Double decanted for 3 min and started consuming about 2 hours later. I have had several vintages of this wine and never before the 2005.
The wine shows very little age and no bricks, body is close to full body, firm tannins and acidity. Dark notes, a bit linear for it age. I was expecting a touch more but when it cuts through some fat it gets much better. I guess a fatty meat will help, I had it with Seabass so not the best pairing.
Maybe the peak for this one is on the rear mirror. Drink up but no rush either…
Very nice but needs 3-5 more years in the cellar. Balanced and pure, tannins are still pronounced and a bit bitter. Long finish. Great wine but I would give it more cellar time.
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I Guess I Just Don’t Get It (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida): I like that instead of a monolithic fruit lollipop there’s a sense of dirt. Clean dirt but anything to interrupt the parade of Fruit Loops in this series is welcome. In addition, it actually improved with air.
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Slightly hazy deep purple. Clean nose of medium plus intensity with aromas of prunes, blackberries, bramble, cedar, leather and farmyard. The wine is fully developed. On the Pitt is dry with medium plus acidity, very fine medium plus tannins, medium alcohol, medium plus body, pronounced flavor intensity of toast, tar, dried cherries, dark chocolate, leather. The finish is long. Very good wine, in it’s prime now or can be aged further.
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Wow. I remember tasting this out of the barrel years ago at JP and it was able to keep the strong notes of minerality, soften the cab cherry fruit, and balance the oak. Tannins were luscious and such a velvety texture with a nice hint of forest floor on the finish.
Has become my favorite wine to date. Absolutely loved this wine and the deep color.
Deep, gorgeous midnight purple with light violet edges. Deep blackberry and bramble notes on the nose. Strong, spicy wood with smooth blackberry notes and vanilla at the tail end.
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Color is medium intensity garnet. Medium-plus intensity on the nose. Aroma notes of blackcurrent and black cherry, spice box from the French oak, “Oakville dust,” truffle and forest floor. Palate matches the nose. Medium-plus body; low acidity; medium-plus tannins; medium-plus length. This is clearly a new-world wine. You’d never mistake it for a Bordeaux. It’s very solid, with great backbone and aging potential. It’s drinking fine now, but with plenty of years left, and will likely improve. Incidentally, I came back and edited my note after enjoying the wine over two hours. Plan a decant of 90 minutes or more. Time in the decanter improved this wine significantly.
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This wine is at it's peak. good cab fruit on the nose with some cedar and pencil shavings on the finish. not super long. so I suggest drinking sooner than later. reminds me of a Bourdeax from the Medoc. beautiful integration of fruit and the tannins are very soft.
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BIG evolution over the past 18 months. This wine is one of those strange cabs that sit backward for a decade and then peak in a few months suddenly. I love the stage this wine is at now. Nicely balanced between big ripe fruit with some secondary nuances. Terroir is also evident those mostly melded with the forest floor funk that just developing now. Excellent wine.
I would not have known or have described this as being disappointing - if it were not for the other reviews.
This wine was delicious - but felt like a watered down jam - rather than a big spoonful of fresh preserves.
It had a lot of dirt, vegetation and mushrooms with red fruit. However the finish was short and left you wondering if it needed more time. But through the evening it did not come to life. It definitely opened up and after 2 days seemed to loosen up completely in the bottle - but again, medium minus tannins and almost no finish at all.
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Disappointing wine. We decanted over two and a half hours, and while the wine started backward, linear tannins, tight red berry fruit and heat. We paired this wine with venison tartar with biltong shavings. That proved to be a terrible pairing as the iron of the game led to highlighting the aluminum flaw in the finish of the wine. After about 80 minutes, the wine went really dumb on the palate and showed mostly soapy fruit with an abundance of camphor on the back palate. Past two hours, the bouquet developed but the body remained mostly dumb. I get the sense that acidity was low. Mouthfeel is quite thin, almost like water. My pairing at two hours was an elk chop, which should have been perfect for a Napa Cab but this wine lacked the mid body fruit and structure to complement any red meat.
Strangely, this wine isn't showing any nuances of forest floor, truffle or mushroom that one would expect after nearly a decade in the bottle.
Fabulous expression of Phelps fruit and heritage. Dark fruit superbly balanced by earthy tones and silky tannins. Still a very youthful wine. Could have held on to it for another 10 years... but why? It was so good now.
