2009 Joseph Phelps Insignia

Saturated bright ruby. Cassis, black cherry, mocha, graphite, dark chocolate and violet on the nose. Enters the mouth with a flavor of dark chocolate, then utterly silky and smooth in the mid-palate, delivering concentrated, deep flavors of black fruits and licorice complicated by minerals, violet and dark chocolate. If this wine does not yet show quite the personality or definition of the '07, it finishes pure and extremely long, with substantial fully buffered tannins and an element of medicinal reserve. This really fills the mouth without leaving any impression of heaviness. I suspect that there's still more positive bottle development ahead for this beauty. (ST)

(from what Hepworth described as "a tough vintage featuring rollercoaster weather"): Bright dark ruby. Rather brooding aromas of cassis and licorice. Very young, even a bit medicinal today, conveying intense black fruit and chocolate flavors and an element of thickness leavened by fresh acidity. This extremely primary wine finishes very long but strongly tannic, with its finishing fruit currently dominated by its spine. This wine was easier to taste upon its release in late 2012 and still needs a lot of time in the cellar. The winery started doing longer maceration in 2008 and 2009, said Hepworth, who also told me that there was heat in September but that the fruit in many spots was not fully ripe when four inches of rain fell in mid-October. Insignia, however, was made with fruit that was in by then. Phelps rushed to pick in Suscol owing to some mold growth but declassified the affected fruit. "In 2009 we learned not to wait too long to pick," said Hepworth, who rates 2009 and 2011 the trickiest vintages since she took over winemaking responsibilities in 2008.

Opaque ruby. Juicy, pure fruit with a luscious berry character. Scented spice from oak is quite apparent, but not overdone. Firm, ripe tannins give firm structure. A very good impression of Bordeaux, from the right bank, perhaps? (RH)