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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.5 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 348 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Somm David T on 5/17/2024 & rated 93 points: Still one of the best Napa Cabernets for the money. 12 a fruity & very high yield vintage in Napa Valley.
12 is a fruit leaning vintage. It is juicy, ripe, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum pudding, some boysenberries, cedar, medium plus tannins, dry tobacco, leather, dry leaves, expresso, French barrel shavings, sandstone, dark, rich, sweet, turned earth, stems, black, rich, sweet earth, steeped tea, alluvial limestone minerals, baking spices, liquid, dark, red, purple flowers, w/ rainfall acidity and an elegant, rich, fruit driven finish that lasts nearly two-minutes.
12 a vintage to age, but not long age. Lacks the tannins to do what 13, 14 will. (143 views) | | | Tasted by gpcoleman on 2/5/2024 & rated 93 points: Exceptional Cab (841 views) | | | Tasted by stschutz on 12/17/2023 & rated 95 points: Flat out gorgeous. Inky purple color with a sweet but matured perfume nose. Wonderfully aged black fruit and tannins softened to perfection with tertiary layers of pencil and tar; just a wonderful experience from such a beautifully aged Napa wine with a lasting finish. This experience drives home the fact that any kind of decant from years earlier could never have replicated the traits of this wine that the natural aging process brought out. I wish I had bought more than this single bottle. This wine is either entering its peak or darn near at it, and I think it can age for another several years if one really wants to test it, although I see little reason in doing so at this point.! Stored in my basement cellar under optimal conditions since its purchase in 2015. Paired with beef cutlets and pasta w-sausage and buttered broccoli. 12-17-23 in Seoul. (837 views) | | | Tasted by bwillia on 11/3/2023 & rated 93 points: Wine of the night with the wine club and against some stiff competition too. So classic and good. Phelps makes quality juice. (1102 views) | | | Tasted by JCGuthrie on 9/7/2023 & rated 91 points: Black fruit and anise on the nose, with some dried herbs that emerge with air. A bit hot, with some alcohol showing. Fairly primary black fruit on the palate initially, but over time more nuance emerges. Smooth mouthfeel with tannins that start rough and smooth out with more air. A nice wine that benefits from some decanting time. (1376 views) | | | Tasted by DVMT on 9/3/2023 & rated 92 points: Delicious probably at peak (1109 views) | | | Tasted by Bisket on 4/2/2023: Vin très très bon, parfaitement près à boire ! (1620 views) | | | Tasted by gew71walsh on 3/8/2023 & rated 90 points: Losing a little since my last bottle 3 1/2 years ago. Still a very good wine—black berries on nose and palate. Deep purple color. Medium intensity on finish. I continue to like my Phelps cabs and blends in that 8-12 year range—then, for me, they begin to diminish. (1650 views) | | | Tasted by Snag One on 1/8/2023 & rated 91 points: Deep rich red burgundy color. Not an over expressive nose, but notes of pencil shavings, tar and dried figs. Layers of black peppercorns, ripe figs, cassis and black tea. The finish was nice, but short. Good QPR. (1588 views) | | | Tasted by ftsai71@gmail.com on 7/3/2022 & rated 91 points: This was quite good. A very easy drinking cab right now. Mellowed tannins, good black fruit but not super big. Well balanced, enjoyable cab. Lacking some complexity and the rich fruit of a Hall cab but the favorite of the night. (2154 views) | | | Tasted by Blauweiss on 3/12/2022 & rated 91 points: Smooth, rich and lush. Plenty of fruit despite 10 years, I would say it feels younger than it is. Classic Napa-cab as far as I´m concerned. (2656 views) | | | Tasted by JCGuthrie on 3/5/2022: Approachable now with a minimal decant. Blackberry, savory notes and mineral on the nose, with mixed black fruits on the palate. Still quite tannic. Perhaps a little extracted for my tastes - generally enjoyable, but a little heavy and one-note. Lots of sediment. (2054 views) | | | Tasted by jzebrack on 2/2/2022 & rated 90 points: I think the drinking window guideline for drink by 2021 might have been fairly accurate. We had a bottle in March of 2021, and it was better than the bottle we just drank. So, our advice is that if one still has some 2012's, drink now. (2332 views) | | | Tasted by