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Expected a bit more out of this Backus. Still a decent, palatable wine, but only 11 years old, and not sure it could go much longer. Hints of fruit, overshadowed by leather and earth, without any depth. Brickish and clear at the edges. Not much on the palate beyond the immediate taste. Faded very fast, even with TLC. Can't see this going any longer. I wouldn't have sent this back in a restaurant, but would have questioned the Somm on storage & if this was typical of this vintage.
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Florals and raspberry cherry cola nose. Dark intensity and meaty on the palette. Tanins present but balanced. Slightly tart. Just still a big wine yet elegant. Cherry cola on the taste. Perfect with steak. Cassis tobacco. A masculine wine. Young if you want a more leather mushroom wine. Yet a perfect open for us tonight. Asian spice sweet soy. Dry.
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Great nose, tons of promise, but reality kicked in, no fruit (very muted), no finish at all, otherwise not bad but certainly not great. A long foul ball, kept hoping it would open and it just didn't.
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Thanksgiving dinner was a great wine night. SO Napa 1992, Shoket 2003 and Phelps Backus 2005. All wines were in good shape. Amazing Justin Meyer wine was still drinking well. Obviously not as complex as once was but good body, color and clarity. The fruit was still there, pleasant and enjoyable. Teh Showket had a little bit more to offer and the Backus was drinking really well.
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This 2005 release tasting was a bit closed and tight, at ten years old this has many years of life yet and may not even have reached its peak drinking window.
Dark inky garnet purple colored, smooth polished nicely balanced black berry and black raspberry fruits, tones of anise, tea and cedar turning to a hints of dark mocha on the long lingering silky smooth tannin finish.
Exceptional nose of cassis, sweet blackberry and red fruits! On the palate the tannins are very silky with notes of red fruits, leather, and graphite. Would have scored higher, but palate is muted compared to nose.
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WOTN, (the 2005 Alban Seymour's needed lots more air, but mostly just needs many more years of rest) and for good reason; this is very well-balanced and chock-full of complexity, with countless layers of red and black fruit that are constantly revealing hidden nuances and silken textures. Checks all the boxes a fine wine should, and avoids any suggestion of over-ripe or over-wrought. Elegant, but solidly built, too. The best has yet to come, I think, as tertiary development has yet to really take hold, but with just 2 hours in decanter this was showing brilliantly on the night. An absolute joy to drink. Thru 2027, highly recommended
Served non-blind.
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Caymus 2007 Napa and Back us 2005 with Christmas Dinner. Both are holding up well - good body, clarity and color. We drank the Caymus first which was dry with light fruit from start to finish. The backus was a little more round and had a deeper dark fruit content. Both very enjoyable.
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Short line: "a big boy with finesse." Giant Oakville cab nose on this that is appealing to say the least. It had just a touch of vegetal character at open, but left to grab some slow o for four hours, it burned off. Acidity is a great cutter here. I'm betting it will integrate better in late age, but I'm pretty sure that if you had a beef pairing, this would be outstanding as the acid cuts the fat. Big tannins if you hold the finish, but they're not unbearable. For the curious (me), totally drinkable and approachable.
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Oozes class and expensive oak on the palate with gobs of wood and tannin but its already well integrated, giving the wine a creamy texture, and plenty of vanilla extract. Good freshness. Hedonistic fruit. Should age well for at least a decade.
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-- popped and poured -- -- tasted a single pour, blind, over approx. 20 min. --
Black cherry Nose. Medium bodied. “Soft” palate: blackberry; typical; fine tannins. The reveal surprised me, as this didn’t really strike me as anything special at all.
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Opened and waited a couple hours. Nice nose as we allowed to open slowly, it presented well. Over the night, consumed with great enjoyment as blossomed nicely
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i thought it started a little tight and slightly sour at the start but after about 30 minutes it open oped quite nicely. This is a big cabernet . I personally prefer a softer wine but all in all it was a fun wine to drink and despite it brooding character didn't seem to take away from the meal but didn't put it all together either
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This was a pop and pour on the way to Chicago. It was a little closed down and didn't get much time to open with four participants. Dark powdered chocolate and ceder were prevalent but was multilayered and powerful. Very nice but wish I had the chance to have more.
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Backus vs. Insignia (Atheneum Intercontinental Hotel, Athens, Greece.): Less powerful than the 2004 but more etheral. Licorice, blackberry and cedar on the nose alongside the dark chocolate that is one of this wine's signature aromas. Full-bodied with less ripe fruit compared to the 2004, hence tannins and acidity are perceived as higher here. Aftertaste is long. This was the Bordeaux lovers' darling among the wines of this tasting.
