This lot is comprised of 1 bottle(s) of 1997 Joseph Phelps Vineyards Insignia - 750ml. Estimate for this lot is between $420 - $600 with a reserve of $300. The wine in this lot belongs to collection 10582.
Condition
Please note the following condition/s on 1997 Joseph Phelps Vineyards Insignia Base of Neck.
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Growing up in Montreal, this consignor’s parents exposed him to wine as a teenager. Once he was working on Bay Street his mentor introduced him to Toronto’s best wine lists. While on vacation in Bordeaux in 1990 he enjoyed a bottle of Chateau Meyney at a local restaurant and Bordeaux became his wine of choice. On that same trip he purchased as many bottles as possible of 1989 (his daughter’s birth year) and 1990 directly from the vineyards. A close acquaintance owned Lifford and, with Robert Parker as his guide, he purchased wine through them and began collecting. He had a 1200 bottle professional cellar built in his home and wines were stored there upon acquisition.
The tasting note for 1997 Joseph Phelps Vineyards Insignia is from Robert Parker and the score is 100 - An inky/plum/purple color is accompanied by a stunning bouquet of violets, charcoal, creme de cassis and a hint of toast. Prodigious when it hits the palate with a full-bodied expansiveness, there is not a hard edge to be found in the 1997, only velvety tannins, compelling depth and fruit intensity, and stunning purity. It is a perfect expression of Napa viticulture and wine that should continue to age effortlessly for two decades or more. An ideal warm, dry spring, June and July was followed by a surprisingly cool August that slowed down what looked to be rapid sugar accumulation in the grapes. September's temperatures were average to above average, without any potentially damaging heat spikes. This allowed the harvest to unfurl slowly, with no stress or imminent danger. For many Napa Cabernet Sauvignons, this resulted in one of the top vintages of the nineties. Consumers, observers and wine critics will undoubtedly argue for decades over which vintage of the nineties turned out to be the finest – 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995 or 1997. The 1997 Insignia is a 20,000-case blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, with 60% coming from estate vineyards and 40% from growers. The alcohol came in at 13.8%.