1999 INSIGNIA 93-96
"Another great Insignia in the making is the 1999. An impressive black/purple color is followed by aromas and flavors of melted licorice and créme de cassis, immense body, a voluptuous texture, and an opulent, multilayered palate. This fabulously concentrated, low acid yet super-endowed wine should rival the compelling 1997 * . . ."
* NOTE: The 1997 Insignia received a score of 96 from both Robert Parker and the Wine Spectator, and was also rated No. 5 Wine of the Year in the 12/31/00–1/15/01 edition of the Wine Spectator.
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1974: Even today, the wine is rich and supple with sweet fruit and mild tannins holding it up. It has developed the cedary patina of age, and its finish is arguably a bit less than it might be, but at 27 years old, this first Insignia is still a remarkable bottle of wine.
1979: A lovely outgoing aroma of currants, cedar, vanilla leads to similarly cast flavors that show the beginnings of old age in their makeup. Very few wines of this vintage have aged into graceful perfection, but Insignia comes as close as any, and at 22 years old has lived up to the enthusiasm it generated as a young wine.
1991: This bottling moved Insignia wholly and without reservation into its current incarnation. Today’s tasting confirms that this one is as deep, rich, polished , layered and refined as we remembered it to be. Moreover, at ten years old. it is still in its development phase and will easily age another decade or more.
1994: Here is the wine that we would list among our top ten Cabernets of the entire decade here in California. It has fruit, richness, depth, incredible mouthfeel and magnificent balance without bombast -- all the things one wants in California Cabernet and cannot often find even in the very highest rated wines.
1997: Nothing has changed since we fell in love with this beauty a year ago. Tasted as part of this vertical, it shows that the winery is allowing Insignia to get a little riper and deeper than it had just a few vintages earlier. It is part and parcel of the California trend in that direction, yet Insignia somehow has distanced itself from most of its peers by achieving richness and depth without losing its wonderful opulence.
1999 and 2000: CGCW generally does not comment on wines that are not yet released to market [but] we think the ‘99 will reflect the Phelps move to somewhat bigger, more extracted versions of Insignia . . .The 2000 is still too young to call with any precision, but has a very convincing fruit center and is certainly a wine to watch.
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