External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990
1989
1988
1987
1986
1985
1984
1983
1982
1981
1980
1979
1978
1977
1976
1975
1974
1973
N.V.
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.5 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 274 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by JTROCKER on 1/21/2024 & rated 91 points: Similar to Robert's situation and review ... this bottle was a gift from my father in 2007 and cellared in an underground wine storage facility until 3 weeks ago. I have been pulling a "Past Due" each month in order to work through some of the older or forgotten bottles that may be past thier prime.
Our JP 2004 bottle was still quite nice - still some solid fruit notes, very smooth on the pallet, but with a thinner and shorter finish than what I remember from prior bottles. The cork crumbled a bit, but looked to have held up well enough. To be honest, I was a bit surprised that we enjoyed it as much as we did
If you still have a bottle of this vintage, I would probably open it soon as I think this has hit is peak and will not further improve. I question if the 05 - 09 vintages will have held up as well as this one. Maybe I'll open up our 05 soon. (389 views) | | | Tasted by robert.kalinowski@gmail.com on 12/25/2022 & rated 93 points: Although Parker will say that even the flagship bottlings will go 25+ years, I decided to try our oldest Phelps just to check in. Mostly out of curiosity, but also caution: this is one of my most "overdue" drink date bottles, according to CT, and also based on some of the most recent user reviews. I purchased this at the winery ~ 2008/9 and can tell you that my bottle has been cellared the entire time, except for a cross-country move (winter). I imagine this may contribute to the difference in my experience vs. some of the recent reviews. There was some sediment, but the wine drank beautifully. So dark, almost no obvious bricking. The nose was heavenly. The dark fruit remains but of course is not what it once was; it is restrained but beautifully integrated. I think I opened it at what I would consider the sweetspot, and believe it is close to, if not at peak. If I had another bottle or so, I would check back in ~3 years. We loved it. I'm thrilled to have held onto it this long. I have confidence in continuing to age my 06, 07 etc. I am not yet convinced about more recent vintages going this long though and will approach those with caution. (923 views) | | | Tasted by Jim Cantalupo on 9/6/2022: Almost bad. Had to be strained (1107 views) | | | Tasted by lachord on 6/29/2021 & rated 90 points: Dark ruby color. Fruit has diminished a bit, but still some notes of cherry and vanilla with an earthy base. (1731 views) | | | Tasted by lachord on 4/12/2021 & rated 91 points: Deep ruby color. Fruit has faded a bit, but an earthy, dark cherry hint remains. (1817 views) | | | Tasted by gabird on 9/27/2020 & rated 90 points: - Garnet color with medium forming legs and has flavours of cherry and cloves. Smooth texture with a short finish. (1797 views) | | | Tasted by pbowles29 on 12/8/2018: Still lots of sediment but overall a very nice wine. Opened up nicely the next morning for the remaining glass. (2789 views) | | | Tasted by M4 on 1/20/2018 & rated 93 points: I enjoyed this, big and jammy. Very dense for its age. Cork broke getting it out but it wasn't in poor shape (3663 views) | | | Tasted by redpine42 on 8/4/2017 & rated 93 points: Great fruit. Soft tannins. Really drinking nice now. Best of these I've had. (3469 views) | | | Tasted by Millennial Drinkers on 7/4/2017 & rated 91 points: A ton better than the last time and another magnum. Deep garnet red. Layered nose with dark fruits, plums, spices, purple floral notes and toasted wood. Medium tannins (6.5/10) and medium to medium plus body. Palate has notes with black cherries, dark cocoa, and gravel. Long finish. Drink till 2020. (3656 views) | | | Tasted by Millennial Drinkers on 11/24/2016 flawed bottle: Tried in two different glasses. Seemed corked in the Zalto Bordeaux and smelt of cedar in the Riedel Somm glass...
Medium ruby red. After the either corked or cedar from the note above there was some leather, light cinnamon and mushrooms on the nose. Moderate tannins (6/10) with a medium body. Attack started with baking spices, some dark berries and a little greenery/vegetal. Slight raisins started to develop. Moderate finish, corked nose wore off over the next few days. Drink now.