LCHammer on 1/4/2022 & rated 88 points: Seemed a little smoky for some reason. Not bad with the steaks but the L'Aventure Optimus and the Aaron petite syrah blends were much better. A little disappointing for the price. (2299 views) | | | Tasted by jonboy74 on 12/16/2021 & rated 92 points: At the tail end of its primary phase. Excellent fruit still, tannins integrated and light but noticeable acid. Not as ripe as I had expected after reading other reviews. A great start to my vacation. (1908 views) | | | Tasted by signotim on 11/30/2021 & rated 90 points: Very nice cab but a bit too ripe for my taste (1596 views) | | | Tasted by Wine Lover 1964 on 10/17/2021 & rated 92 points: Drinking beautifully right now. Decant for 1hr and let approach room temp to get all flavors. (1884 views) | | | Tasted by deekmon on 8/29/2021 & rated 91 points: 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec, 1% Cabernet Franc (1857 views) | | | Tasted by daveyk39 on 7/14/2021 & rated 93 points: Gave about 3h air. Inky ruby color. Complex and dark bouquet, offering blackberry, black cherry, clay dust, baking spice, leather, jalapeno, white pepper, and dark chocolate. Satiny texture, dark and opulent on the palate, with a frame of firm chalky tannins. Bright on the attack, mostly dark fruit, but a few red fruit notes peeking through, clay dust and spice in the expansive middle. This is a really exciting wine, robust and balanced, with just a few rough edges that will hopefully smooth with some additional time.
This is full of character and if you want a really enjoyable night, pop one open. But this should also keep for the next 5-10 years if you're the patient type. (2050 views) | | | Tasted by jzebrack on 3/28/2021 & rated 93 points: We are loving how the older Phelps regular Cab's are aging.
We are long time Phelps wine club members, and, often, are not thrilled with the current release Cab they serve at their tastings. A whole lot of those bottles have been sitting unopened in our cellar. But we just started opening some of the older vintages, and they are aging extremely well. This 2012 has elegantly smoothed out, and it is an impressive bottle of wine (2365 views) | | | Tasted by mobile_vito on 2/27/2021 & rated 92 points: A classic California Cabernet. Rich with dark fruits, noticeable but soft tannins. Very smooth with layers of enjoyment. (1685 views) | | | Tasted by glou.sf on 1/9/2021 & rated 90 points: Solid Napa Cab, not too ripe, good structure. But also not too complex. (2490 views) | | | Tasted by ralaspech on 11/8/2020 & rated 91 points: Agree with previous notes describing this wine. Starting to come into its own, but still benefited from a 2 hour decant. (2455 views) | | | Tasted by Robben’s Nest on 10/2/2020: Average. (2278 views) | | | Tasted by MRGeo on 9/6/2020 & rated 92 points: Big heavy cab sauv, beautiful wine and still building. Decanted for over 30 mins. Dark heavy purple color. Nose of smokey chocolate and dark fruit. Smooth front end of plums and raspberries; builds to nice black pepper spice, tight tannins, smokey oak and licorice with the plums, blackberries and blueberries. (2114 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Sara d'Amato
WineAlign (2/26/2016)
(Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By David Lawrason
WineAlign (2/24/2016)
(Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, New Releases from Napa Valley: 2012 and 2013 (Dec 2014) (9/1/2014)
(Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena, Stags Leap, Oak Knoll, Rutherford) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2014, IWC Issue #174
(Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2011 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: Terroir Matters - Updated (Nov 2013)
(Joseph Phelps Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By Panel Tasting
Decanter, Californian Cabernet 2012
(Joseph Phelps, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA, Red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of WineAlign and Vinous and Decanter. (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.Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Grown Napa ValleyIn 2009, Joseph Phelps was proud to announce that their Napa Valley Cabernet was now 100% from their own estate vineyards.
http://www.josephphelps.com/2009-cabernet-sauvignonCabernet 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)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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