Joseph Phelps Insignia estate spotlight
Official Joseph Phelps Vineyards film of the St. Helena estate. The house that made Insignia in 1974.
The market on this bottle
Wine-Searcher tracks this 2023 Joseph Phelps Insignia Napa Valley across the open market. Their published U.S. low is $320.29 and the average is $369.88. Our slash is $289.00.
2023 Joseph Phelps Insignia Napa Valley
Ryan Knoth's first Insignia. Jeb Dunnuck 99. Three hundred a bottle versus $365 at the winery. Twelve bottles on the floor.
Insignia is the flagship Joe Phelps put on the map in 1974, California's first proprietary Bordeaux blend. The 2023 is 88 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 7 percent Petit Verdot, 5 percent Cabernet Franc, and the first vintage to take a splash of Backus. Twenty months in 100 percent new French oak. Jeb Dunnuck scored it 99. The live bottle is $289. Winery ticket is $365. Twelve bottles ship free.
The first Insignia with Backus in the blend
Ryan Knoth's first vintage as the Napa winemaker. He shortened the oak from 24 months to 20 or 21, used lower-impact barrels, and put 8 percent Backus into Insignia for the first time. Vinous called it a new era. Jeb Dunnuck put 99 on it and said it can drink now and keep for 30 years after it hits maturity. We have 12 bottles. The live bottle is $300. The winery asks $365.
The house
Joseph Phelps, St. Helena, 1974. Insignia was California's first proprietary Bordeaux blend. Ryan Knoth makes it now.
The wine
Seven estate vineyards. First Backus in the cuvee, 8 percent. 20 months in 100 percent new French oak. Cork. 14.5%.
The score
Jeb Dunnuck 99. The Wine Palate 99. James Suckling 98. Vinous 98. International Wine Review 98.
The table
Ribeye, lamb, a Saturday roast. Open it tonight or leave it for a decade. Dunnuck says both work.
99 points, Jeb Dunnuck
Named critics only. No shop names. No aggregate score in the corner.
Cassis first. Then the pencil.
Dunnuck's note is the lock: creme de cassis, melted crayon, lead pencil, violets, white flower. Full-bodied, focused, ripe tannins, a great finish. Suckling adds tobacco leaf, dark cherry, and chocolate, all wrapped in freshness. Vinous has blue and purple fruit, licorice, plum, dried flowers. Drink it now with a 30 minute decant, or put it away until 2035.
Record winter rain, a cool long season, harvest 10 to 14 days late. Cabernet picked from late September through October. Concentrated, elegant, age-worthy.
Cassis, blackberry, plum, violet, pencil shaving, cigar box, cocoa.
Full-bodied, firm yet supple tannin, bright acidity, a long perfumed finish.
Serve near 62 F. A 20 to 40 minute decant. Dunnuck: drink 2025 to 2055.
Ryan Knoth
Seven estate vineyards: 36 percent Yountville in Oak Knoll, 20 percent Banca Dorada in Rutherford, 13 percent Las Rocas and 10 percent Barboza in Stags Leap, 8 percent Backus in Oakville, 7 percent Suscol, 6 percent Home Ranch in St. Helena. 88 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 7 percent Petit Verdot, 5 percent Cabernet Franc. Aged 20 months in 100 percent new French oak, then a year in bottle. Official tech sheet, 200 Taplin Road, St. Helena.
Insignia, 1974
Joe Phelps built a winery on Taplin Road in 1973 and bottled Insignia a year later. He named it for a mark of excellence, not a grape. The idea was to take the finest lots of the vintage and blend them, whatever the mix. Wine Spectator made the 2002 Wine of the Year. Parker gave 100 points to 1991, 1997, 2002, and 2007.
The 2023 is a new chapter. Ryan Knoth's first Insignia. Backus in the blend. Less time in barrel. Vinous: this is a new era for Insignia. This listing is the 750ml. We have 12 bottles.
What to put on the table
Food only. No bottles on the plate.
Near 62 F in a proper glass. A 20 to 40 minute decant. Ribeye, lamb rack, a Saturday roast.
Kenji Lopez-Alt reverse-sears a thick steak. A cooking video for the pairing, not a winery film.
Reverse-sear ribeye
Cassis and pencil against a crusted steak. The tannins have the grip for it.
View Recipe for reverse-sear steak (opens in a new tab)
Herb lamb chops
Violet and dried herb in the glass. Lamb on the plate.
View Recipe for rosemary garlic lamb (opens in a new tab)Put 2023 Insignia in the cart.
Jeb Dunnuck 99. $289 versus $365 at the winery. Twelve bottles on the floor.
The live bottle is $300. Six bottles are $1,800. Twelve bottles are $3,600 and ship free. That is the whole allocation.