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(Deals/Genka Gastronomy Fair, J. Phelps Backus & Insignia mini vertical, Intercontinental Hotel) This is a blend of 93% CS, 4% Petit VErdot, 3% Malbec, inox fermeting tanks, 24 months in oak, total produciton of 14.000 btl. Dense, gorgeous nose full of spices, peppers, toasted oak, vanilla, jammy but not in a heavy sense, mostly small stone fruits like plums. Massive in the palate, high acidity, ripe and poweful tannins, tight, rich but lacks some overall concentration, the alcohol gives a hot kiss, plum-my and green pepper aftertaste. A great wine but I think a step back from the 2004, at this point at least.
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Decanted 5+ hours. I felt this wine had a bit of a dour personality with dry woodsy/cedar aromatics and drying tannins that overwhelmed any supporting fruit characteristics. It was quite stern and hard to love. Some might like this style but for me it was out of balance and lacked the things I like most about Napa Cab. 14.5% alcohol.
Probably one of the biggest QPR busts I've ever experienced. Thankful I paid $79.99 on a closeout rather than the $225 (ouch!) this supposedly retails for. I like the style of the Insignias I've tasted much more than this.
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A real treat to have this wine along with '02, '05, '06, '07 and '08 Insignias. Incredibly exotic nose with notes of blackberry, cassis and loads of spice. Rich fruit in the mouth, consistent with the nose, but much more reserved than the nose. This benefit from more time in the bottle. Delicious!
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Pure from the pour. Quite nice. Great nose, legs, color in glass. An experience that is remarkable. Finishing tomorrow, can't wait as these mature once open like no other I have had. Awesome!!
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Popped on Fri, one small glass with the goal of finishing on Sun, Fathers Day as I have found they are best 2-3 days after opening!! Pleasant, but muted, a while to open. These Backus wines are very intresting as the couple of bottles I have consumed took DAYS to open properly. Finished bottle Sunday, opened quickly in glass, within 15 minutes, and quite a transformation. Great nose, finish, color. Not sure if these just need to age, or you have to decant for 3 days, but understanding now, you must decant or wait on these wines, but well worth it.
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Love this wine. Dark, dark garnet color. Very substantial bouquet of flower petals, sandalwood, touch of grapeseed, and pure red fruits. Very full, but not hot, mouthfeel. Finish is long, exceptional, very balanced. I could drink this forever. Glad I tasted blind so I didn't know what it cost or what it was until several weeks later - what a stunner. I agree this will easily hold another 5 years.
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--- COLOR: Opaque black-garnet, almost to the rim. NOTE: This is a beast and needs 5+ more years. I should have listened to other CT reviewers but oh well. Equivalent to the best Bordeaux I've had. Extremely structured and built to last 20 more years. That being said, I haven't met a Bordeaux that excited me (even first growths) so this was more of an academic exercise for me. The nose wafts 2 full feet out of the glass, but it's unyielding like the 2008 Kapcsandy. Full of pencil lead, granite, then boysenberry liqueur sneaks in before it's overwhelmed by the tar and tobacco. Faint heat but that doesn't show up anywhere else. At 5 hrs mouth is a bit more generous with the blackberry compote, camphor, medium glycerin, pencil lead. Finish is a fight between the minerals/pencil lead and fruit. Ultimately I just find a strong cherry tobacco note lingering.
Decanted for 2 hours. Didnt open up really until in the glass and given some attention. WHen it did, very nice. This is powerful CAB, and real nice experience. Should definitely be for special occasions.
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Decanted for 2 hours, consumed half, put the rest back in the cellar for tonight. Initially big, black fruit and some cedar. I know it got more mellow and complex because that's what I was told but my taste buds and nasal abilities started to disappear again due to the pneumonia. More after tonight.
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Nose of warm dirt, cassis, black cherry, licorice, pipe tobacco and vanilla. In the mouth, it hits every part of the palate. Near perfect balance, tannins are sweet and the finish is long! Pretty expensive, though.
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Dark purple. Intense liquorice, mint, dark berries and anise. Full-bodied, big but not over the top, with enough tanic structure and acidity to balance the big fruit and body and avoid flabbiness. Very sexy. Long finish. A spectacular wine.
