1978 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard

Community Tasting Notes (18) Avg Score: 95.3 points

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  6/29/2020 - Cailles wrote: 95 Points

  This is a beautifully aged Napa Cab still going strong at the age of 42 years. High complexity with good precision as the highlights but this evening it clearly got outshined by the Dominus 1994 which had more of everything and the better, rounder structure and balance and showed a bit less on the sweet side. Still, it was a privilege to taste this old beauty but my guess is, this will improve further over the next 10 years.
  
  TN: Intense bouquet with balsamico notes, leather, fresh herbs and red fruit. Some heat on the nose which was distracting from the underlying beauty. The palate shows sweet, mostly red fruit, great nutty aromas, herbs and with time some caramel notes. Not as aristocratic and bordeauesque and complex as the Dominus 1994 we had the same night but still a great wine, even though the structure still had some edges. Medium+ length.
  
  Decanting: A short decant should do the job.

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  5/13/2020 - sirpat00 wrote: 96 Points

  Tasted blind. There is depth and tension with a basket of dried mushrooms, black truffles, dried tea leaves, dried tobacco leaves and mineral notes. But there are also still traces of sweet notes and sufficient fruit. Over time in the glass an avalanche of cigar box aromas erupting right at you. Incredibly fresh and fruity on the palate given the age with Bordeaux-like elegance. That said, the structure around the acidity is weakening. I think a 96 score is definitely deserved just simply given how well this 1978 Napa has aged! But if you focus purely on pleasure this would probably me more in the 93-94 range.

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  12/6/2018 - clayfu wrote:

  wow wow wow!!! this wine is a pinnacle example of aged Napa Cab. It's to me drinking at peak, it's a dense wine but showing it's aging grace, filled with sweet earth, springy bright red fruit exploding out on the nose. The palate is concentrated and persistent. There's a richness of beautiful elegant red fruit and a bloom of spices and chilling acidity. F A mint streak intensified the cooling aspect of the wine. A wine of 40+ years it is still vibrant and alluring
  
  I repeat. wow

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  12/22/2017 - TheEngineer wrote: 99 Points

  Wow, one of the top wines that I've ever drank. Period. Mature and arriving in such style and grace. Fruit is dried but still ripe and more than that, the balance with the structure, nice complexity, along with the lingering elegant finish that stays on the breath as well as the memory.

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  12/3/2016 - Dave Canada wrote: 95 Points

  The Fifteenth Annual Stonefields Wine Tasting Dinner for Charity (Guelph, Ontario, Canada): Nose of powerful sweet cassis, leather, cedar and black fruit.
  Palate is loaded with complexity....earth, moss, cedar, leather, black cherry, cassis, flowers and minerals. There is a great balance between to the primary fruit and tertiary complexity.
  Finish is long and layered...such a great wine.

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View all 18 Community Tasting Notes

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