2002 Joseph Phelps Insignia

Happy Anniversary to us! The 2002 Insignia was a wine that we have been dying to try because of all of the hype. Many of you know that this wine was rated Wine Spectators "Wine of the Year" in 2005, so will the wine really live up to all of the hype? First and foremost, Happy Anniversary to Zelda and I. What better occasion to pop a bottle of this open? Secondly, note that this wine is still extremely young, and the only reason I am even considering opening one is because we have quite a few more in the cellar...that said, why not? Once popped, this was decanted for an hour before we took our first taste. In the decanter, it showed a nice dark rub color, and from 3 feet away you could smell plum, cassis, dark berries, tar, vanilla, and toasted oak. What a great nose! They need to make a "plug in" that smells like this! This wine was definitely showing young on the palate, and continued to evolve in the decanter over a period of 4 hours. This wine is silky smooth in the mouth with layer upon layer of fruit. Lots of black and red berries, a hint of chocolate, spice, minerals, currants, and oak, with supple, well integrated tannins. The finish is silky smooth, and lasts for nearly a minute. All I can say about this wine is incredible. This will probably be the best wine we drink this year, but what better occasion to drink it on? I'm so glad that we have more that we can cellar, and we got these at an absolutely incredible price. All in all, 96 points out of 100, with 1-3 points possible improvement with age. Drink 2012-2025 with proper cellaring! Cheers!