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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.3 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 20 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by 1gst3r on 12/30/2023: amazing (193 views) | | | Tasted by Vineyard Boy on 6/19/2022 & rated 96 points: Better after a 2 hour decant (960 views) | | | Tasted by jzebrack on 6/18/2017 & rated 94 points: was afraid to decant before serving, as was worried that it might die on the vine soon after opening.
It didn't. We opened and I took a taste, and decided to wait a few minutes. Within just a few minutes, it was fine.
Very elegant and distinctive. Great, powerful smell, and a very long finish. Definitely still OK to drink (4012 views) | | | Tasted by shiel on 11/23/2013 & rated 95 points: Beautiful deep purple; complex nose; tannins well balanced; great fruit; exotic wine (7355 views) | | | Tasted by AlexHop on 9/16/2012 & rated 94 points: Surprisingly great- I was expecting the 2000 to be o ly ok. Nice nose, but the flavors are intense, huge fruit. Red berries and complex fruit bowl. Long complex finish. (8138 views) | | | Tasted by Porchino on 11/28/2011 & rated 86 points: had this an atlanta light a real dissapointment terrible year but still.. (8631 views) | | | Tasted by traxxx on 4/30/2011 & rated 89 points: dusty smokey nose with raspberries and plums on palate..integrated tannins..not the power I expected but more subdued..popped and poured and drank well through dinner. will decant next bottle for few hours and hope for a little more from it (8556 views) | | | Tasted by jreis on 10/19/2010: Rich dusty plums, white pepper, tobacco and dark earth on the nose. Smooth palate with tannins fully integrated. Drinking at that beautiful place between primary and secondary. No loss of power, but all the harsh edges have been rounded off. (6443 views) | | | Tasted by Susanville43 on 12/6/2009 & rated 90 points: Had at dinner after running the CA Int'l Marathon. So I was too tired to take formal notes but enjoyed the wine very much. Glad to have had it now as it seems to be on the other side of its "peak" if you believe in that kind of thing. (4264 views) | | | Tasted by Phin on 11/5/2009 & rated 94 points: Wow, wouldn't know that the vintage was weak from this wine. Black fruit, hint of sweet plum. Very smooth medium + body wiht blanket of layered fruit. Awesome mid palate but finishes a little short... (3439 views) | | | Tasted by jeffm_fla on 10/6/2008 & rated 93 points: Very ripe Phelps style. Well balanced, smooth tannins. A really nice glass of wine. (1943 views) | | | Tasted by rjonwine@gmail.com on 1/23/2004 & rated 85 points: Coffee and berry nose; thin, coffee, berry palate, with soft tannins; medium finish (2650 views) |
| By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2002, IWC Issue #102
(Joseph Phelps Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (1/23/2004)
(Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard) Coffee and berry nose; thin, coffee, berry palate, with soft tannins; medium finish 85 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and RJonWine.com. (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)Oakville |
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