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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.6 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 65 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by gphil on 2/15/2023 & rated 90 points: Still going, very enjoyable! Cola, spices, very long finish. (606 views) | | | Tasted by glebar2 on 9/27/2020 & rated 90 points: Still drinking very well, although clearly on the fade. As others have said, opens up nicely after about 20-30 minutes, becoming an excellent expression of the grape and place. Elegant and refined, even as it fades from time. (1828 views) | | | Tasted by SadEdjo on 10/18/2019 & rated 89 points: Big cassis on the nose. Initially somewhat sour and reductive. Once aired out, it was still a little sour, sour cherry and disappointingly thin. Drink up (2401 views) | | | Tasted by spacewrangler on 1/7/2019 & rated 91 points: In a great spot. Decant it, gives the fruit more depth and weight. No rush to drink well stored bottles. (2807 views) | | | Tasted by Rbtrage on 12/4/2018 & rated 92 points: From magnum. Medium to full body. Very well aged and in its prime drinking window. Excellent! (2754 views) | | | Tasted by srh on 2/24/2018: 5 Shared Bottles (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): ¡MIL gracias, José! :)
N: Vanilla, berries, spice; Definitely COMPLEX!
P: LM, poss Med, body; MARVELOUS, ALMOST swtish frt BEAUTIFULLY balanced by an acidity which slowly, SEAMLESSLY evolves into quite a LONG, most *pleasant*, finish with ult hints of spice. A *sensational* wine that should hold for 4-5 yrs more, I'm guessing. 13.5% ABV; My EXC+/Exceptional- (94-97/100, using that paradigm); 92 pts WS & 90 Tanzer (2108 views) | | | Tasted by patwjr on 3/30/2017 & rated 92 points: Pnp, drank over 3 hours. Somewhat dead at first, but then fruit emerged in 15 min. A delicious, soft fruit, earthy, mature wine. Still nice at 3 hour mark. Drink NOW if u have any left. (3250 views) | | | Tasted by John McCabe on 8/20/2016 & rated 95 points: Stunning wine. A group of us did a 10-wine '96 Cab retrospective and this wine was the average favorite of the evening. The fruit is so bright and attractive, showing with brilliance, purity and such energy. (3763 views) | | | Tasted by Vinsboro on 7/2/2016 & rated 95 points: (From 3L) Dark purple-red. Ruby at rim. No fading or bricking. Some sediment. Explosive dark fruit aromas, with background notes of cedar and leather. Lush fruit on the attack, with a thin beam of acid holding it all together. Soft and full and luxurious. Medium weight. Long finish. Remarkably fruit foward for its age. Classic. Drink now. (3545 views) | | | Tasted by vanpe003 on 3/10/2016 & rated 94 points: Drinks much younger and richer than I expected in the particular 20 year old bottle. Relatively big fruit, cassis. Medium long finish. Not a ton of structure (tannins, acidity) even as the palate is full and still vibrant. Without that structure, this may not have the bones for longer aging. In fact, I'll probably seek out my remaining bottle for consumption within the next year. This bottle was a very pleasant surprise, and seemingly in its sweet spot. (3675 views) | | | Tasted by LopedeAguirre on 12/25/2015 & rated 93 points: The cork crumbled so it had to be removed with a "parallel blades" corkscrew. Appearance was beautiful, healthy red with not even a hint of orange. Bouquet is explosive, with vanilla, chocolate and leather. The wine was wonderful, very well balanced and with a long finish. (3456 views) | | | Tasted by stayhappy21 on 12/7/2014 & rated 91 points: Drank this wine today at Mu Liang Zai to celebrate my dad's birthday. This wine was drank side by side with the 1996 Château Cantenac Brown.
Colour is reddish purple, giving its age away. Has a nice aromatic nose, with plums and plenty of mature oak. On the palate this wine is delicately balanced, with tannins well dissolved at this stage and the red fruits still showing well.
At 18 years of age this wine is still showing magnificently. The balance and structure of the wine is simply amazing. (3175 views) | | | Tasted by pkatz on 10/13/2013 & rated 91 points: Good mature Cab. Drink up. (2278 views) | | | Tasted by jzduckhook on 3/25/2013 & rated 90 points: Still drinking very well. Mellow, with few tannins, but still some smooth fruit flavors. (4706 views) | | | Tasted by Hsinchu on 8/1/2012 & rated 87 points: Good. A bit pass its prime, but still very drinkable. Color still good. (5101 views) | | | Tasted by gary1970 on 7/28/2012 & rated 97 points: Still holding up (4751 views) | | | Tasted by JonnyG on 7/22/2012 & rated 88 points: This is the first of the vintage that has made me worry I've held on too long. Notes of cassis, pepper and black cherries, but no ooomph. The previous several from the same case were remarkably fruit-forward, balanced and elegant. This one seemed worn out and never flourished. I am a huge fan and will hang on to recent tastings, blocking this one out, as I attached my remaining few gems. (4643 views) | | | Tasted by jts_brown on 5/4/2012 & rated 92 points: plenty of life in this wine. Smooth and full of red fruits. (2514 views) | | | Tasted by grossie on 7/14/2011 & rated 91 points: A pleasure to drink right now- shows a slightly charred quality, maybe some bell pepper or cedar, moderate fruit. Not luscious but not restrained. Tannins are mostly resolved, but this wine wasn't soft. I'm glad I held it, and I'm glad to have drunk it now. (4743 views) | | | Tasted by spiffdog on 12/24/2010 & rated 89 points: See prior note which holds except as follows. Nose of raw meat not as powerful this time. Slight hint of saccharin on the finish. This was enjoyable at the price point of $35. (3574 views) | | | Tasted by spiffdog on 10/21/2010 & rated 91 points: $35 on Winebid. This wine is in wonderful shape, plenty of stuffing left. Tight on day one, and clashed with pork chops. Lovely on day two after a night in the fridge. Powerful nose of raw meat. Good fruit, plum dominated. Good balance, no hard edges. Give it some air time. Would buy again. (3412 views) | | | Tasted by winepups on 9/29/2010 & rated 93 points: Tasted in comparison to the 1995 and 1995 Monte Bello. Far more simple and straight forwrd without hte complexity, but perfectly executed. (2693 views) | | | Tasted by rhodyjoe on 7/20/2010 & rated 89 points: Decanted for over 1 hour, lost most of it's fruit but was velvety smooth. Supple tannins lingered nicely. (2986 views) | | | Tasted by winepups on 6/21/2010 & rated 93 points: excellent, rich and smooth. Everything you'd expect, potentially at peak or close to it. consumed at father's day with Hawleys. (2882 views) | | | Tasted by cookie7 on 8/26/2009 & rated 91 points: Is it possible to buy a $20 CA Cab today that will age as well as this in 13 years - I doubt it. Anise on the nose. Light- to medium-bodied, soft tannins and just a hint of sweetness on the initial palate. (4020 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.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 |
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