Joseph Phelps Vineyards Insignia Estate Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2011
Available at 9 stores
Ratings on Delectable
Delectable Wine 
Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.
The 2011 Insignia is superb. Deep, layered and so expressive, Insignia is without question one of the wines of the year. Had I tasted it blind, I would have never guessed it is a wine from a challenging year. Still fresh and vibrant, the 2011 is such a pleasure to taste today. Hints of sage, tobacco, spice, menthol and pine add lovely aromatic top notes to a core of inky blue/purplish fruit. The 2011 has turned out even better than I had originally expected. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, May 2022)
The 2011 Insignia is superb. Deep, layered and so expressive, Insignia is without question one of the wines of the year. Had I tasted it blind, I would have never guessed it is a wine from a challenging year. Still fresh and vibrant, the 2011 is such a pleasure to taste today. Hints of sage, tobacco, spice, menthol and pine add lovely aromatic top notes to a core of inky blue/purplish fruit. The 2011 has turned out even better than I had originally expected. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, May 2022)
9.5
R. Addison Wehrfritz
Most palatable of the $200+ Cab Queens. Still not really my cup of tea...I mean wine. Overripe fruit, massive oak, and limited aromas.
Most palatable of the $200+ Cab Queens. Still not really my cup of tea...I mean wine. Overripe fruit, massive oak, and limited aromas.
8.1
WineMascot
inspired by one @Carl Fischer I decided to check on a 2011 i had been holding onto. Short finish but no green for a mostly valley floor wine. The tobacco and cedar box that insignia is known for was there for sure. this probably won't be a 20yr vintage for them I would drink now for another 5.
inspired by one @Carl Fischer I decided to check on a 2011 i had been holding onto. Short finish but no green for a mostly valley floor wine. The tobacco and cedar box that insignia is known for was there for sure. this probably won't be a 20yr vintage for them I would drink now for another 5.
8.9
David T
Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator
The wine was double decanted and we tasted it after three hours later. On the nose, a touch of pepper, soft spices, blueberries, blackberries, dark cherries, cherries, black raspberries, black plums, rich dark soils, light vanilla and fresh and decayed dark soils. The 2011 is very lean. It tasted like it had 10-12 years of bottle age rather than it's 6. Not to say that the 11 is turning just yet, but I certainly don't believe this is going to be a long cellar vintage. Soft fruits of; blackberries, black cherries, blueberries, black raspberries, black plum, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, crushed dry rock powder, very soft leather, mid intensity volcanic minerals, lightly brewed coffee, strawberries come on later and acidity that could be better. The 2011 is not going to hold up as many of the other Insignia vintages do. It's already not as rich and full bodied as other vintages at 6 years of age. On the long finish, it's already showing some fig, date and prune qualities. Photos of their big dinning room and some wildly fragrant white roses on the back terrace.
The wine was double decanted and we tasted it after three hours later. On the nose, a touch of pepper, soft spices, blueberries, blackberries, dark cherries, cherries, black raspberries, black plums, rich dark soils, light vanilla and fresh and decayed dark soils. The 2011 is very lean. It tasted like it had 10-12 years of bottle age rather than it's 6. Not to say that the 11 is turning just yet, but I certainly don't believe this is going to be a long cellar vintage. Soft fruits of; blackberries, black cherries, blueberries, black raspberries, black plum, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, crushed dry rock powder, very soft leather, mid intensity volcanic minerals, lightly brewed coffee, strawberries come on later and acidity that could be better. The 2011 is not going to hold up as many of the other Insignia vintages do. It's already not as rich and full bodied as other vintages at 6 years of age. On the long finish, it's already showing some fig, date and prune qualities. Photos of their big dinning room and some wildly fragrant white roses on the back terrace.
9.1