Edit: Just tried another bottle, this must have been flawed. (4056 views) | | | Tasted by cab blends on 11/24/2016 & rated 86 points: Lovely sandalwood and cherrywood nose. Very light cassis in the background.
On the palate not what I expected. Simple and average; medium bodied. Nothing special or extraordinary. Just a lighter, less oaked cabernet. Not worth the pricepoint.
Drank from a magnum - no decanting. To be fair, it did seem to improve over the 2 hours. I have a few more magnums and think they need to be drunk soon. (2790 views) | | | Tasted by Ralphie1 on 7/16/2016 & rated 92 points: Drinking beautifully right now. Worth the wait. (2474 views) | | | Tasted by Ecoenophile on 3/13/2016 & rated 90 points: Decanted. Initial nose had a little funk... but not unpleasant. Over time, this diminished and light blueberry, blackberry and anise essences were present. Flavor profile was very pleasant... lavender, blackberry, hints of leather and a subtle earthiness. Medium body and finish. Just a hint of remaining tannins.
Finished over the second day and it held firm throughout. (2410 views) | | | Tasted by capacious on 1/15/2016 & rated 91 points: At a very good place, see no reason to wait, not going to get any better. Tannins fully integrated. Good feel on the palate, viscous, lengthy. (2809 views) | | | Tasted by rustyRudy on 1/12/2016 flawed bottle: Corked. Bummer. My only bottle. (2182 views) | | | Tasted by merentz on 12/4/2015 & rated 99 points: Drank at marsh side mama's at daufuskier island. 12/4/2015. Awsome. (2541 views) | | | Tasted by Swekman on 9/6/2015 & rated 93 points: Nose of luscious raspberries and strawberries, red brick, leather, tobacco, and white pepper. The tannins are super bold and the finish is long and pleasant. Very awesome! The wait to drink was totally worth it - could have waited even longer. (2101 views) | | | Tasted by Old Joe on 7/13/2015 & rated 90 points: Well balanced, long finish and lots of tannin still in the bottle (1859 views) | | | Tasted by beatles on 5/17/2015 & rated 91 points: Straight forward, very typical - but well balanced, the focus is still in the primary, dark fruit, there is an abundance of blackberry here, but the wine is not overdone, rather kept in line by more old world qualities, a distinct dryness in spite of the fruit and noticeable tannins. Great with rib eye. (1916 views) | | | Tasted by Morten_Jorgensen on 4/30/2015: This won't evolve further - drink up within a year or so. (1836 views) | | | Tasted by irish95 on 4/23/2015 & rated 92 points: Nice bottle, but nothing spectacular. Part of the problem may have been that it followed a bunch of Italian and French wines and therefore it didn't feel as elegant as an aged Phelps usually feels. Still was a bit fruit forward. It was great, just not spectacular. (1740 views) | | | Tasted by PourSomeRed on 4/4/2015 & rated 93 points: Great balance of fruit, oak, and earth. Is it at its peak? Yes or close to it depending on your taste. I wish I had more. (1519 views) | | | Tasted by Swekman on 2/1/2015 & rated 93 points: This cabernet has a nose of dried cherries, fig, and leather. The oak tannins are bold and the finish is long and smooth. (1758 views) | | | Tasted by Whine-oh on 11/8/2014 & rated 93 points: P n P. Ready to go out of btl. No visible bricking. Pure Napa cab heaven. There was wonderful casis n kirsh n some chocolate le to enjoy. Nose n palate both in a great place. Soft, mellow tannins rounded this out nicely. Drink now as it is in a good place. Only wish I had more! (2230 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Richard Hemming, MW
JancisRobinson.com (11/24/2008)
(Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2006, IWC Issue #126
(Joseph Phelps Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of JancisRobinson.com and Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| 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.Cabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
Used as frequently in blends as in varietal wines, Cabernet Sauvignon has a large number of common blending partners. Apart from the obvious Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the most prevalent of these are Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (the ingredients of a classic Bordeaux Blend), Shiraz (in Australia's favorite blend) and in Spain and South America, a Cabernet – Tempranillo blend is now commonplace. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are now generally softened with Cabernet SauvignonUSAAmerican 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 |
|
