2022 Insignia

The 2022 Insignia is dark, sumptuous and super expressive. Ripe black cherry, cedar, dried herbs, mint and lavender are all finely knit together. Most of the fruit in 2022 was from Banca Dorada and Las Rocas in Stags Leap, both cooler sites that fared better in this challenging vintage. Soft contours round things out in style.

There are 10,400 cases of the impressive 2022 Insignia, a wine that has been entirely estate-grown since 2004. In a vintage impacted by an extended Labor Day heat wave, nearly two-thirds of the production came from the more shaded west side of Napa Valley, with harvest extending from September 7 through October 5. Scents of new suede, baking spices, loam and ripe cherries mingle easily on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is rich, expansive and velvety, becoming just a little bit more open-knit on the lengthy finish. While unlikely to be a long-lived, legendary Insignia, it's still a delicious, forward wine that should drink well for close to 20 years.

Full bottle all of 1,470 g. 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec. Blend from six of their own (many) vineyards with 34% coming from Bianca Dorada in Rutherford, 20% from the Yountville vineyard in Oak Knoll. Picked 9 September to 5 October. Aged for 24 months in new French oak barrels from six different coopers! Rich, ripe and sweet on the nose. Intense! Quite hot initially and lots of tannin with a bit of heat on the end. Not yet ready but it should have a long, satisfying life. (JR)