Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy New Year! 🍷

Velvet, evolution Cabernet!

Merry Christmas 2025! 🎅🎄🎁 🍷 ❄️ ⛄️

23 yrs since birth and 21 yrs in bottle and the evolution is beautiful. Perfect w/the ribroast.

Fruits still holding with excellent integration. Blackberries, black plum to pudding, strawberries, raspberries, black cherries, sandalwood, soft, dark spices with gentle heat, mocha powder, some milk chocolate, caramel notes, understated graphite, anise to some black licorice, gravel, dry stone, used tobacco & leather, mid berry cola presence, dry twig, moist clays, red, dark florals with a violet frame, excellent acidity, well; made, balanced, tensioned, structured with an elegant finish that lasts nearly two- minutes and falls of soft earthiness & soft spice.

I waited on the decant a bit after the 03 d’Armailhac. Could have shorted that pause.

I have been writing about older Phelps Napa vintages until the cows come home. This started at 93 but when we had the back-half of our steak buffet (Porterhouse, NY & Ribeye) it blossomed. It is pure finesse, elegance, integration & evolution. These do not sing until they are 15-20 years old. Fruit & earth balance and elegance. Nothing that bites back. If you like this producer, you owe it to yourself to seek out a bottle with this kind of age in good vintages. This is somewhere around its peek. Make no mistake it is better than many $150 bottles I’ve opened.

Happy holidays. 🎅🧑‍🎄 ☃️ 🎄 🎁 ❄️

The nose reveals, floral, ripe; blueberries blackberries, dark cherries, plum, boysenberries, strawberries and black raspberries. Limestone minerals, dry crush rocks, dark spice, sweet tarry notes, steeped tea, vanilla, some clove, a whiff of nutmeg, dark chocolate, saddle-wood to cedar, some black licorice, garrigue with blue flowers, violets and withering dark florals.

The body is medium full, round and lush. The tannins are around 80% resolved and still have some sticky tar. The structure, tension, length & balance have nearly come about to full evolution. Ripe; blueberries blackberries, dark cherries, baked plum, boysenberries, strawberries and black raspberries. Limestone minerals, dry crush rocks, dark spice, sweet tarry notes, steeped tea, vanilla, some clove, a whiff of nutmeg, dark chocolate, a little mushroom on the last glass, saddle-wood to cedar, some black licorice, garrigue, dry clay & top soil with blue flowers, violets and withering dark florals. The acidy is like a waterfall. The finish is ripe, elegant, well balanced, polished with powdery dry tannins on the long set. It’s finish is persistent for minutes.

Photos of; the Joseph Phelps tasting terrace, inside lounge area with original old vats and the spectacular view off the terrace.

@Dawn Emory Sampling wines along their evolutionary path is amazing. My thoughts still haven’t changed great wine for less $ with patience.

Our dinner bottle at the best steakhouse in Napa Valley, Cole’s Chop House. There is only one steak to order at Cole’s with your Old World or Napa Cabernet...their Bone-in Ribeye. It’s clearly their best steak.

Each time I have a good year Phelps Napa Cabernet that is 15 years and older, I now find myself asking, why did I even bother buying their Insignia & Backus for three times the price? Because right now, this is so good, one has to wonder is it worth it? Not that older Insignias & Backus aren’t great but, are they worth three times the price?

One this nose, sweet, ruby, ripe; dark cherries, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, poached strawberries, blue fruits and a hint of cooked rhubarb. Dark chocolate, vanillin, cinnamon, clove, black cherry cola, sweet, rich black turned earth, crush red rocks, used leather, sweet tarry notes, stems, green dry herbs, volcanic minerals, limestone and fresh red & blue floral with violets.

The body is lush, ruby and full. Tannins 75% resolved, slightly tarry and a touch sticky. The length, structure, tension and balance are right at its peak. It so fresh and glides over the palate. Ruby, ripe; dark cherries, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, poached strawberries, blue fruits and a hint of cooked rhubarb. Dark chocolate, vanillin, cinnamon, clove, black cherry cola, eucalyptus, mint, sweet, sweet rich black turned earth, crush red rocks, used leather, stems, green dry herbs, volcanic minerals, limestone and fresh red floral and violets. The acidity is like a waterfall and perfectly executed. The long ruby, ripe, lush, elegant, floral fruit finish is incredible and lasts minutes. So good.

If you are drinking the Joseph Phelps Napa Cabernet in good vintages before 15 years, you are cheating yourself out of a very special experience!

Photos of, the view from the terrace at Joseph Phelps, the entrance to Cole’s Chop House, Cole’s outside dining and barrels inside the Joseph Phelps tastings room.

Initial nose of stewed fruits fades in about 30 minutes then its set to go as @David T recommended

'97,'02 are two of my favorite vintages. '13 is in that league but the difference is you don't have to come to my wine cellar to enjoy it. If you like Napa Cab buy, buy, buy the '13. You don't have to buy the $200 bottles. Load up on the $40 bottles and enjoy for 20 years plus🍷🍷🍷

Took a bit to open up, but this 2002 Phelps cab was delicious.

2002

The corkage fee at Capitol Cellars is reasonable and this'02 from my cellar is aging marvelously. Lots of fruit with hints of smoke.