Joseph Phelps Vineyards Insignia Estate Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2021

98 points - new release                                                                      Limited new release of Joseph Phelps' legendary Insignia Cabernet. 98 Points James Suckling: "A standout vintage for one of California’s most collectible cabernet sauvignons. The color is black throughout, but with a dark garnet rim. Gorgeous aromatics of spearmint, pencil shavings, toasted oak and dark plums, before a silky, fresh but firm texture takes over the palate and dusky blackcurrant, tobacco-leaf, rose-petal and cedar notes emerge and linger. Full-bodied and saturated with rounded, well-integrated tannins that emerge on the lingering finish and keep melting in the glass. It will drink best from 2028." 98 Points Jeb Dunnuck: "Always raised in 100% new oak, the 2021 Insignia checks in as 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Malbec. It has a rocking nose of blackcurrants, cedar pencil, chocolaty oak, and graphite. This carries to a deep, full-bodied 2021 with a dense, stacked mid-palate, ripe, polished, yet building tannins, the vintage's purity and structure, and a great finish. With roughly 16,000 cases, it's one of the few releases in Napa Valley to deliver this level of quality at this production level." 96 Points Robert Parker: "A Napa stalwart, the 2021 Insignia is a blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Malbec, aged in 100% new French oak. Cedar and vanilla scents accent black cherries and a hint of redcurrants on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is soft and plush, easy to enjoy now but with the requisite concentration to age for up to two decades. Long, silky and tart on the finish, it's another in a long line of successful Insignias. Joseph Phelps’ flagship wine, which they have been making for 36 years, is the Insignia, which boasts a remarkable track record. Phelps, always a visionary, was the first to recognize that a blend of grapes could be better than a single varietal cuvee. Phelps produces a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Backus Vineyard situated on the eastern slopes of the Oakville Corridor overlooking Screaming Eagle and Rudd Estate.

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