Joseph Phelps Insignia Red Wine 2012

After running one of America’s largest construction companies, Hensel Phelps Construction in the late 1960’s Joseph Phelps was beginning to contemplate the idea of a career change and having had what one might call a life-long love affair with Burgundy wines, when Joseph Phelps won a bid to build a winery in the Napa valley and fell in love with the area the die was cast.

In the early 1970’s Phelps bought himself a 600 acre cattle ranch and set about planting his own vineyards with what had become a burning a desire to craft his own wines in the Burgundy style.

Though in 1973 his first harvest was crushed at nearby winery’s, by the following year he had built his won winery and in 1974 the first bottling of Insignia was produced in house.

The winery has grown considerably, with more prime Napa Valley vineyards acquired and over 40 years on Phelp's flagship wine, Insignia designed to emphasize the importance of blending over varietal designation as a determinate of quality and which represents the finest lots available from each year’s vintage has become world renowned.

Vineyards are carefully monitored throughout each growing season with particularly close attention being paid to the Insignia designated blocks of vines. Only once the grapes have reached their optimum ripeness are they harvested and they are held separately during all stages of processing from sorting to fermentation.

Newly released Insignia 2012 was bottled in January 2015 and comes from a phenomenal harvest. Aged for 24 months stored in new French oak casks Insignia pours into your glass a deep dark ruby red. It is abundant with the aromas of hedgerow blackberries, star anise and cloves, tobacco and oak laced with notes of sweet Brazilian mocha.

Full-bodied, its silken velvety texture is sumptuous, its supple tannins enveloping the mouth. Lush, juicy sun-ripened purple plums and summer violets are layered with the flavors of delicious baking spices.