Joseph Phelps Insignia 2002
-
Parker
Robert -
Wong
Wilfred -
Spectator
Wine -
Spirits
Wine & -
Enthusiast
Wine
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The 2002 Insignia is full of black cherry jam and allspice aromas, with luscious notes of boysenberry, ripe plums, toasted oak, and tobacco. The exceptionally elegant mouthfeel coats the palate with layer after layer of tannin, followed by a lengthy, textured finish containing sweet oak notes and a hint of blackberry.
78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec primarily from estate-owned vineyards in Stag's Leap and Rutherford, with additional fruit coming from independent growers.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2002 boasts an inky/purple color along with notes of graphite, violets, blackberries, creme de cassis and hints of charcoal and barbecue in addition to a full-bodied, multilayered mouthfeel that builds incrementally with great purity, staggering fruit concentration, and a long, velvety, 50+-second finish. This prodigious effort should continue to drink well for 20+ years.
-
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: I have carried a torch for the Joseph Phelps Vineyards Insignia since I tasted the 1974 vintage upon its release. Throughout the ensuing years, I have managed to savor most, if not all, of the vintages of this wine. Today the 2002 bottling was magnificent and even more spectacular with the backdrop of the vineyards. TASTING NOTES: This wine shows tremendous life and vitality. Its heroic aromas and flavors of red and black fruits have melded into a singular voice of beauty. (Tasted: February 20, 2020, St. Helena, CA)
-
Wine Spectator
Rich flavors fan out, the way you hope for, coating the palate with layers of currant, fresh earth, mineral, cedar, tobacco, mocha, black licorice and espresso. The tannins are firm and the structure built for a longer haul. Very much in its infancy still at age 10, it finds that unusual bridge between dense Napa fruit and a Bordeaux build. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec.
-
Wine & Spirits
A luscious vintage of Insignia, this '02 has the sleek feel of fine Napa Valley cabernet. There's fragrant red berry and forest-floor character at the center of the wine, then blacker currant flavors and tannin softened by luxurious oak in the end. Touches of super-ripeness add to the richness without diminishing the wine's freshness.
-
Wine Enthusiast
This celebrated wine is not mind-blowing right now. It's dry, oaky, tannic and soft. There's a wealth of cassis and moo shu pork flavors, and huge new oak. Yet it holds itself back, teasing but withdrawing into its tannic cloak. Collectors, be reassured it’s worth stashing.
Other Vintages
2019-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Wong
Wilfred -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Wong
Wilfred -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Guide
Connoisseurs' - Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Dunnuck
Jeb
-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Wong
Wilfred -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Wong
Wilfred -
Panel
Tasting -
Suckling
James -
Spirits
Wine & - Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Guide
Connoisseurs' -
Spectator
Wine -
Spirits
Wine &
-
Enthusiast
Wine - Vinous
-
Parker
Robert - Decanter
-
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Guide
Connoisseurs' -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Spirits
Wine & -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Guide
Connoisseurs' -
Panel
Tasting -
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spirits
Wine &
-
Parker
Robert -
Guide
Connoisseurs' -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine
-
Guide
Connoisseurs' -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spirits
Wine & -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Spirits
Wine &
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spirits
Wine &
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spirits
Wine &
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine -
Spirits
Wine & -
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spirits
Wine &
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
Joseph Phelps Vineyards is a family-owned winery committed to crafting world class, estate-grown wines. Founded in 1973 when Joe Phelps purchased a former cattle ranch near St. Helena in the Napa Valley, the winery now controls and farms nearly 375 acres of vines on eight estate vineyards in St. Helena, the Stags Leap District, Oakville, Rutherford, Oak Knoll District, Carneros and South Napa Valley. In 1999, the Phelps family added 100 acres of vineyard property near the town of Freestone on the Sonoma Coast, where Phelps now grows Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Phelps is best known for its flagship Napa Valley blend of red Bordeaux varietals, Insignia, first produced in 1974. Awarded Wine Spectator's "Wine of the Year" in 2005, Insignia is widely regarded as a qualitative benchmark for California winemaking.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.