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
Show more
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.7 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 300 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Somm David T on 12/22/2023 & rated 94 points: I have been writing about older Phelps Napa vintages until the cows come home. This started at 93 but when we had the back-half of our steak buffet (Porterhouse, NY & Ribeye) it blossomed. It is pure finesse, elegance, integration & evolution. These do not sing until they are 15-20 years old. Fruit & earth balance and elegance. Nothing that bites back. If you like this producer, you owe it to yourself to seek out a bottle with this kind of age in good vintages. This is somewhere around its peek. Make no mistake it is better than many $150 bottles I’ve opened. (346 views) | | | Tasted by Coleman on 8/13/2023 & rated 93 points: Great wine. Huge bouquet of dark fruits—black cherry, cassis, raspberry, and a hint of rose petals. Lush, long palate of black currant, blueberry, raspberry, hints of pencil lead. Tannins are present but in the background, smooth and supportive. (416 views) | | | Tasted by JoeDwine on 12/11/2022 & rated 93 points: With Beef Roast new potatoes …..
Very crumbly cork but,
Wow surprising for the regular bottling.
Lots of cassis and smooth with herbs creeping in and out.
Seems stable enough with good color to drink within 6 years. Impressive drinking like it’s only 12 years old.
Explosive graphite and minerals at the 3 hour mark.
Bumping the score up to 93 (818 views) | | | Tasted by Duce on 6/3/2021 & rated 93 points: Dark fruit, soft tannins, drink now (1673 views) | | | Tasted by rcurry on 12/5/2018: Tasting 12-2-18 with Jeff and Vicki. Liked very much. Smooth. (3023 views) | | | Tasted by Somm David T on 11/16/2018 & rated 93 points: The nose reveals, floral, ripe; blueberries blackberries, dark cherries, plum, boysenberries, strawberries and black raspberries. Limestone minerals, dry crush rocks, dark spice, sweet tarry notes, steeped tea, vanilla, some clove, a whiff of nutmeg, dark chocolate, saddle-wood to cedar, some black licorice, garrigue with blue flowers, violets and withering dark florals.
The body is medium full, round and lush. The tannins are around 80% resolved and still have some sticky tar. The structure, tension, length & balance have nearly come about to full evolution. Ripe; blueberries blackberries, dark cherries, plum, boysenberries, strawberries and black raspberries. Limestone minerals, dry crush rocks, dark spice, sweet tarry notes, steeped tea, vanilla, some clove, a whiff of nutmeg, dark chocolate, saddle-wood to cedar, some black licorice, garrigue, dry clay & top soil with blue flowers, violets and withering dark florals. The acidy is like a waterfall. The finish is ripe, elegant, well balanced, polished with powdery dry tannins on the long set. It’s finish is persistent for minutes. (2920 views) | | | Tasted by Somm David T on 8/18/2018 & rated 93 points: Each time I have a good year Phelps Napa Cabernet that is 15 years and older, I now find myself asking, why did I even bother buying their Insignia & Backus for three times the price? Because right now, this is so good, one has to wonder is it worth it? Not that older Insignias & Backus aren’t great but, are they worth three times the price?
On this nose, sweet, ruby, ripe; dark cherries, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, poached strawberries, blue fruits and a hint of cooked rhubarb. Dark chocolate, vanillin, cinnamon, clove, black cherry cola, sweet, rich black turned earth, crush red rocks, used leather, sweet tarry notes, stems, green dry herbs, volcanic minerals, limestone and fresh red & blue floral with violets.
The body is lush, ruby and full. Tannins 75% resolved, slightly tarry and a touch sticky. The length, structure, tension and balance are right at its peak. It so fresh and glides over the palate. Ruby, ripe; dark cherries, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, poached strawberries, blue fruits and a hint of cooked rhubarb. Dark chocolate, vanillin, cinnamon, clove, black cherry cola, eucalyptus, mint, sweet, sweet rich black turned earth, crush red rocks, used leather, stems, green dry herbs, volcanic minerals, limestone and fresh red floral and violets. The acidity is like a waterfall and perfectly executed. The long ruby, ripe, lush, elegant, floral fruit finish is incredible and lasts minutes. So good.
