06 Opus and 06 Insignia. Drink one now and save the other...

WINE TALK
#1

Saturday night I collected on a winning olympic hockey wager with an Opus/Insignia steak dinner…

Both wines were opened at the same time but not decanted. Sat in the bottle with a bit poured off to get the wine below the shoulder and let rest for a couple of hours. Both very tasty and surprisingly similar. In my opinion, the Opus is quite a bit more age-worthy compared to the Insignia based on how they showed.

Drink the Insignia now… save the Opus for later.

  • 2006 Opus One - USA, California, Napa Valley (3/13/2010)
    Thickly styled with lots of creme-de-cassis and herbal spices on the nose. Somewhat closed initially but eventually opens up to show ripe fruits wrapped around a vanilla core. Finish shows some pretty edgy tannins. Seems to be built for the long haul and should be great once everything comes together. (93 pts.)
  • 2006 Joseph Phelps Insignia - USA, California, Napa Valley (3/13/2010)
    Opened and let breathe for a couple hours prior to drinking. Not decanted. Nose shows an abundance of blackberry and mocha notes, which carry over to the palate. Full-bodied with lots of depth and a great finish. Tannins are very fine and the ripeness of the fruit keeps them in check which makes this wine easier to enjoy in it’s youth but it should develop well over the next 3-5 years. (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

#2

I think the '06 Insignia is the wine Jack Bulkin and I tasted at Phelps during Berserkerfest I - not sure if it was '06 or '07, but I don’t think they have released '07 yet, have they?

I recall it being a very complex but VERY shut down wine - tannic as all get out, too.

#3

It was the 06 Insignia and the 05 Backus.

#4

It got more tannin from the Opus then I did from the Insignia… The fruit on the Insignia was so ripe that it seemed to really take the edge off the tannins.

#5

Yours had some decanting and is 6-7 months older, so that might make a little difference, who knows. The '05 Backus was even more monstrous.

#6

I haven’t even come close to touching my 04-06 Backus … after having that super awesome 86 back in October, I doubt that I will get into those for a while.

#7

I recently opened aa 95 Backus Rob that seemed to be already in slight decline. I poured a 96 from mag for T-Bone and his friends that was still young and vibrant.