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Had another great dinner at Hanna's RSM, CA. This was from my cellar. Dark inky ruby in colors. A nice nose of spices, meats, minerals. Really chewy and flavorfull on the tongue. Berries, currant, earthy and complex. A really great wine.
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nice nose, complex structure, integrated tannins, quite smooth for its youth, nice finish. blackberry cassis, dark purplish color. this wine actually drank even better over the next day such that decanting only adds to allowing this wine's potential to be fully appreciated.
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Genka Wine Fair: (tasting in gen.ka wine fair) This is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon with 24 months in new oak. Tasted after Insignia 2006. Gorgeous deep blue color. This was decanted for at least 2 hours. The nose was still a bit closed but you could smell how concentrated it was. Plums, blackberries, liquorice, blackpepper, coffee and chocolate. In the mouth it feels somehow hard with the tannins being quite strong still. The aftertaste is medium to long, with a lot of chocolate followed by sweet spices. This is another massive wine by Phelps. I think Insignia 06 compared to Backus 05 can be approached a few years earlier. This baby still needs 4-5 years in the bottle and then who knows? Maybe 20,25 even 30 years. Excellent (210€)
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Deep, complex and smooth. this young wine is soft, but balanced, with a nose of violet, cassis, and brown spice. The mouthfeel is velvety smooth with rich blackberry and cassis, hints of sage and tobacco, and vanilla oak. The finish is long and silky.
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5/5/2023 - gteran76 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Double decanted for 3 min and started consuming about 2 hours later. I have had several vintages of this wine and never before the 2005.
The wine shows very little age and no bricks, body is close to full body, firm tannins and acidity. Dark notes, a bit linear for it age. I was expecting a touch more but when it cuts through some fat it gets much better. I guess a fatty meat will help, I had it with Seabass so not the best pairing.
Maybe the peak for this one is on the rear mirror. Drink up but no rush either…
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4/6/2021 - gossba Likes this wine: 93 Points
Mild cocoa and earthy tones on back. Not as much fruit as I had hoped. Drink now.
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6/27/2020 - ralaspech wrote: 92 Points
Note from memory--very good cabernet but to me didn't have the complexity to justify the price. Shared with Lisa and Claire.
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5/16/2020 - DWStyle wrote: 94 Points
Very nice but needs 3-5 more years in the cellar. Balanced and pure, tannins are still pronounced and a bit bitter. Long finish. Great wine but I would give it more cellar time.
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2/4/2020 - sdr wrote: 90 Points
I Guess I Just Don’t Get It (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida): I like that instead of a monolithic fruit lollipop there’s a sense of dirt. Clean dirt but anything to interrupt the parade of Fruit Loops in this series is welcome. In addition, it actually improved with air.
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9/28/2019 - alohaboys Likes this wine: 94 Points
Bought as a relative novice and thought after 9 years let’s try. Decided my palate had good taste in past. Bday gift to myself
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4/27/2019 - vpoms wrote: 93 Points
Slightly hazy deep purple. Clean nose of medium plus intensity with aromas of prunes, blackberries, bramble, cedar, leather and farmyard. The wine is fully developed. On the Pitt is dry with medium plus acidity, very fine medium plus tannins, medium alcohol, medium plus body, pronounced flavor intensity of toast, tar, dried cherries, dark chocolate, leather. The finish is long. Very good wine, in it’s prime now or can be aged further.
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5/28/2018 - ev3rthesame Likes this wine: 100 Points
Wow. I remember tasting this out of the barrel years ago at JP and it was able to keep the strong notes of minerality, soften the cab cherry fruit, and balance the oak. Tannins were luscious and such a velvety texture with a nice hint of forest floor on the finish.
Has become my favorite wine to date. Absolutely loved this wine and the deep color.
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5/12/2018 - GiWineDoc Likes this wine: 96 Points
Holy Hell thats a beautiful wine. Powerful nose. Jammy fruit shines throughout. 60-90 minute decant.
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4/28/2018 - TexasBob Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep, gorgeous midnight purple with light violet edges. Deep blackberry and bramble notes on the nose. Strong, spicy wood with smooth blackberry notes and vanilla at the tail end.
