- 2003 Joseph Phelps Insignia - USA, California, Napa Valley (1/18/2026)
From my late father’s cellar, this bottle had the single worst cork I have come across. It defeated all attempts to extract it, including with the Durand. I was left to using a fine mesh filter to get rid of the cork particles. The wine was not affected so far as I could tell. It was a fairly typical early 2000s Insignia, with plummy fruit, and a touch of secondary aromatic development. Tannins were almost undetectable. It did work well with our beef stew, but in its own I would say it was good wine that was largely uninteresting.
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I’ve had so many problems with 90s-early 2000s Insignia corks. Frankly getting one that comes out nicely and intact seems to be the exception, not the rule. I’ve had a half dozen turn to dust just as you described. Or break into pieces with only a nice little tight plug at the bottom that one has to just punch into the wine. Usually the wine is in great shape (though not always). I will say that I think 2003 is among the most disappointing Insignias, and I always catch a stewed figgy note lingering underneath the rich plummy fruit. I know Insignia gets kicked around a bit and Phelps has not ever been shy on big new oak for a long time, but I’ve enjoyed many wines from that period, recently a 1999 Insignia (thank you toro for cork extraction) that was lovely, if still showing some oak.
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A friend opened a 1991 Insignia for us on Saturday. The cork presented no problem and the wine was excellent. It was probably the favorite for most of us. The other reds were Pichon Barons (1995, 2002, and 2008), and only the 1995 was a serious competitor of the Insignia for WOTN.
The 1991 is a really fine wine. ‘89 or ‘00 PB would have kicked its ass though.
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