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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 89.3 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 39 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Alro on 3/1/2020 & rated 92 points: Quite impressed how this has held up. Little fruit however BIG on everything else. Well aged, quite palatable. Smokey, large and commanding on the palette.
Quite impressive for its age.
Well cellared from birth. (859 views) | | | Tasted by Alro on 12/22/2019 & rated 90 points: well cellared for life......brought to room temp. once uncorked, presented tight. left in glass for 30 minutes...opened nicely. Dry, smooth hints of fruit and complexity. tobacco, cedar box notes, hint of tar. Pencil lead.
After open for an hour completely changed and blossomed into a beautiful shining star. thicker/viscous mouthfeels, medium to long finish. very enjoyable. (782 views) | | | Tasted by DesMarteau on 12/31/2016 & rated 90 points: Starts out sour and disjointed...needs a full 2 hours to begin to integrate...fading berries, plum, spice. not sure much more will happen here with age. (2298 views) | | | Tasted by Ecoenophile on 12/25/2016: ??? Was actually a 2006... presume both magnums were 2006... (2183 views) | | | Tasted by EricDilda on 5/16/2016 & rated 90 points: Last wine of Traci new job night (2823 views) | | | Tasted by Ecoenophile on 11/28/2014 & rated 91 points: Rich purple fruit and white pepper on the nose. Palate is similar with the addition of a little lavender on the finish. Good residual tannins and a little tartness too. Holding up well still. (3197 views) | | | Tasted by Swekman on 10/26/2014 & rated 92 points: This wine has a nose of leather, cedar, blackberries, and slate. The tannins are bold and long on the dry finish. It is really, really pleasant drinking. (3181 views) | | | Tasted by CMN on 8/2/2014: Double Blind Pinot Tasting at T&T's (Tina's House): Impressions: appeared visually similar to grape juice. Nose was grapey and alcohol was noticeable. Very tight, some herbs, very tannic, red fruits, needs time. Was a wild card at a double blind Pinot tasting and it was clearly out of place. Alcohol noticeable at 15% abv. 80 (2860 views) | | | Tasted by budh on 6/1/2014: Not much on the nose. Mainly some light barnyard and dark cherry. Later a little licorice and cedar. Big wine - high chewy tannins, full body, high (15%) alcohol, medium+ acidity. Medium finish. The alcohol stands out. Not much different on day 2 or 3. It's a decent wine, but nothing special. (2412 views) | | | Tasted by iamandyc on 5/29/2014 & rated 91 points: Time treated this syrah well. It was much more open than the last time with rich, plush fruit. The tannins are still a bit grainy but keep it from being flabby. Dark fruits but tempered by a note of burnt cranberry on the finish. Tea notes, bitter sweet chocolate and some cedar. (1936 views) | | | Tasted by vintage_whine on 3/20/2014: after 7 years, inky black except at the very edges, highly oaked and showing just the barest hints of back fruit behind its mocha and sweet vanilla components. a monster at 15%. cant really understand this (1397 views) | | | Tasted by Ecoenophile on 6/15/2013 & rated 91 points: P&P at a BYO restaurant on Day 1. A bit harsh... tight and a bit tart...Began to appreciate other's comments... but allowed to sit at room temp in bottle overnight, keep cool during the day, and again at room temp overnight... then decanted and enjoyed early the 3rd day. A new wine! Dark purple, soft body. Nose of plum, sour cherry and a bit of earth. Purple fruit on the attack, mid palate features spice and white pepper. Not much more complexity though. No tannins - a soft finish. Overall, still a nice sipping wine. (2001 views) | | | Tasted by BRSAustinTex on 5/24/2013 & rated 88 points: Ok. Slow to open. (1742 views) | | | Tasted by iamandyc on 3/8/2013 & rated 86 points: Drank over two days. Very dark with nice body. Never opened up and remained tight, steely and flinty. The finish was hard edged with notes of earth and black olives. Just not a pleasure to drink. (1769 views) | | | Tasted by NEwino on 2/12/2013 & rated 89 points: This was a nice full syrah that was a bit disappointing to me. We drank this with a 2007 TE syrah that was better all the way around. This had nice fruit and was balanced but that was about it. (1938 views) | | | Tasted by JDRFoster on 3/25/2012 & rated 90 points: Needed decanting and air time to blossom. Dark color and dark fruit. Well balanced. (1781 views) | | | Tasted by JDRFoster on 8/28/2011 & rated 89 points: Ripe, dark fruit with spice and smoke notes, medium finish, well balanced, and drinking well now. (2563 views) | | | Tasted by La Cave d'Argent on 2/18/2011 & rated 89 points: This wine was tasted in double-blind fashion at Vintage Wines, Ltd. The bottle was kindly provided by Ken Johnson. Opaque black/purple robe with purple rim. Clean nose, showing moderately intense aromas of blackberries, boysenberries, white pepper and lavender. Full-bodied on the palate, with low-to-medium acidity and massive, slightly dry tannins. The flavors and viscosity flirt with the "pancake-syrup" moniker but don't quite go over the edge. Long, somewhat astringent finish. This wine needs time. It has the structure to age nicely. I guessed that it was a late-vintage Napa Petite Sirah. Drink 1/14-12/24. (2690 views) | | | Tasted by vintage_whine on 2/13/2011 & rated 90 points: rush of juicy black fruits to compliment the inky purple color. to the eye, reminds me of a malbec with the pink rim. on the palate the nose is complimented by dark chocolate and toffee notes, which balance out the juicy fruit in the wine. really well done, with restrained oak. went very well with pink peppercorn infused dark chocolate (2644 views) | | | Tasted by Nutella on 12/27/2010 & rated 87 points: Great nose but needs a lot of decanting at the moment. Wasn't bowled over once it opened up though. (2794 views) | | | Tasted by Bakeman on 10/31/2010 & rated 90 points: Drank while trick or treating with the kids. Outstanding wine. (2575 views) | | | Tasted by cbero on 10/21/2010 & rated 88 points: Pop & Pour, then drank over two evenings.