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1/21/2018 - James B Likes this wine: 94 Points
Color is medium intensity garnet. Medium-plus intensity on the nose. Aroma notes of blackcurrent and black cherry, spice box from the French oak, “Oakville dust,” truffle and forest floor. Palate matches the nose. Medium-plus body; low acidity; medium-plus tannins; medium-plus length. This is clearly a new-world wine. You’d never mistake it for a Bordeaux. It’s very solid, with great backbone and aging potential. It’s drinking fine now, but with plenty of years left, and will likely improve. Incidentally, I came back and edited my note after enjoying the wine over two hours. Plan a decant of 90 minutes or more. Time in the decanter improved this wine significantly.
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10/27/2017 - soyhead wrote:
tasted blind
nose - musky, orange peel, coconut
mouth - rich, complex fruit, good balance, dark licorice
i guessed 97 napa
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10/27/2017 - Dr. Claret Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine is at it's peak. good cab fruit on the nose with some cedar and pencil shavings on the finish. not super long. so I suggest drinking sooner than later. reminds me of a Bourdeax from the Medoc. beautiful integration of fruit and the tannins are very soft.
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8/27/2017 - IGN WINESNOB Likes this wine: 94 Points
Really smooth from the start. Great legs, nose and finish. Impressive.
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8/15/2017 - Rick 4 Wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
BIG evolution over the past 18 months. This wine is one of those strange cabs that sit backward for a decade and then peak in a few months suddenly. I love the stage this wine is at now. Nicely balanced between big ripe fruit with some secondary nuances. Terroir is also evident those mostly melded with the forest floor funk that just developing now. Excellent wine.
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4/26/2017 - HueBreCellars Likes this wine: 90 Points
I would not have known or have described this as being disappointing - if it were not for the other reviews.
This wine was delicious - but felt like a watered down jam - rather than a big spoonful of fresh preserves.
It had a lot of dirt, vegetation and mushrooms with red fruit. However the finish was short and left you wondering if it needed more time. But through the evening it did not come to life. It definitely opened up and after 2 days seemed to loosen up completely in the bottle - but again, medium minus tannins and almost no finish at all.
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11/19/2016 - Rick 4 Wine wrote: 90 Points
Disappointing wine. We decanted over two and a half hours, and while the wine started backward, linear tannins, tight red berry fruit and heat. We paired this wine with venison tartar with biltong shavings. That proved to be a terrible pairing as the iron of the game led to highlighting the aluminum flaw in the finish of the wine. After about 80 minutes, the wine went really dumb on the palate and showed mostly soapy fruit with an abundance of camphor on the back palate. Past two hours, the bouquet developed but the body remained mostly dumb. I get the sense that acidity was low. Mouthfeel is quite thin, almost like water. My pairing at two hours was an elk chop, which should have been perfect for a Napa Cab but this wine lacked the mid body fruit and structure to complement any red meat.
Strangely, this wine isn't showing any nuances of forest floor, truffle or mushroom that one would expect after nearly a decade in the bottle.
QPR is awful for this wine.
All in, quite disappointing.
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10/25/2016 - IGN WINESNOB Likes this wine: 91 Points
Good, not great. Will see day 2 how it holds up.
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9/24/2016 - GFWeaver Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fabulous expression of Phelps fruit and heritage. Dark fruit superbly balanced by earthy tones and silky tannins. Still a very youthful wine. Could have held on to it for another 10 years... but why? It was so good now.
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9/11/2016 - StarM wrote: 91 Points
Expected a bit more out of this Backus. Still a decent, palatable wine, but only 11 years old, and not sure it could go much longer. Hints of fruit, overshadowed by leather and earth, without any depth. Brickish and clear at the edges. Not much on the palate beyond the immediate taste. Faded very fast, even with TLC. Can't see this going any longer. I wouldn't have sent this back in a restaurant, but would have questioned the Somm on storage & if this was typical of this vintage.
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4/15/2016 - pugblanc wrote: 92 Points
Florals and raspberry cherry cola nose. Dark intensity and meaty on the palette. Tanins present but balanced. Slightly tart. Just still a big wine yet elegant. Cherry cola on the taste. Perfect with steak. Cassis tobacco. A masculine wine. Young if you want a more leather mushroom wine. Yet a perfect open for us tonight. Asian spice sweet soy. Dry.
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1/30/2016 - afu wrote: 88 Points
Great nose, tons of promise, but reality kicked in, no fruit (very muted), no finish at all, otherwise not bad but certainly not great. A long foul ball, kept hoping it would open and it just didn't.
