Joseph Phelps Insignia 1995 750ml

Wine Advocate #1113, Nov 30, 2013
A wine of great intensity and richness, it displays classic notes of licorice, barbecue smoke, creme de cassis, cedarwood and forest floor. Full-bodied with sensational purity, a multidimensional mouthfeel and a long, voluptuous finish with no hard edges, it has only reached mid-adolescence, and has at least two decades of life ahead of it.

Joseph Phelps is one of Napa Valley's most prominent wine producers. The iconic redwood winery is located just outside of St Helena, but owns vineyards across Napa, notably in Stags Leap, Oak Knoll, Rutherford and Oakville and, as of 2004, all of the wines are made from estate-grown fruit. As is the case with many of Napa's most famous producers, the key grape variety here is Cabernet Sauvignon.
The estate was established in 1973. Joseph Phelps was running a construction company in Colorado and had come to Napa for a project and had fallen in love with the wine industry there. After importing grapes back to Denver for vinification for a time, he bought a cattle ranch in the valley and began planting vineyards. The first vintage was released in 1974.
Joseph Phelps' flagship wine is Insignia, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Phelps' aim was to move away from varietal labeling and create a wine that could be different every year, depending on what the vintage called for. It is one of Napa's so-called cult Cabernets, and several vintages have been awarded 100 points by noted wine critic Robert Parker.

Meats, Beef and Venison