2006 Joseph Phelps Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

On the nose; liqueur style blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, plum, blueberries, baked strawberries, sweet spice, vanilla, wood shavings, dark, rich, moist soil, crushed, dry rocks, violets and fragrant, fresh, dark florals. The palate is medium bodied and the tannins are nicely resolved and round. The fruits are also liqueur is style. Blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, plum, blueberries, boysenberries, raspberries, baked strawberries and a touch of dry cranberries. Sweet, soft leather, lead pencil, cola, vanilla, cinnamon, soft spice-box, understated herbal notes, rich, moist, dark soil, crushed rocks, a touch of bramble, crumbled volcanic minerals, nice, soft, round acidity and a long, lush, fresh, elegant fruit finish that is 75% fruit and 25% earth. The 06 has plenty of life ahead of it...at least 10 years. I'm pretty sure this bottle was around $35 at Costco upon release. Photos of, the view from their tasting terrace, the legend/Napa maverick Joseph Phelps, terrace seating and interior shot of the remodeled estate. Producer notes...the winery was founded in 1973 by Napa wine pioneer, Joseph Phelps. Like a number of other vintners in the valley, Joseph came to wine from another industry. In the 1960’s he ran one of the largest construction companies based in the USA, Hensel Phelps Construction One of his projects was to work on building the BART system in the San Francisco Bay Area (Bay Area Rapid Transit). Joseph's transition into the winery business started with a banker informing him of several potential winery projects in Napa and Sonoma. One of the projects was to build Souverain Winery in Napa (now Rutherford Hill Winery). After that project Joseph became interested in purchasing his own property in the valley. He acquired 600+ acres. His first vintage of Insignia was 1974. Joseph Phelps began planting grapes – varieties such as Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Noir. They ultimately discovered these grapes were not suited to the particular climate of this part of the valley and they changed over to other varietals...namely Bordeaux based red varieties.The first vintage of Joseph Phelps was made at Heitz Cellars. Sadly, Bill passed away in April 2015 at 87...may he rest in peace with a glass that never empties. All and all a good life I'd say. Today his son Bill Phelps is President of winery. Not that long after Joseph's passing, Joseph Phelps opened their remolded hospitality center (photos above) located in what was the original winery building. It's sad that Joseph did not live to see it's full completion and opening. The last 1/4 of glass or less from the bottom of the bottle which; is called "The Truth" was so rich, concentrated & beautiful, I was tempted to push the rating to 9.3/9.4.

Jul 9th, 2017