If you are drinking the Joseph Phelps Napa Cabernet in good vintages before 15 years, you are cheating yourself out of a very special experience! (3044 views) | | | Tasted by cupoverflowing1 on 1/10/2018 & rated 93 points: fabulous... PnP, no decant... really blossomed around 30-45 mins (3174 views) | | | Tasted by spectrumphoto on 12/20/2016 & rated 92 points: showing its age. Still elegant just softer. What a great wine this has been (3957 views) | | | Tasted by LARich on 10/26/2016 & rated 92 points: Delicious medium bodied classic Napa cab. Drinking beautifully now and has plenty of life left. Tannins well integrated and smooth. Easy to enjoy (3095 views) | | | Tasted by Cliff Booth on 5/21/2016 & rated 93 points: PnP. Perfect cherry color - mild cherry and raspberry aromas. Full-bodied, rich, resolved, fruit forward with raspberry, currant, vanilla, cassis and cocoa elements - well-delineated notes with a rather narrow finish. A classic CA Cabernet that could have gone another 10 years. (3704 views) | | | Tasted by Lazerlar on 5/1/2016 & rated 94 points: Just a beautiful wine. Decanted and returned to bottle and enjoyed by all in the family. Age has started to change it with the introduction of some secondary flavors creating a more smooth and balanced bottle. Significantly improved from 1 1/2 years ago. Purchaed upon release and stored in good conditions. (3514 views) | | | Tasted by OCWino on 3/21/2016 & rated 94 points: Oh my! Opened, allowed to breathe, not decanted. Rich, full-bodied cab on a par with a well classified Bordeaux. Silky tannins under solid black currant, blueberry and plum fruit. Well integrated and still a great drink. Has aged better than an '02 would otherwise indicate. Regret having only a single bottle remaining. Kept at 55 to 57 under proper conditions. (3434 views) | | | Tasted by hrazdiiv on 2/16/2016 & rated 91 points: Perhaps I am being a touch harder on this bottle than I would an ordinary cab, but I have such high regard for the JP Insignia that I thought some of its pedigree would rub off on this wine; however that was not the case. But it is a fine bottle of Cali Cab. The colour was medium dark, consistent with the findings of most other reviewers which said it was at/approaching peak. There were some great floral notes with a nice sweet tannin backbone and some sharper espresso notes that added some nice symmetry. But overall, finish was just so-so as was the complexity. For the money, its a very reliable bottle, but I don't think the structure is there to make it any better in the coming years. (2322 views) | | | Tasted by ronw441 on 1/3/2016 & rated 87 points: Given to us by Keith Triebwasser. Cork was crumbling, but after breathing, wine was rich and full bodied. I gave it an 87. (2124 views) | | | Tasted by wino3002 on 1/2/2016 & rated 91 points: It smells like prune, dust, apple and stoniness. Moderate sediment. Past prime by still interesting and delicious. (1616 views) | | | Tasted by AllRed on 8/2/2015 & rated 90 points: Second Sunday Group: 2002 Napa Cabernets (Our house): Aromas of perfumed florals- lavender and violets- over plum, black currants and red fruit. Plummy dark fruit on the palate leads to vanilla, mint and red fruit. Tannins are soft and fine. 90-91 pts.
My #5, Domino's #6
Group #7, 58 pts (2719 views) | | | Tasted by OCWino on 6/23/2015 & rated 92 points: Lovely Napa cab with appropriate age on it. Just like a second growth left bank bordeaux. Solid cassis and red fruit over silky integrated tannins. Grateful I have a few bottles left. Note: cellared at 56 degrees since purchase if that makes a difference to you. (2074 views) | | | Tasted by kristinefinlay on 5/17/2015 & rated 92 points: Was concerned about whether this would still be good, but it was surprisingly fresh with excellent color, very smooth and a perfect wine to celebrate a special evening. (1987 views) | | | Tasted by AlexHop on 3/23/2015 & rated 91 points: beautiful. Drinking great right now. (2019 views) | | | Tasted by irish95 on 3/21/2015 & rated 95 points: Wow. Expected to be past its prime, but this was absolutely singing. Didn't taste like a fruity Napa Cab. Gorgeous balance. (2016 views) | | | Tasted by dsimmons on 10/13/2014 & rated 94 points: My last of these and unquestionably the best bottle of this wine. The color is inky garnet. On the nose this wine is graphite, vanilla and floral. The palate sports a beautifully integrated and balanced wine with lots of dark fruits, blackberry, cherry, pepper and little bits of licorice, earth and graphite. Although this wine is drinking beautifully IMHO it can be enjoyed for at least another 3-5 years. The wine has shown a major jump in quality during the 15 months since my last bottle. Exceptional for this price point. Wish I had more. (3769 views) | | | Tasted by ctmilner on 7/12/2014 & rated 91 points: Drink up; still nice but won't last much longer (2791 views) | | | Tasted by tederf on 6/11/2014 & rated 88 points: I agree with other comments that this has passed its peak. Not a lot of fruit left but still enjoyable. Tannins very soft now. (2823 views) | | | Tasted by norsktorsk on 6/4/2014 & rated 90 points: Still hanging on but there is some off flavor like asparagus. (2802 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 |
|
