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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.2 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 17 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Burgnick on 9/6/2019 & rated 92 points: Mint, ecalyptus, tobacco, and sweet dark fruit. Soft and elegant with fresh acidity. Enjoyable. (1967 views) | | | Tasted by Burgnick on 12/12/2018 flawed bottle: Corked (2098 views) | | | Tasted by WoodieBayArea on 3/11/2016 & rated 92 points: i liked this a lot, others preferred the Beaulieu Vineyards Georges des Latour '95, this had good acid, nice red'ish fruits, some xmas spice... classic phelps backus but a little more high toned / med minus bodied than some other vintages (e.g. 1984) (3626 views) | | | Tasted by WoodieBayArea on 2/28/2016: NR as no tasting notes (and had at significant elevation, which always seems to screw up my ability to judge palate, nose etc... anyone have that experience??), anyway my buddy loved this on our ski trip, for him it beat out the '97 Calera Mills Vineyard P/N, I thought this good but not great, hard to judge on this particular night (3567 views) | | | Tasted by blanquito on 10/8/2015 & rated 92 points: Perfect fill and cork... Still has a good color, showing some ruby at the rim. Initially, this was out of sorts and showed a bit stewed, but it pulls together with some air and a cooler temperature. The bouquet is truly lovely, showing lots of mint-menthol, wrigley's gum, black tea, smoky notes, loam, some capsicum. The palate marries delicious candied fruit like cherry cordial with lots of cranberry brightness, a smooth mid palate, and a long woodsy-earthy-tannic finish. Grows pleasantly leafy and deeper with air. Despite some flamboyant notes, this is quite buttoned-down over all, with a dry palate impact. I really dig this, as its has the charms of an old school Cali Cab without that rounded softness that can make these flabby with too much age. Drink now or soon. 92-93 pts. (3963 views) | | | Tasted by WoodieBayArea on 4/9/2015 & rated 92 points: really good, my Jan '15 note applies, though it was slightly more aged / secondary than on that occasion, beautiful especially if you like old-school, aged Cali cabs (which i do), this was slight less fruit and slightly more dry, fantastic again and a great wine to pour folks to show them what old Cali cab can be (at least many of those those made before 1996 or so) (2993 views) | | | Tasted by WoodieBayArea on 1/31/2015 & rated 93 points: cellartv's note below resonates with me, but i didn't get as much of the non-fruit elements on the palate… drank around the fire with Buz, we drained it, cigars so no thoughts on the nose, palate was filled with red and blue fruits, medium plus body but exceptionally easy/elegant, enough acid but not in the forefront, therefore - esp with effectively no tannins left - super super smooth… what a joy to drink, if you had a headache or were stressed out, four or five sips of this wine would immediately put you at ease… what a pleasure, even if not monumental like some bottles of the '84 (2926 views) | | | Tasted by andtheodor on 11/27/2014 & rated 92 points: Andes mint, campfire, sweet wood, potting soil, currant nose. Old school Cali, muscular with some tannin still and good acidity. Peppermint, sweet fruit, curry powder palate. Lovely. (2093 views) | | | Tasted by WineCellarTV on 5/5/2014 & rated 92 points: Velvet and vital, but light with slightly orange/ brown rim.
Elegant and light-weight aromatics of Red and Dark fruit with mostly Red Currant and Cherry. Traces of Earthy and Leathery characteristics.
Fresh Herbs and (Kitchen) Vegetables. Later also some Licorice and generally broader.
Intriguing coolness in a minty freshness with decent scents of oak.
Fascinating elegance with fine, multi-layered complexity!
Fine, Dark Fruit flavors of Cassis and Blackberry comes with a play of Dried Herbs and Spices. Subtle minerality and tannins as well as filigree acidity. Soft and light mouthfeel- no weakness (!)
Finishes medium-long with velvet Red Fruit, Anise and Peppery Spiciness.
Beautifully integrated, complex and smooth on the palate.
Even though the 1987 Backus Vineyard Cabernet seems to be past its prime, it still shows its distinct virtues. Yet, on a more quiet, but fascinating level!
Nice complexity and great elegance in a very harmonious, medium-bodied wine, which should be enjoyed now or within the next years.
See more details at cellartv.wordpress.com (2174 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 9/17/2011 & rated 92 points: From magnum with signs of leakage. Cork fell into bottle in one piece, so I was seriously worried from the first minute. Lots of bold black fruit on nose with aromas of eucalyptus and mint. Blackberry and black currant flavors, very intense to start followed by good spice in middle. Well structured, well balanced. (3745 views) | | | Tasted by robmatic on 12/4/2010: Cool and classic old Phelps, with that bit o' mint. Lovely, balanced, and nuanced. (3681 views) | | | Tasted by indiscriminate palate on 1/24/2010: Charity Lafite Dinner (Holyoke, MA): Slipped in blind as a ringer in a flight with an '83 and an '86 Lafite. Huge nose, eucalyptus/mint, clearly new world, no chance of confusion with the Lafite. (2709 views) | | | Tasted by danstrings on 12/10/2001 & rated 90 points: Dinner at Wild Hare Rob and Phoebe -- holding up great (in 2001), with more herbal and mint chocolate notes. (3963 views) |
| 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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