Solid nose of dark fruits and scorched earth, and a bit of alcohol. Good balance, no heat going down. Solid effort, not stunning, not bad. Still an infant. (2901 views) | | | Tasted by cabaddict on 8/19/2010: Loved this wine (2943 views) | | | Tasted by alr6767 on 6/28/2010 & rated 86 points: Better than previous, but still putting off a strong eucalyptus odor and taste. The fruit came out just a bit this time, but still a ways to go. (2996 views) | | | Tasted by alr6767 on 4/8/2010: Not ready. (3297 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Joseph Phelps Producer website
In the late 60s, Joseph Phelps was running one of the largest construction companies in the U.S. when he won the bid to build Souverain Winery (now Rutherford Hill) located a few miles outside of St. Helena. Enamored with the beautiful Napa Valley and contemplating a career change, in 1973 he bought the 600-acre Connolly cattle ranch in Spring Valley, and began planting vineyards. The winery was completed in 1974 and that same year the first Syrah was made, the first grapes were crushed at the new facility and the first Insignia was produced. It was a period of unparalleled activity, creativity, ingenuity, entrepreneurship and risk-taking and it put Joe Phelps on the map of top Napa Valley wine producers.
Nearly four decades later, the flagship wine, Insignia, is recognized as one of the world’s great wines. Twenty nine of 34 vintages have been rated ninety or more points by various wine publications. From 1990 to 2007, the average score from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate is 94.5 pts., with the lowest score still a fabulous 91. The 2002 vintage was “Wine of the Year” by Wine Spectator Magazine, and the 2007 vintage has been rated 98 points by Robert Parker and 96 points by Wine Spectator Magazine.
Over the years, the goal of becoming 100% estate grown resulted in carefully planned acquisitions of prime vineyards in the Napa Valley. Today, the Phelps estate consists of the Spring Valley Home Ranch outside of St. Helena, Banca Dorada in Rutherford, Las Rocas and Barboza vineyards in Stags Leap, Yountville Vineyard in Oak Knoll, Suscol Vineyard in South Napa and Backus Vineyard in Oakville.
Beginning with the 2009 vintage, estate-grown wines include Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Insignia, Backus (the single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville) and Eisrébe, a dessert wine made from the Scheurebe grape. In addition, a small amount of Syrah is produced from fruit owned by Hyde Vineyards in Los Carneros.
Though the main focus is on Bordeaux varietals, Joe Phelps has had a life-long love affair with the wines of Burgundy and a desire to craft wines in that style. Originally Chardonnay was sourced from St. Helena, later from Yountville and then from Los Carneros. Through the years, however, Joe continued to search for the ideal spot to grow both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and his search ended when the perfect combination of climate, soil and location was found in Freestone, located in the Sonoma Coast AVA, a mere eight miles from the Pacific Ocean. In 1999, 200 acres were acquired and planting began. Today, 80 acres of Pinot Noir and 20 acres of Chardonnay are producing some remarkable wines which are available for tasting at the Freestone Guest Center. Visit Freestone Vineyards to learn more.Syrah Varietal article (Wikipedia) | (Wines Northwest)
Note that some producers in the Northern Rhone distinguish between simply Syrah and "Serine", the latter described as ‘an ancient clone of Syrah, the berries of which are more oval-shaped and less deeply pigmented than Syrah’ by producer Tardieu-Laurent. USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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