Ratings and Reviews
COACH INSIGNIA, CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Napa Valley
| Vintage | Rating | Publication |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 93-94 Points | Steven Tanzer, International Wine Cellar |
| 2005 Fisher Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Coach Insignia Napa Valley is deep ruby. Exotic, youthfully energetic black raspberry, cherry compote, licorice candy and mocha scents, with bright minerality. Deep and suave, with sweet red and dark fruit flavors, fully enveloped tannins and an utterly captivating, sexy Asian spice quality. Finishes with outstanding persistence and lush, sweet dark berry flavors. If this is priced like it has been in the past, it will be a steal. | ||
| 2005 | 91 Points | Robert Parker's Wine Advocate |
| The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Coach Insignia offers a deep ruby/purple color along with aromas of blueberries, black raspberries, and a touch of chocolate. This complex, full-bodied, opulently-styled Cabernet possesses silky tannin, decent acidity, and a round, generous, friendly personality. There is excellent harmony among all its elements. Drink this delicious, suave wine over the next 10-12 years. | ||
| 2004 | 90 Points | Robert Parker's Wine Advocate |
| The Coach Insignia Cabernet is usually blended with a small amount of Cabernet Franc or Merlot. The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Coach Insignia is softer and more up-front than the 2005 with oodles of black and red fruits intermixed with crushed rocks, flowers, and subtle spicy wood. The overall impression is one of elegance yet authoritative flavors. Drink it over the next 10-12 years. | ||
| 2004 | 91 Points | James Laube's The Wine Spectator |
| Firm and intense, with a mix of herb, cedar, and dried currant flavors that are taut and dusty, ending with a tight focus, layers of complexity and good length. | ||
| 2003 | 92 Points | James Laube, The Wine Spectator |
| Generous, with ripe plum, black cherry and fleshy Cabernet fruit, that's smooth textured and unfolds in layers, gaining depth and complexity. Ends with a long, lingering finish. Drink now through 2014. | ||
| 2003 | 91 Points | Steven Tanzer, International Wine Cellar (May/June 2006) |
| Deep ruby-red. Cassis, licorice, tobacco leaf and mocha on the nose. Lush, silky and pliant, with noteworthy depth to the flavors of currant, chocolate and tobacco; nicely round thanks to harmonious, ripe acidity. Finishes with broad, fine tannins and lingering sweetness. Very cabernet in style. This has turned out well. | ||
| 2003 | 90-93 Points | Robert Parker's Wine Advocate |
| The deep, rich 2oo3 Coach Insignia (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) boasts smoky, black currant, licorice, toasty oak, and spice notes. Opulent, powerful, rich, and impressive, it may turn out to be one of the finest Coach Insignias made to date. It should drink well for 12-15 years. | ||
| 2003 | 90 Points | Robert Parker's Wine Advocate |
| 2003 appears to be a strong vintage for Fisher, with the 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Coach Insignia revealing a sexy, upfront style with projected aromatics, beautiful balance, plenty of licorice-infused black currant fruit, and a personality not unlike a top Pomerol, even though this is virtually all Cabernet Sauvignon, not Merlot. Drink it over the next decade. | ||
| 2003 | 93 Points | Connoisseurs' Guide |
| Inviting elements of black cherries and raspberries are overlain in the nose by a rich veneer of cocoa, caramel and sweet toast, and while the wine similarly does not stint on creamy oak in its flavor its optimally ripend fruit is what dives this well-focused working from beginning to end. Full in weight, fleshy and nicely extracted, it has the tannic underpinnings of a wine meant for age. Leave it alone for at least three or four more years and expect it to deepen for a decade or more. | ||
| 2002 | 94 Points | The Wine enthusiast |
| This is a tremendous young wine, enormous fruity stuffing. It's fairly tannic, but the Grenache-like cherry, Cassis, plum and fudgy chocolate flavors are so powerful, so evocative, nothing could mask them. Grilled Steak will tame it, but this is a good cellar candidate to open between 2008 and 2015. You can also decant for a few hours. | ||
| 2002 | 91 Points | Steven Tanzer, International Wine Cellar (May/June 2005) |
