2016 Joseph Phelps Insignia Red Wine Napa Valley 750 ml

Joseph Phelps Insignia is back, and the 2016 edition of Napa Valley’s original Bordeaux-style blend is one of the greatest in the iconic winery’s nearly 50-year history. It earned 99 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, and left critic Jeb Dunnuck recommending up to 25+ years of bottle age, while invoking the perfect Phelps of two decades ago: “Is the 2016 Insignia the next 1997?” 

Our last allocation of Insignia did not only disappear quickly and break records in the process, but those bottles have earned 4.66 out of 5 stars from Wine Access members, making it one of our top-rated wines of the past three years. 

This epic wine lives up to Insignia’s reputation, and the expectations that come with one of the top vintages the Valley’s ever seen. Deep and lush in the glass with lavish, layered dark berry, licorice, and dark chocolate, it’s got a powerful and dense palate of blueberry, crème de cassis, red and purple flowers, and sweet spice. As the member raves show, this wine drinks beautifully young, but its sturdy tannins and long, lingering finish reveal a wine that will thrive in the cellar for 20+ years. If ever there was an Insignia to put away for posterity, this is the one. 

Insignia’s angular Old World structure has seduced international collectors and critics since the late California pioneer Joseph Phelps debuted the wine in 1974. Ever since that offering, Robert Parker has shouted praise from the rooftops, declaring it to be “one of the world’s finest Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blends.”

But even amid Insignia’s countless 97+ scores, the 2016 is one of the top-rated bottlings ever, and the highest-rated in a decade—something that should come as no surprise, considering the 98-point vintage stands as one of the most perfect growing seasons of all time. Comprised of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, and 3% each Cabernet Franc and Malbec, the ‘16 is sourced mainly from the Las Rocas Vineyard in Stags Leap District. Vineyards from south Napa Valley all the way up to the Home Ranch Vineyard complete the wine, which is aged in 100% new French oak barrels. 

The result is an all-time great Insignia that will thrill devotees of the bottling, and win over anyone who takes a sip. It’s not just pure Napa Valley pleasure from an icon, but a wise wine to add to your cellar.