Winemaker's notes:
89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot and 4% Merlot from 100% estate-owned Napa Valley vineyards.

The 2008 Insignia boasts aromatic layers of dark roasted coffee and graphite. The seductive mouth-feel has excellent length, intensely ripe black fruit, minerality and creaminess that tie together seamlessly on the palate.

Critical acclaim:
"The blend of the 2008 Insignia, 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot and 4% Merlot, is not terribly different from the 2007. However, I suspect the production will be a lot less given the frost damage in early spring. The color is an inky/purple and the wine shows lots of cassis, blueberry, graphite and floral notes, good acidity, stunning concentration and purity, and a long finish. Another great success for Phelps, the 2007 and 2008 Insignias may be the best back-to-back vintages they have produced since 1995 and 1994. The 2008 has some tannins to resolve whereas the 2007 has already assimilated them. It appears the 2008 will require 2-3 years of bottle age, but should last for three decades. 95-97 points."

97 Points
The Wine Advocate

"What a wonderful wine here. The nose shows a fabulous combination of dak fruits, chocolate, spices and caramel. The palate is silky textured with lots of ripe yet beautiful fruit and super silky, tight tannins. This is a balanced wine with all the potential to age for decades."

95 Points
James Suckling

"Dense and chewy, this is very tight and closed, but the glimpses of fruit offer tight mineral, crushed rock, graphite, dried currant, cedar and anise. Full-bodied and way too young to drink now, this needs time, but should provide years of rewarding drinking. Cab¬ernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Merlot. Best from 2014 through 2026."

94 Points
Wine Spectator

"(Just Bottled): Full medium ruby. Black fruits, minerals, licorice, tar, menthol and sweet oak on the nose. Sweet and creamy on entry, then quite penetrating... and rather powerful Insignia with the structure to require, and reward, considerable aging. Rating: 93(+?)"

93 Points
International Wine Cellar

Wine maker notes

Grapes from each vineyard are vinified in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks, in contact with the skins, over an average period of 21 days. After malolactic fermentation, the blend is assembled within six month of harvest and aged approximately two years in new French oak barrels. The wine is then given a light filtration before bottling.