A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petit Verdot and 4% Merlot, the deep garnet colored 2009 Insignia soars out of the glass with beautifully expressed cassis, baked plums and blackberry preserves scents plus nuances of rose hip tea, potpourri, cigar box, crushed rocks, raked leaves and tapenade. Medium to full-bodied, the tannins here are just incredible—soft, fine-grained, wonderfully knit—backed up with lovely freshness and all those fragrant black fruit flavors, finishing long and earthy. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

It is quite clear by now that 2009 is proving to be a standout year for Cabernet but within the crowd of outstanding wines this one holds its head just a bit higher. It is as Insignia always is a wine of exceptional crafting and polish and yet in this outing it seems to have an extra measure of richness and fruity strength not to mention plenty of grippy structural tannins. There is an almost brooding aspect about it that suggests that it is not yet even close to showing all that it has and it looks very likely to be among the more age-worthy and longest lived Insignias of recent years. Bravo!

This wine continues a long-standing tradition, showing a mastery of the art of blending. It's made using grapes that are sourced from at least six vineyards scattered from Yountville to St. Helena. Right out of the bottle, it's a soft, smoothly tannic wine that's rich in blackberry jam, black currant, blueberry, raspberry, dark chocolate and spice flavors. The wine, which contains small amounts of Petit Verdot and Malbec, is so powerful, it easily carries the 100% new French oak. Just gorgeous now, and it should develop bottle complexity for at least the next 10 years.

Extravagantly rich this seems to be perfumed by its tannins. Its heady gravelly power and spicy black fruit is cut short in the finish yielding to the wine's alcohol. With several years in bottle this will be ready to decant for a thick cut rib eye.

Combines deep, ripe dark berry fruit with crushed rock, cedar and lead pencil notes, and the tannins have a green bitter edge. A step back in richness and complexity for Insignia, this is built for cellaring. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Best from 2014 through 2024. – JL