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12/1/2015 - bryon m wrote: 93 Points
Thanksgiving dinner was a great wine night. SO Napa 1992, Shoket 2003 and Phelps Backus 2005. All wines were in good shape. Amazing Justin Meyer wine was still drinking well. Obviously not as complex as once was but good body, color and clarity. The fruit was still there, pleasant and enjoyable. Teh Showket had a little bit more to offer and the Backus was drinking really well.
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10/3/2015 - rmcnees wrote: 93 Points
This 2005 release tasting was a bit closed and tight, at ten years old this has many years of life yet and may not even have reached its peak drinking window.
Dark inky garnet purple colored, smooth polished nicely balanced black berry and black raspberry fruits, tones of anise, tea and cedar turning to a hints of dark mocha on the long lingering silky smooth tannin finish.
http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/10/gala-celebration-dinner-features-phelps.html
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9/12/2015 - WineWheelz Likes this wine: 94 Points
Exceptional nose of cassis, sweet blackberry and red fruits! On the palate the tannins are very silky with notes of red fruits, leather, and graphite. Would have scored higher, but palate is muted compared to nose.
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4/4/2015 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
WOTN, (the 2005 Alban Seymour's needed lots more air, but mostly just needs many more years of rest) and for good reason; this is very well-balanced and chock-full of complexity, with countless layers of red and black fruit that are constantly revealing hidden nuances and silken textures. Checks all the boxes a fine wine should, and avoids any suggestion of over-ripe or over-wrought. Elegant, but solidly built, too. The best has yet to come, I think, as tertiary development has yet to really take hold, but with just 2 hours in decanter this was showing brilliantly on the night. An absolute joy to drink. Thru 2027, highly recommended
Served non-blind.
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1/5/2015 - bryon m wrote: 92 Points
Caymus 2007 Napa and Back us 2005 with Christmas Dinner. Both are holding up well - good body, clarity and color. We drank the Caymus first which was dry with light fruit from start to finish. The backus was a little more round and had a deeper dark fruit content. Both very enjoyable.
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5/3/2014 - mrmedoes Likes this wine: 94 Points
Short line: "a big boy with finesse." Giant Oakville cab nose on this that is appealing to say the least. It had just a touch of vegetal character at open, but left to grab some slow o for four hours, it burned off. Acidity is a great cutter here. I'm betting it will integrate better in late age, but I'm pretty sure that if you had a beef pairing, this would be outstanding as the acid cuts the fat. Big tannins if you hold the finish, but they're not unbearable. For the curious (me), totally drinkable and approachable.
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4/4/2014 - Robert Pavlovich Likes this wine:
Oozes class and expensive oak on the palate with gobs of wood and tannin but its already well integrated, giving the wine a creamy texture, and plenty of vanilla extract. Good freshness. Hedonistic fruit. Should age well for at least a decade.
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3/29/2014 - grafstrb wrote:
-- popped and poured --
-- tasted a single pour, blind, over approx. 20 min. --
Black cherry Nose. Medium bodied. “Soft” palate: blackberry; typical; fine tannins. The reveal surprised me, as this didn’t really strike me as anything special at all.
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1/11/2014 - Tim Heaton wrote: flawed
TCA, bummer.
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12/14/2013 - rhanke wrote: 92 Points
nice aroma, great balance
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12/6/2013 - Badgermitch wrote: 93 Points
3 hour decant. Big Cali cab, but beautiful with the decant. Wotn
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11/17/2013 - IGN WINESNOB Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened and waited a couple hours. Nice nose as we allowed to open slowly, it presented well. Over the night, consumed with great enjoyment as blossomed nicely
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10/5/2013 - IGN WINESNOB Likes this wine: 94 Points
Great from pop and v'd. Nice nose from start. Opened slowly, but when it did presented well. Day two, slower open, but great as well.
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5/30/2013 - bobwire wrote: 93 Points
i thought it started a little tight and slightly sour at the start but after about 30 minutes it open oped quite nicely.
This is a big cabernet . I personally prefer a softer wine but all in all it was a fun wine to drink and despite it brooding character didn't seem to take away from the meal but didn't put it all together either
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5/2/2013 - Thirsty1 Likes this wine:
This was a pop and pour on the way to Chicago. It was a little closed down and didn't get much time to open with four participants. Dark powdered chocolate and ceder were prevalent but was multilayered and powerful. Very nice but wish I had the chance to have more.
