One bottle of Insignia
Produced by Joseph Phelps
1999 vintage
Napa Valley, California/USA
Original filling quantity: 0.75 l
Fill level: into neck
Robert Parker (2013): 91/100

This lot comprises one bottle of 1999 vintage Insignia from the Joseph Phelps winery in Napa Valley.

The Napa Valley is the most famous wine region in California (North Coast region). The majority of the Napa Valley’s 18,000 hectares of vines lies on the valley floor. The surrounding mountain slopes have been used to cultivate wine since the end of the 1980s. Napa Valley stretches approximately 50 kilometers, from San Pablo Bay in the south to Mount St. Helen in the north. Its borders are marked by the Mayacamas Mountains, in the west, and the Coast Range, in the east. The Napa River flows through the valley. The town of Napa is situated in the south of the country.

On entering the valley, people are greeted by a large sign bearing the Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) quote, “Wine is bottled poetry”. Forty various soil types can be found within this relatively small valley. To put that into perspective: Bordeaux is home to less than twenty! In the south, fertile loam and clay is common, while the north is characterized by gravelly, less fertile soils. In the Napa valley, the terroir concept is widespread, although it does not play a very important role throughout the rest of Californian and American winegrowing philosophy. The various climatic conditions for winemaking can be found in three of the five Californian climatic regions. Region I is the coolest climate, affecting the southern area of Los Carneros. The central valley, with Oakville and Yountville, is part of by climatic region II, whilst climatic region III, the warmest climate, covers the northern part of the valley, including St. Helen.

The 1999 vintage Phelps Insignia was rated 91 points by Robert Parker on his website in 2013.

The fill level is excellent (into neck). The label and capsule are in perfect condition.

Joseph Phelps

Joseph Phelps was active in the construction industry when his company was tasked with building a wine cellar in Rutherford, St. Helena, in the Napa Valley. Phelps fell in love with the region and decided to produce wine himself. In 1973 he bought the Spring Valley Ranch located near St. Helena and founded the Joseph Phelps Vineyards company. His son Bill has been at the helm of the operation since 2005.

The Phelps top wine is the Insignia Red, a cuvee consisting of around 70-80% Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and smaller proportions of Petit Verdot and Malbec. The 1997 and 2002 vintages are great examples, both having been awarded 100/100 Parker points. The 1997 wine is composed of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, while the 2002 wine contains 78% Cabernet, 14% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec. The composition is therefore more classical than that of most Bordeaux produced today. The insignia hails from various vineyards in St. Helena, Stags Leap, Rutherford and the South Napa Valley. The second top wine is a pure Cabernet Sauvignon from the Backus Vineyard in Oakville. Both wines could almost be described as cheap when taking their superior quality into account.

Shipping costs excl. statutory VAT and plus 2,5% (+VAT) shipping insurance.