A beautifully made Bordeaux blend that can age for 20-30 years, 10,000-20,000 cases of Insignia are produced each year. The 2002 Insignia, the finest effort made in this century, is a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, and 1% Malbec. Its dense purple color is accompanied by a fragrant perfume of espresso roast, Asian spices, creme de cassis, smoke, and minerals. Dense, voluptuous, full-bodied, rich, long, and harmonious, it can be enjoyed now or cellared for 2-3 decades. It is also the #1 Wine of the Year for 2005 in The Wine Spectator.

Tasted blind at St. John restaurant. A stunning Insignia with a show-stopping nose, dark and rich with black plum, cassis, liquorices and even honeyed tones developing in the glass. Full-bodied and toasty on the entry, there remain some unresolved new oak here, but there is superb balance and focus, very pure leading to a high toned, barn-storming finish that mellow beautifully in the glass. This is a long-term Insignia that I would cellar for another 4-6 years. Wonderful. Tasted April 2009.

The 2002 boasts an inky/purple color along with notes of graphite, violets, blackberries, creme de cassis and hints of charcoal and barbecue in addition to a full-bodied, multilayered mouthfeel that builds incrementally with great purity, staggering fruit concentration, and a long, velvety, 50+-second finish. This prodigious effort should continue to drink well for 20+ years. One of my all-time favorite vintages for Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, 2002 was warmer overall than 2001, but was cooler in May and throughout the summer. Unusually foggy conditions were apparent in July and August, and by September, when a warming trend began, the weather became remarkably dry and beautiful. That was followed by cool weather in early October, which allowed the grapes to be harvested under textbook conditions. Napa’s 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines tend to be flamboyant, All-American, juicy and extroverted with relatively high alcohols. There are 15,000 cases of the 2002 Insignia, a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec that hit 14.4% alcohol. Eighty-five percent of the fruit came from the estate vineyards and the balance from growers. I wish I had purchased more of this spectacular wine for my personal collection.