Winemaker Notes
The 2015 Insignia is densely hued with rich dark fruit, cocoa powder and fragrant dried flower notes. Velvety texture and weight on the palate with layers of juicy black plum, Madagascar vanilla and bergamot. Bold, creamy and supple with integrated tannin structure and a lengthy finish.
Blend: 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Insignia Proprietary Red Wine is blended of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec aged for 24 months in 100% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple colored, it opens with stunning black and red plums, cassis and mulberries scents with loads of redcurrant sparks and compelling wafts of lilacs, pencil shavings, black olives and tilled soil plus a hint of bay leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate explodes with red and black currant fireworks plus some exciting mineral nuances coming through, framed by firm, grainy tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing very long and beautifully layered. 12,400 cases produced.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2015 Insignia is a fleshy, flamboyant vintage for this wine and reminds me of the 1997. Tons of dark fruits, tobacco, cedar, and dried flower notes all give way to a full-bodied, seamless 2015 that has remarkable purity and elegance, yet still shows the vintage’s sexy style. Drink it any time over the coming two to three decades.
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James Suckling
This shows finesse and beauty with dark berries and wet earth. Subtle. Very fine-grained. Medium to full body. Bright and vivid. Lovely length and intensity. Drink or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
This vintage of the perennial knockout is exceptional—a concentrated blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec. Pencil shavings, red currant and red plum are complemented by hints of crushed rock and cocoa, with persistent acidity maintaining balance. Like so many of its forebears, this is a wine well worth cellaring; enjoy 2025–2035.
Cellar Selection -
Vinous
The 2015 Insignia is rich and sumptuous from start to finish. Crème de cassis, Chambord, cloves, lavender, espresso and sweet French oak stain the palate. This is a heady, unabashedly flamboyant, opulent wine. All things considered, the 2015 has aged well. Time has also softened some of the harder edges the wine showed in its youth. This is a very fine bottle.
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.