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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 88.6 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 8 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by LHB on 11/24/2022 & rated 92 points: Now almost 30 years old, this treasure was sound of nose, red rim with faintest garnet, smooth, long finish, complex fruit/wood notes. Cork was excellent. Stored 55 degrees since purchase.
A great wine. (280 views) | | | Tasted by retired_and_roving on 4/25/2018: Final bottle from a purchase made at the winery in 2016. Decanted for 3-4 hours to see if this would come to life. Nose is a old leather and forest floor a bit on the musty side. This is just over the hill for much drinking pleasure. Not sure this wine was built to age for 25 years. (1004 views) | | | Tasted by tomoem on 11/26/2016 & rated 93 points: Forest floor, bark, and cooked cherries dominate the flavor profile. The wine is incredibly smooth with a velvety mouthfeel which is drenched with exotic sweet prunes, cherries and some many other sensations. I love older wines and this hit the mark for me. Sure possibly past there prime but these fruit flavors are dense and have a graceful age which reminds me of 50 year old sherry. (1456 views) | | | Tasted by retired_and_roving on 6/3/2016: 2nd try at these older bottles of Mistral purchased last year during a tasting at Phelps. Similar to last time, cork disintegrated around the cork screw (needed a Durand for this one) and ultimately had to push cork inside of bottle. As per advice from previous taster decanted for about 90 minutes prior to tasting. The decanting helped and the wine was better than last time, but in our opinion still way past its prime. Nose smelled of stewed fruits. On the palate acid, leather, musty leaves and stewed fruits. Okay for a small tasting glass, but neither of us wanted to go back for more. (1464 views) | | | Tasted by Bottledrainer on 9/7/2015 & rated 91 points: Luckily this bottle was cellared properly. The cork was intact and still moist with no leakage. It needed time (2 hours) to open up from 22 years in confinement. Not much fruit on the nose - mostly cedar and graphite. Still has velvety mouthfeel with a nice finish. A bit past prime but still tasting well. (1861 views) | | | Tasted by retired_and_roving on 8/30/2015: Cork crumbled on opening - had to strain wine into decanter. The nose smells of stewed fruits and color is leaning to reddish brown. Unfortunately this seems well passed its prime. Tastes of stewed fruit and must, not much holding it together. Let breathe for 1 hour did not improve - dumped the rest down the sink. Bought this last week at the winery, where friends had arranged a tasting. We mentioned that our last visit was in the 90's and we had enjoyed the wine. They don"t make it anymore and have not in 15 years. They did have some 93's in the library for sale so we took a chance and bought three. Oh well! (1509 views) | | | Tasted by PSirah Tampa on 2/24/2014 & rated 92 points: Time has served this bottle well- Grenache at it's best. Great form! At it's prime. (1318 views) | | | Tasted by PDavisMarble on 10/17/2009 & rated 75 points: Found a forgotten bottle in the cellar. Cork had not leaked but disintegrated on pulling. Had to filter through a coffee filter. Distinct alcoholic nose, though not taste. Immediate overtones of bourbon vanilla, red currant and cherry. Did improve as it opened, but a touch too cherry / cough syrup for our taste -- clearly over the hill. (1724 views) |
| 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.Red Rhone Blend Read about the different grapes used to produce red and white Rhone wines
On CellarTracker, Red Rhone Blend is the term for a wine consisting of two or more of the traditional 13 Southern Rhone grape varieties. Typically it's the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre or Cinsault grapes, but can also contain the Muscardin, Counoise, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Picpoul, Roussanne, Terret Noir, Picardan or Vaccarese grapes.
A 'food' wine. Lacking pretension and intended for local consumption with local cuisine. Lacks the 'high' notes on a Bordeaux, more earthy and sharper so often a better partner to meat dishes with a sauce. 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 Central Coasthttp://www.ccwinegrowers.org/links.html
http://www.discovercaliforniawines.com/regional-wine-organizations/
http://beveragetradenetwork.com/en/btn-academy/list-of-winegrowers-association-in-central-coast-california-274.htm
Central Coast AVA WikipediaMonterey County Monterey Wines (Monterey County Vintners & Growers Association) |
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