Please allow me to take a stab at some tasting notes from a delightful bottle of wine my wife and I shared this past Monday night. I'll try to come close to some of the wonderful descriptions I've read from many of you . . .
We thought we'd celebrate the Westminister Dog Show with a leg of lamb and good red wine. It had been quite some time since we opened an Insignia we thought we'd give it a go.
As an aside, though I do most of our wine purchasing, my wife happened to be picking up some wine for a Thanksgiving Day visit back around 1997. The shop owner suggested she try this wine (the Insignia); it was really good and he was getting some at a good price. She took it home and we drank it that night. The next day we bought a couple of cases. Two days later it showed up in Wine Spectator as the #3 wine of the year behind two ports. So, we tried buying some more, but, it was "no longer available at that price."
Back to the present. I had brought the bottle up earlier in the day to let any sediment settle, which turned out to be a good move, there was some significant stuff left. The wine looked beautiful, a nice clear dark beet-like color with a clear meniscus.
The early aromas were tobacco, leather, cherry, plum, a little cedar. The liquid was slightly silky, very smooth, voluptuous. The texture was so pleasant and filling.
The tannins have backed off well on the wine, and there was just the slightest hint of an alcohol feel there. The fruit was showing nicely, and it continued to develop over the 90 minutes or so we drank it. All dark fruit, berries, cherries, plums. Coffee flavors, and cedar that kept increasing. A peppery flavor gave way after a bit. The finish was very long, lingering pleasantly and sweetly.
Yes, we enjoyed the wine! I'm happy to report that the leg of lamb was quite delicious, too.
If only the Norwegian Elkhound were selected . . . . .
David