Joseph Phelps 'Insignia' 2008

Joseph Phelps Vineyards is a family-owned winery committed to crafting world class, estate-grown wines. Phelps is best known for its flagship Napa Valley blend of red Bordeaux varietals, Insignia, first produced in 1974. Awarded Wine Spectator's "Wine of the Year" in 2005, Insignia is widely regarded as a qualitative benchmark for California winemaking.

Insignia boasts aromatic layers of dark roasted coffee and graphite. The seductive mouth-feel has excellent length, intensely ripe black fruit, minerality and creaminess that tietogether seamlessly on the palate.

95 Points - James Suckling

What a wonderful wine here. The nose shows a fabulous combination of dak fruits, chocolate, spices and caramel. The palate is silky textured with lots of ripe yet beautiful fruit and super silky, tight tannins. 

94 Points - Wine Spectator

Dense and chewy, this is very tight and closed, but the glimpses of fruit offer tight mineral, crushed rock, graphite, dried currant, cedar and anise. 

93 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2008 reveals an opaque purple color in addition to blueberry and blackberry fruit notes intermixed with incense and violets. 

93 Points - Wine Enthusiast

A glamorous wine, rich and complex, with lots going on. Lacks perhaps some of the depth of, say, the '03 and '04, more on a par with the 2007, but still a very fine Insignia. With rich blackberry and cassis flavors wrapped into thick tannins and fine new oak sweetness.