December 10, 2012 – Wines for those who “get it”

I met a good friend for dinner.  He is one of only a handful of people in my life that truly understands the significance of fine wine.   He also accompanies me to some of the wineries in Napa Valley and shares this passion of mine.  So, naturally I pulled out my best stuff to enjoy at dinner, since I seldom get the opportunity to open these fine wines I have collected.  (Both of these wines are from half-bottles.)


2001 Joseph Phelps Insignia and 2005 Carter Cellars To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon
(pardon the blurr)

2001 Joseph Phelps Insignia

Can a wine peak twice?  The first time I opened this wine, it possessed a magical elixir quality.  Its fruits were ultra pure and it featured terrific balance, all backed by a cocoa-influenced richness.  The second bottle I opened a few months later lacked that magical quality – it was still very nice, but no magic.  This bottle seems to have hit a different peak, with a clean richness that the first bottle lacked.  The nose is amazing.  The fruits remain vintage-typical, but have taken on more purity.  There is so much subtle complexity to this wine that I cannot do it justice, but the main flavors seem to be dark cherry, blackberry, leather, cocoa, and cranberry.  In this bottle, the magic has returned.

2005 Carter Cellars Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon

If the Insignia were James Bond, this would be his bulked-up body guard sporting an Armani suit.  Having visited Carter Cellars recently and thoroughly enjoying their 2010 To Kalon Cabernet, my friend opted to open this bottle from a small selection of choices.  I remember being very impressed by this wine when it was young.  Recently, I was able to acquire a few more bottles at a very fair price, so I was willing to open one now to see how it is doing.  The nose on this wine is potent, and the wine is both weighty and rich on the palette, all the while maintaining good balance.  It features a vintage-typical palette with surprising influences of darker fruits.  I noted Dark cherries, sweet black berries, subtle cranberries, minerals, and leather.  While the Insignia was at its peak in the half-bottle, this wine still has another three to five years of rich life left in it.