Both popped and poured and allowed some time to rest in the glass:
1997 - very open and expressive from the start. Lots of explosive berry flavor and a very voluptuous mouthfeel. Nice long finish. A wonderfully balanced wine.
2001 - Nice nose but a little tight at first. With about an hour of air, it opened up quite a bit, revealing darker fruits than the 97 and more cocoa notes. Also more spice. It finished with some gripping tannins, but not overly so.
Both of these wines were wonderful, with the 97 being a full stride ahead at this point. While part of that was the additional age, I think the bigger difference was in the blends. The merlot in the 97 creates a much softer and friendlier wine. The much higher amount of petit verdot in the 2001 adds the spice and some grip that the 97 probably did not have even at the same stage.
The 97 has many years to go, but there is no reason to wait, as it is drinking great right now.
The 2001 is going to get much better with some time to integrate and open up. If you have several, it is still enjoyable now. But if you only have one or two, I’d wait at least 3 more years.
Bruce,
Thanks for the note and reference point on the 01.
Sounds like this will be a very long lived wine which will reward more cellaring time.
It’s the only high end Cali wine I have in my cellar and 01 is my anniversary year so I bought a few btls for future celebrations.
Cheers 
Lou
Nice notes Bruce. Always a fan of the 01.
Always a fan of the '01 Insignia.
Pobega insists that the '01 Insignia is better than the '02. I haven’t had either in a long time, but my intuition is that he may be right, although I’ve always thought the '02 had more stuffing.
The '02 is much closer in style to the '97 with both having a big dollop of Merlot and generally less Cab (no Merlot in the '01 as far as I know). The '01 reminds me more of the beautiful '95.
Either way, those are 4 beautiful vintages of Insignia.
That is correct. 89% cab, 10% PV and 1% malbec.
Great notes Bruce, I knew there had to be something I liked about you. 
Had the 97 a year ago and the 01 a couple times since then (including last night) The 97 is otherworldly, the 01 is great but if you can find a 99, give that a try.
If you believe my wife, there are very few such things. I’m glad you could find one. ![[blush2.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/c/c69482ca0320379147926d74fed26a9debedfa0a.gif "blush")