(ChicagoTribune) - There are "pop stars," and then there are Taylor, Madonna and Gaga.

There are mausoleums, and then there are the Great Pyramid at Giza, the Taj Mahal and Grant's Tomb.

Some people and things get set apart from the rest. They achieve a one-of-a-kind-ness that takes into account more than the simplest definition of them. Plato wasn't just a deep thinker, Evita wasn't just a government worker, and Fenway isn't just a baseball stadium. The list goes on. Picasso. Rolex. Stonehenge. Gandhi. Venice. Joan of Arc. Ditka.

The wine world has vineyards that are iconic, and it also has one-of-a-kind wines with names all their own, known as proprietary wines. I guess naming a wine is kind of like naming your house. Elvis people are intrigued by Graceland; wine people are intrigued by proprietary wines. When you take the time to name something, you tell us that it's special — at least to you.

Legally, any wine can be a proprietary wine. All it needs is a name. Often a proprietary wine is a winery's highest-quality offering, similar to a retail chain's flagship store or, say, the waterborne vessel of a commanding officer. But that's not necessarily a rule, either.

Here are six California proprietary wines, all of them containing the red grapes of Bordeaux — predominantly cabernet sauvignon — in their blends. Most of these wines are from Napa Valley, but a proprietary wine can come from anywhere.

The 2012 Joseph Phelps Insignia ($240) is a legendary Napa Valley proprietary red wine containing 75 percent cabernet sauvignon, 10 percent merlot, 10 percent petit verdot, 3 percent malbec and 2 percent cabernet franc. After 24 months in new French oak barrels, this wine emerges to offer dark fruits, anise, mocha and a delightful floral character. Power and beauty. And 14.5 percent alcohol.