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4/15/2013 - Yiannis wrote: 95 Points
Backus vs. Insignia (Atheneum Intercontinental Hotel, Athens, Greece.): Less powerful than the 2004 but more etheral. Licorice, blackberry and cedar on the nose alongside the dark chocolate that is one of this wine's signature aromas. Full-bodied with less ripe fruit compared to the 2004, hence tannins and acidity are perceived as higher here. Aftertaste is long. This was the Bordeaux lovers' darling among the wines of this tasting.
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4/14/2013 - kostaslonis wrote: 94 Points
(Deals/Genka Gastronomy Fair, J. Phelps Backus & Insignia mini vertical, Intercontinental Hotel)
This is a blend of 93% CS, 4% Petit VErdot, 3% Malbec, inox fermeting tanks, 24 months in oak, total produciton of 14.000 btl.
Dense, gorgeous nose full of spices, peppers, toasted oak, vanilla, jammy but not in a heavy sense, mostly small stone fruits like plums.
Massive in the palate, high acidity, ripe and poweful tannins, tight, rich but lacks some overall concentration, the alcohol gives a hot kiss, plum-my and green pepper aftertaste. A great wine but I think a step back from the 2004, at this point at least.
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1/26/2013 - harish wrote: 93 Points
very good very smooth. i would love to buy again
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1/1/2013 - RobertDwyer Does not like this wine: 87 Points
Decanted 5+ hours. I felt this wine had a bit of a dour personality with dry woodsy/cedar aromatics and drying tannins that overwhelmed any supporting fruit characteristics. It was quite stern and hard to love. Some might like this style but for me it was out of balance and lacked the things I like most about Napa Cab. 14.5% alcohol.
Probably one of the biggest QPR busts I've ever experienced. Thankful I paid $79.99 on a closeout rather than the $225 (ouch!) this supposedly retails for. I like the style of the Insignias I've tasted much more than this.
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11/10/2012 - bubbachumps wrote: 94 Points
A real treat to have this wine along with '02, '05, '06, '07 and '08 Insignias. Incredibly exotic nose with notes of blackberry, cassis and loads of spice. Rich fruit in the mouth, consistent with the nose, but much more reserved than the nose. This benefit from more time in the bottle. Delicious!
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10/29/2012 - IGN WINESNOB wrote: 96 Points
Pure from the pour. Quite nice. Great nose, legs, color in glass. An experience that is remarkable. Finishing tomorrow, can't wait as these mature once open like no other I have had. Awesome!!
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10/23/2012 - andycpa Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank with my Wife on her birthday at Flemings. The wine manager and chef manager love it. By far a spectacular Cab with Steak.
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10/12/2012 - Badgermitch wrote: 92 Points
Changed tremendously over a few hours. Needs time to open up. Big powerful Cab. should be better in time.
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6/17/2012 - IGN WINESNOB wrote: 93 Points
Popped on Fri, one small glass with the goal of finishing on Sun, Fathers Day as I have found they are best 2-3 days after opening!! Pleasant, but muted, a while to open. These Backus wines are very intresting as the couple of bottles I have consumed took DAYS to open properly. Finished bottle Sunday, opened quickly in glass, within 15 minutes, and quite a transformation. Great nose, finish, color. Not sure if these just need to age, or you have to decant for 3 days, but understanding now, you must decant or wait on these wines, but well worth it.
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2/15/2012 - JasonG Likes this wine: 94 Points
Love this wine. Dark, dark garnet color. Very substantial bouquet of flower petals, sandalwood, touch of grapeseed, and pure red fruits. Very full, but not hot, mouthfeel. Finish is long, exceptional, very balanced. I could drink this forever. Glad I tasted blind so I didn't know what it cost or what it was until several weeks later - what a stunner. I agree this will easily hold another 5 years.
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12/1/2011 - tp096255 wrote: 93 Points
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COLOR: Opaque black-garnet, almost to the rim.
NOTE: This is a beast and needs 5+ more years. I should have listened to other CT reviewers but oh well. Equivalent to the best Bordeaux I've had. Extremely structured and built to last 20 more years. That being said, I haven't met a Bordeaux that excited me (even first growths) so this was more of an academic exercise for me. The nose wafts 2 full feet out of the glass, but it's unyielding like the 2008 Kapcsandy. Full of pencil lead, granite, then boysenberry liqueur sneaks in before it's overwhelmed by the tar and tobacco. Faint heat but that doesn't show up anywhere else. At 5 hrs mouth is a bit more generous with the blackberry compote, camphor, medium glycerin, pencil lead. Finish is a fight between the minerals/pencil lead and fruit. Ultimately I just find a strong cherry tobacco note lingering.
