Winemaker Notes
The 2014 Insignia opens with expressive blackberry, cocoa powder, Bergamot and floral aromatics. Fresh and focused with concentrated black fruit, mocha, cardamom and Madagascar vanilla notes. Opulent and rich with supple tannin structure and balance.

Blend: 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc

Professional Ratings

97 James Suckling
The blackberry, dark-chocolate and walnut aromas are persuasive. Full body, a dense and fruity center palate and beautiful depth and intensity. The tannin texture is exceptional. Great wine. Drink in 2020 and onwards.

97 Vinous

The 2014 Insignia is in the zone today. Dark and expansive, it is a glorious wine. The 2014 shows the richer style of the year, along with the first signs of aromatic maturity. Espresso, leather, blueberry jam, cedar and tobacco all take shape in the glass. It’s an ideal wine for drinking now and over the next decade or so.

96 Wine Enthusiast
This fine vintage of Insignia combines 87% Cabernet Sauvignon with 9% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc. Soft, supple and seamless, it offers rich but balanced cassis and milk chocolate flavors, with supportive and complementary oak. It should do well in the cellar and will be best from 2024–2034.

Cellar Selection

96 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Always a wine on my radar screen, Joseph Phelps has produced a tannic one for the ages. The 2014 vintage rocks with superb black currants that are complemented with its oak treatment. Give this wine time in the cellar. (Tasted: October 30, 2017, San Francisco, CA)

95 Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

Roughly 10 years after the vintage, the 2014 Insignia continues to drink well. Cedary cigar box aromas join ripe cherries on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is plush, open-knit, soft and accessible, with ample length on the finish. Ready to drink now and for the next decade, the blend this vintage is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Malbec.