2001 Insignia

This shows superb complexity, with fresh and baked black cherry, mint, graphite, mocha and chocolate aromas. Some tobacco leaf. It’s full-bodied and continuous. Supple, ripe and mellow tannins coat the dark fruit almost imperceptibly. Excellent concentration with plenty of life. Drink or hold.

This shows superb complexity, with fresh and baked black cherry, mint, graphite, mocha and chocolate aromas. Some tobacco leaf. It’s full-bodied and continuous. Supple, ripe and mellow tannins coat the dark fruit almost imperceptibly. Excellent concentration with plenty of life. Drink or hold. (CN)

The 2001 Insignia is in a gorgeous spot today. Sweet tobacco, mint, dried herbs, licorice and incense are the signatures of a wine that has reached its plateau of maturity. Even so, the 2001 shows no signs of fading. This is the first vintage made without Merlot. At the time, most of the fruit was from estate vineyards in Rutherford, Stags Leap and St. Helena. (Insignia became a pure estate wine with the 2004 vintage.) The only issue with the 2001 is that it feels a bit compact, perhaps because it was filtered. I expect the 2001 will slowly fade over the next decade.