 has turned out to be a great vintage, and the heat spikes that can be so devastating did not have much of a deleterious effect on the grapes, perhaps because many had already been or were in the process of being harvested.- RP

This shows superb complexity, with fresh and baked black cherry, mint, graphite, mocha and chocolate aromas. Some tobacco leaf. It’s full-bodied and continuous. Supple, ripe and mellow tannins coat the dark fruit almost imperceptibly. Excellent concentration with plenty of life. Drink or hold.

From a magnum, the wine is plush, polished, rich and packed with chocoalte covered blackberries, plum, licorice and ripe boysenberry fruit. Round and lush, this is delicious! Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=2001&wine=Joseph%20Phelps%20Insignia

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. Just gorgeous right out of the bottle, but should develop effortlessly through the decade and beyond.

This is a great vintage of Insignia, which means it's a great Napa cabernet that will last for decades. The balance is amazing, incorporating beautiful red fruit deepening to black cherry and darker berry, a lot of alcohol and a lot of oak holding it structured and strong. The texture is flawless, with tannins adding richness and earthy notes of black Stags Leap District soil. Those tannins seamlessly support the sweet blend of cabernet with a touch of petite verdot (8 percent) and malbec (3) extending the clean berry flavors long after each sip. Dynamic now, complex in ten years' time.

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...

The 2001 Insignia is in a gorgeous spot today. Sweet tobacco, mint, dried herbs, licorice and incense are the signatures of a wine that has reached its plateau of maturity. Even so, the 2001 shows no signs of fading. This is the first vintage made without Merlot. At the time, most of the fruit was from estate vineyards in Rutherford, Stags Leap and St. Helena. (Insignia became a pure estate wine with the 2004 vintage.) The only issue with the 2001 is that it feels a bit compact, perhaps because it was filtered. I expect the 2001 will slowly fade over the next decade. -- Antonio Galloni