| (Includes 10% cabernet franc) Good red-ruby color. Black fruits and flowers on the captivating nose. Sweet and silky on entry, then concentrated in the middle, with slightly roasted dark fruit flavors given shape by juicy acidity. This offers considerable early appeal but has plenty of broad, ripe tannins to support aging. Incidentally, the Fishers are in the process of replanting the Wedding Vineyard behind the house and will have their first crop from the new vines in 2005. | ||
| 1999 | 94 Points | James Laube, The Wine Spectator |
| Serves up a pure, rich, delicious core of blackberry extract, with touches of currant,black cherry, plum and anise, finishing with a long, rich, detailed aftertaste. Sufficient tannins to merit cellaring. An extraordinary effort that ranks as Fisher's finest. Best from 2003 through 2012. 2,000 cases made. | ||
| 1999 | 90 Points | Robert Parker's Wine Advocate |
| The deep ruby/purple-colored 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Coach Insignia (a 2,370-case blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc) exhibits a creamy nose of chocolate, smoke, cassis, and licorice, an up-front, rich, fleshy, elegant style, medium body, and a sweet finish. Drink it over the next 8-10 years. | ||
| 1997 | 92 Points | James Laube, The Wine Spectator |
| Wonderful balance and sense of harmony here, with rich earthy currant, black cherry, anise, sage, cedar and tarry notes, finishing with ripe tannins and excellent length. Drink now through 2010. 2,460 cases made. | ||
| 1997 | 90 Points | Robert Parker's Wine Advocate |
| The 1997 Coach Insignia (77% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the rest Merlot and Cabernet Franc) is powerful, with a seamless personality. The wine is moderately tannic and full-bodied, with loads of chocolatey, black cherry, and cassis fruit. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2014. | ||
| 1996 | 91 Points | James Laube, The Wine Spectator |
| Intense and concentrated, with a rich core of earthy currant, leather, anise, mineral and sage. Takes time to open, but offers a lot of complex, concentrated fruit flavors. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot. Best from 2001 through 2009. 3,000 cases made. | ||
| 1996 | 90 Points | Robert Parker's Wine Advocate |
| The 1996 Coach Insignia (1,380 cases) offers classic cassis, coffee, chocolate, and oaky aromas that are followed by deep, concentrated, spicy, rich, berry fruit flavors. A blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 11% Cabernet Franc, it offers abundant power, purity, and richness. It should drink well for 10-15+ years. | ||
| 1993 | 90-93 Points | Robert Parker's Wine Advocate |
| The 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon Coach Insignia is another terrific effort from Fred Fisher. It possesses the hallmarks of recent Fisher releases - spectacular ripeness and richness, as well as massive, chocolatey, ripe blackcurrent fruit presented in full-bodied, expansive, wonderfully pure and concentrated style. The wine's high extraction, judicious use of toasty oak, and gorgeous ripeness and length suggest it should be drinkable when released and last for 15+ years. | ||
| 1992 | 92 Points | Robert Parker's Wine Advocate |
| The 1992 Coach Insignia Cabernet Sauvignon has obviously benefited from a long maceration. Aged in 100% French oak (of which 50% is new) the wine is bottled without finning or filtering. Its opaque purple color, intense fragrance of minerals, cassis, and vanillin, sweet multi-layered richness, full-body, and admirable purity merit high marks. There is tannon present, but there is more than enough fruit and flesh to cover it up. Drink it between 1998-2015. | ||
| 1991 | 92 Points | Robert Parker's Wine Advocate |
| The Coach Insignia is an exceptional wine. It is one of the finest of the outstanding 1991 vintage. The opaque ruby/purple-colored wine offers a powerful, pungent nose of cassis, black fruits, chocolate, vanillin, and licorice. It oozes with super richness, full body, glycerin, and nicely hidden alcohol and moderate tannin in the finish. While the quantity produced (1,600 cases) will not make it the most widely available Cabernet Sauvignon, shrewd readers should be able to find a few bottles before it is scarfed up by Cabernet lovers. Approachable now, it has the potential to last for 15+ years. | ||
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