We determined to exert more control over picking, and I focused more on the blending process among our vineyards. I also changed how we used oak. His winemaking epiphany had purse strings attached to it, too. In the 1980s, Williams says the winery was conservative in its purchasing of new oak barrels. With all this fabulous fruit coming off our properties, we really needed good oak to back it up.
Today investing in new oak is given top priority.
For the last decade, the Insignia has been made with 100 percent new French oak, as opposed to about 50 percent in the early days. The recent evolution of Insignia's varietal composition, combined with Williams' earlier decisions about mint and oak, have given the wine the strong identity its creators envisioned. That has been especially true over the last ten years, when the wine has had a remarkable level of consistency and quality. The extraordinary success of Insignia and other benchmark Phelps wines, such as the limited production Backus Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and the Mistral line of Rh ne varietals, is about much more than barrels. After a quarter century of making wine, Williams has begun assuming other responsibilities at Joseph Phelps.