The 2023 Joseph Phelps Insignia is a Napa Valley proprietary red that marks the first vintage made under winemaker Ryan Knoth. It is built on 88% Cabernet Sauvignon with 7% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc, sourced from seven estate vineyards spanning six Napa Valley AVAs, including Backus in Oakville, Banca Dorada in Rutherford, Barboza and Las Rocas in Stags Leap, Home Ranch in St. Helena, plus Suscol and Yountville fruit. Several reviewers note that this is also the first Insignia to include Backus Vineyard fruit (8%).
The vintage has drawn excellent reviews, including two 99-point scores. Jeb Dunnuck (99) calls it “pure, balanced, layered, and multi-dimensional,” noting an “inky purple-hued” wine with “crème de cassis, melted crayon, lead pencil, violets,” and a long runway ahead, estimating “roughly 12,300 cases produced” and a drinking window of 2025–2055. The Wine Palate (99) emphasizes its lift and precision, writing that it “shimmies out with energetic notes of freshly crushed black and red currants,” finishing “long and perfumed.”
Other top assessments reinforce that combination of power and control. Vinous’ Antonio Galloni (98) calls the 2023 “a total stunner,” citing “mind-blowing purity and exceptional balance,” and adds an important stylistic detail: Knoth “reduced the oak imprint” by using “lower-impact barrels” and trimming élevage to “20–21 months versus the 24 months that was once the norm.” James Suckling (98) similarly frames it as classical yet fresh, with “blackcurrant, cassis and blackberry” plus “graphite” and “tobacco leaf,” and a palate that is “full of power yet with restraint.”
Wine Spectator (96) lands a touch more reserved on score but still calls it “impressive,” highlighting “tannic grip” alongside “steady, percolating succulence,” and recommends patience: best from 2028 to 2043. Overall, the critical consensus points to a structured, dark-fruited Insignia with heightened freshness, polished tannins, and serious aging capacity.
