March 3, 2024 - Big wine and dark fruited but not overdone for my taste. Drinking beautifully now and did not seem in any danger of fading. 93
August 11, 2023 - Excellent. Dark powerful Just great.
July 28, 2023 - Very good
June 13, 2023 - A great example of a CA Cab. Decanted for about 90 min to get some air and had with filet tail. At the moment, this is in a great spot. Still has plenty of time left. The tannins are reasonable the fruit is very enjoyable. After dinner I brought the bottle over to my somm buddy to share as a reference. He said the wine used a used a high quality oak and was pleasantly surprised it was Phelps. Congrats Ashley and team. I have one bottle left and I've marked it for 2027. Cheers.
May 30, 2023 - 2 hour decant --- opened up great --- even 6 hours later even better.
May 14, 2023 - Gave 90m air, not entirely sure that is necessary. Deep, deep ruby color. Offers blackcurrant, plum, clay pot, blackcurrant leaf, sauteed mushrooms, warm spices and leather. Creamy and opulent, full-bodied, with vibrant red & black fruit flavors, spicy and peppery through the finish, supported by well-resolved chalky tannins. Depth and maturity.
April 27, 2023 - This has definitely benefited structurally from aging, although the considerable residual sugar throws the balance a bit. I hope this wasn't one of those Napa cabs that got some white grape concentrate. Aromas include sweet dark cherry and blackberry, milk chocolate, kircsh, black plum, and sweet tobacco. Full bodied, the tannins are dense and finely grained, elegant and impressive in a Napa sort of way. The acid is sufficient to hold things up, whilst the alcohol is decently integrated. Flavors include sweet cherry compote, blackberry, dried Mission Fig, baking spice, and tobacco. I’d likely give this more points if the residual sugar weren’t so significant. It shows especially out of place at ten years given the rest of the wine is built well and has aged appropriately, which serves to highlight the gratuitous sweetness. I imagine the longer this gets aged, the more out of whack it’ll be.
March 9, 2023 - Drunk in 2023 with 10 years of positive evolution. Intense and balanced, still showing potential of aging.
February 19, 2023 - Still drinking great. Same note as 2021. Some fruit fading.
December 4, 2022 - Blind tasting of flagship and second wines from California and Washington. Biggest takeaway is how well the second wines stood up to their bigger siblings. In particular this was the surprise of the tasting at #2 for me. Nose of aged complexity and herbs, thick mouthfeel, good fruit and herb flavors, very balanced with long finish. Big brother Insignia was ranked lower but my notes suggest it needed more time and would eventually surpass this one. Still, tonight this wine showed well and a great value in comparison to the rest of the list. Full list and rankings below.
1. 2011 Ridge Monte Bello
2. 2013 Joseph Phelps Cabernet
3. 2012 Quilceda Creek Cabernet
4. 2011 Pride Mountain Reserve Cabernet
5. 2013 Joseph Phelps Insignia
6. 2012 Quilceda Creek CVR
7. 2011 Ridge Estate Cabernet
(Flawed) 2011 Pride Mountain Cabernet