Joseph Phelps Red Bordeaux Blend Napa Valley Insignia 1998

Opens with aromas of black cherry and pencil lead, fruitcake and cookie dough; now itrsquo;s all one big melange wrapped a bit tight. the balance and immense depth of fruit shine, even in this unevolved state. Standard dark-plum and chocolate notes are rendered with uncommon subtlety here. the finish goes on and on. Needs four to six years, but will last and last.

The prodigious 1997 Insignia (83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, and 3% Petit-Verdot) lives up to its pre-bottling promise. Tasted on three separate occasions, every bottle has hit the bullrsquo;s eye. The color is a saturated thick-looking blue/purple. The nose offers up explosive aromas of jammy black fruits, licorice, Asian spices, vanillin, and cedar. Full-bodied as well as exceptionally pure and impressively endowed, this blockbuster yet surprisingly elegant wine cuts a brilliant swath across the palate. A seamless effort with beautifully integrated acidity, sweet tannin, and alcohol, it is still an infant, but can be drunk with considerable pleasure. Anticipated maturity: nowndash;2025.

Almost since its inception, Phelps Insignia ranked among the elite of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Although the fruit source has varied over the years, estate vineyards Banca Dorada in Rutherford and Las Rocas in Stags Leap have provided the majority of the grapes for this Bordeaux-inspired rd bland since the early rsquo;90s. The current offering, from the monumental 1997 vintage, equals the great Insignias of 1987 and 1994 in quality.

Amazingly, the 1995 Insignia may be slightly better than the 1994. The final blend is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 3% Petite Verdot. The 1995 exhibits a character similar to the 1994 mdash; cassis, fruitcake, cedar, herbs, coffee and black fruits intermixed with smoke mdash; but the 1995 is slightly longer in the mouth. It is a wine of extraordinary extraction, full body, and marvelously pure fruit. Moreover, it has managed to soak up the 100% new oak aging, leaving only subtle pain grilleacute; notes. The tannin may be slightly more noticeable in the 1994, but my instincts suggest the 1995 is even richer and longer than the 1994 mdash; as amazing as that sounds. This prodigious Insignia should be at its best over the next 20ndash;25 years.

Joseph Phelpsrsquo; flagship wine is their fabulous Insignia, a wine with a tremendous track record back to the debut vintage of 1974. A great Insignia in the making is the 1999. An impressive black/purple color is followed by aromas and flavors of melted licorice and creme de cassis, immense body, a voluptuous texture, and an opulent, multilayered palate. This is a fabulously concentrated, low acid yet super-endowed wine. It is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 1% each of Petit-Verdot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc. After its release in 2002, it should age effortlessly for 2ndash;3 decades.

A worthy successor to the stunning rsquo;94, this is dark and ripe, with exotic aromas and flavors mdash; dense, earthy currant, black cherry, wild berry and plum with a cedary oak edge. Well-integrated tannins and pretty fruit flavors provide elegance. This renowned Cabernet blend is young and tight, will benefit from up to a decade of aging. Best from 2002 through 2010.

The 1994 Insignia (a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc ) is a killer wine. It, too, will evolve for 20ndash;25 years, but who can ignore its lavish richness, velvety-textured, well-balanced personality, with gobs of sweet toast, black-cherry, and cassis fruit, spice, mineral, and enormous concentration. Now in the bottle, this wine has turned out to be primarily a Cabernet Sauvignon as the percentage of Merlot was reduced in the final blend. It is potentially the best Insignia since the 1976.