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2012 Joseph Phelps Insignia

Not Currently In Auction

Latest Sale Price

January 28, 2024 - $220

Estimate

RATINGS

97-100Robert M. Parker Jr.

A magnificent Insignia... fabulous notes of graphite, blackberries, blackcurrant liqueur, camphor, barbecue smoke & spice box. Rich, full-bodied & opulent with plenty of tannin & structure lurking beneath extravagant generosity of fruit...

97James Suckling

Amazing aromas of blueberry, blackberry, mineral and bark. Complex nose. Full body plus super integrated tannins with superb balance and depth. Coffee and chocolate too. Very long and mind-bending. A tribute to the vintage.

97Jeb Dunnuck

...decidedly opulent, sexy wine that has loads of crème de cassis, roasted herbs, lead pencil, lavender, and exotic spice.

96Vinous / IWC

Rich, voluptuous & racy to the core. Raspberry jam, mocha, wild flowers, spices & espresso... sensual, enveloping Insignia, should drink well with minimal cellaring... a long drinking window of pure pleasure. Today, it is a total knock-out.

93Wine Spectator

Packs a wallop, perhaps overly so, with extracted dark berry flavors and tannic muscle. The drying sensation on the finish distracts from the ripe blackberry, earth, cedar and gravel notes. Aromas of cassis, currant and blackberry

REGION

United States, California, Napa Valley

Napa Valley AVA is the most famous winemaking region in the United States and one of the most prestigious in the world. With nearly 43,000 acres of vineyards and more than 300 wineries, it is the heart of fine wine production in the United States. Winemaking started in Napa in 1838 when George C. Yount planted grapes and began producing wine commercially. Other winemaking pioneers followed in the late 19th century, including the founders of Charles Krug, Schramsberg, Inglenook and Beaulieu Vineyards. An infestation of phylloxera, an insect that attacks vine roots, and the onset of Prohibition nearly wiped out the nascent Napa wine industry in the early 20th century. But by the late 1950s and early 1960s Robert Mondavi and other visionaries were producing quality wines easily distinguishable from the mass-produced jug wines made in California’s Central Valley. Napa Valley’s AVA was established in 1983, and today there are 16 sub-appellations within the Napa Valley AVA. Many grapes grow well in Napa’s Mediterranean climate, but the region is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay is also very successfully cultivated, and about 30% of the AVA’s acreage is planted to white grapes, with the majority of those grapes being Chardonnay,