DECANT: 1-8 hours
GLASS USED: Riedel Sommelier Bordeaux
TASTE: 9.3-
OTHER:
COST: 105
VALUE: 6.0
PREVIOUSLY TASTED: n/a
TRY AGAIN: 2016 - 2031
PAIRING: n/a
Inquiries can be addressed to troypeterson@usa.net
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11/19/2011 - IGN WINESNOB wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Didnt open up really until in the glass and given some attention. WHen it did, very nice. This is powerful CAB, and real nice experience. Should definitely be for special occasions.
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11/5/2011 - IGN WINESNOB wrote: 94 Points
Opened slowly, very nice nose and finish. Drank over two nights. Slightly better day 2. Really nice experience.
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10/8/2011 - lumpyelbow wrote:
Napa 2011; 10/6/2011-10/9/2011 (Napa Valley, California): Some meat and tobacco notes. Astounding.... 93% CS. 100% new French oak.
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9/19/2011 - CJM wrote: 91 Points
Delicious wine, but way too young. Hold this for another 5 years or so. The flavors are there, but hidden. This is a blockbuster and needs to time
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6/21/2011 - cos65 wrote:
More backward than either the '06 or '07 Insignias at this tasting. still dense napa fruit ****
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5/14/2011 - Lee Fining wrote: 92 Points
Excellent Napa cab with good fruit, excellent balance and the potential to lay down for 5-10 years
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4/18/2011 - drycab wrote:
Decanted for 2 hours, consumed half, put the rest back in the cellar for tonight. Initially big, black fruit and some cedar. I know it got more mellow and complex because that's what I was told but my taste buds and nasal abilities started to disappear again due to the pneumonia. More after tonight.
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2/20/2011 - jeffm_fla wrote:
Smells slightly corked, with muted, raisiny flavors. Probably a bad bottle. No score.
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10/20/2010 - Berno wrote: 94 Points
Nose of warm dirt, cassis, black cherry, licorice, pipe tobacco and vanilla. In the mouth, it hits every part of the palate. Near perfect balance, tannins are sweet and the finish is long! Pretty expensive, though.
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10/4/2010 - Yiannis wrote: 96 Points
Dark purple. Intense liquorice, mint, dark berries and anise. Full-bodied, big but not over the top, with enough tanic structure and acidity to balance the big fruit and body and avoid flabbiness. Very sexy. Long finish. A spectacular wine.
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5/29/2010 - ewineguy wrote: 92 Points
Had another great dinner at Hanna's RSM, CA. This was from my cellar. Dark inky ruby in colors. A nice nose of spices, meats, minerals. Really chewy and flavorfull on the tongue. Berries, currant, earthy and complex. A really great wine.
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5/16/2010 - bryon m wrote: 94 Points
Still drinking big. Best after 30 minutes of breathing. Great flavors able to age for another 10 years.
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12/13/2009 - dlinlaw wrote: 95 Points
nice nose, complex structure, integrated tannins, quite smooth for its youth, nice finish. blackberry cassis, dark purplish color. this wine actually drank even better over the next day such that decanting only adds to allowing this wine's potential to be fully appreciated.
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11/11/2009 - kostaslonis wrote: 95 Points
Genka Wine Fair: (tasting in gen.ka wine fair) This is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon with 24 months in new oak. Tasted after Insignia 2006. Gorgeous deep blue color. This was decanted for at least 2 hours. The nose was still a bit closed but you could smell how concentrated it was. Plums, blackberries, liquorice, blackpepper, coffee and chocolate. In the mouth it feels somehow hard with the tannins being quite strong still. The aftertaste is medium to long, with a lot of chocolate followed by sweet spices. This is another massive wine by Phelps. I think Insignia 06 compared to Backus 05 can be approached a few years earlier. This baby still needs 4-5 years in the bottle and then who knows? Maybe 20,25 even 30 years. Excellent (210€)
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11/26/2008 - mmyette wrote: 93 Points
Deep, complex and smooth. this young wine is soft, but balanced, with a nose of violet, cassis, and brown spice. The mouthfeel is velvety smooth with rich blackberry and cassis, hints of sage and tobacco, and vanilla oak. The finish is long and silky.
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