2002 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard

Community Tasting Notes (47) Avg Score: 95.1 points

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  11/12/2023 - pmarlo Likes this wine: 96 Points

  11/12/23-Bottle 02538. Cork broke in half but sealed still. Faint bouquet. No fruit and mostly alcohol. Hoping it needs air. Now open about 3 hours and fruit is showing up. The alcohol still there but fruit is balancing it so it is less noticeable. Wine lighter at rim of glass. Now 5+ hours and fruit has swam up to the surface. Not a lot but it's there and nice. Tart and there is acid but dialed down. Was expecting other flavors to be present from aging but its at the moment a onenote wine. Maybe a 92 for me.
  Day two. Fruit has stepped forward big time. Taste is sort of cherry, a flavor I usually get from pinot. This is not a pinot. The fruit, which was close to nonexistent yesterday, is front and center today. So nice. Also some other flavors of soil and something earth and organic soil or moss. The greatness of this wine showed up. Revising to 95.
  On the third day it rose. The purity of the fruit now is astounding. This wine was not a repeat of my last bottle in 2019. Among the best cabs I have ever had. And I was ready to write it off on day one. There is fruit in abundance but another flavor profile that I can't define. Is it soil or the unique site signature? Either way, compelling wine on the third day. I have no idea how much longer this will last. CT users indicate 2025 end date. My two times having this felt like I had two different wines show up. Further aging depends on which of these two show up. I know nothing about the pedigree of this site, or even if there is a Backus vineyard. A great wine, a great experience. If I recall, I originally bought this to have companions to the 2002 Insignia, which at that time was the wine of the year, a lucky find for me. Pricing will prevent me from ever having another. But glad I had it in the first place.

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  8/30/2023 - Bordeaux_Jon Does not like this wine: 91 Points

  Not my cup of tea, but many a dinner loved it. So much oak even at age 21. My palate has moved to Burgundy of the non-Parkerized variety so this wine is too much for me. It’s hard to believe this wine is French oak, given the preponderance of vanilla and dill. There is fruit but the oak dominates. I wish Napa wines scaled back on the new oak and made a balanced drink. If you like being hit on the head by an oak stave while drinking then this is a wine for you. For whatever reason, perhaps the Bordeaux blending, I always prefer Insignia to Backus and 2002 is no exception.

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  8/19/2023 - pdicorpo Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Phenomenal! Perfectly aged - still robust but with a smooth finish. Love this and wish I had more...

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  3/16/2022 - bubbachumps wrote: 95 Points

  Covolo's 2002 Napa Cab tasting (Casa Covolo): Started off with a simple nose, notes of cassis, and dark berry. On the palate, well integrated, with some spice and a tad bit of grainy tannins on the finish. This showed the biggest improvement over the evening, the palate became silkier as the night went on the nose continued to open and become more complex. Finished 4 of 8 in tasting of 2002 Napa cabs, but was my 3 of 8.

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  7/25/2021 - drinknick31 Likes this wine: 97 Points

  After 2 Hr. open bottle the nose is wonderful kind of loamy earthy with a touch of spice. Clean and smooth on the front pallet. Not a lot of astringency. Excellent smooth finish. Absolutely ready to pnp now. Put in a decanter for 4 more hours in the cellar and took it out and served with a rib eye.

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