Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesThis is a beautiful wine, effusive in cassis, black cherry, woody cedar and sage. With small amounts of Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it offers substantial structure and tannin weight, with ample clove spice and toasted oak. It is built to age; enjoy best from 2025 to 2030.
Dark, very deep, solidly fruity and complex all at once, the latest from Joseph Phelps is a keenly focused Cabernet of measured richness that never overplays its hand. It smells and tastes of optimally ripened black cherries and currants with teasing touches of graphite, dried herbs and dusty soil and lightly laid-on creamy oak. Its combination of richness, careful crafting and structured solidity make it easy to appreciate now, but only with a few years will it come fully into its own, and it can be counted on to age gracefully for another six to eight.
Joseph Phelps Vineyards is a family-owned winery committed to crafting world class, estate-grown wines. Founded in 1973 when Joe Phelps purchased a former cattle ranch near St. Helena in the Napa Valley, the winery now controls and farms nearly 375 acres of vines on eight estate vineyards in St. Helena, the Stags Leap District, Oakville, Rutherford, Oak Knoll District, Carneros and South Napa Valley. In 1999, the Phelps family added 100 acres of vineyard property near the town of Freestone on the Sonoma Coast, where Phelps now grows Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Phelps is best known for its flagship Napa Valley blend of red Bordeaux varietals, Insignia, first produced in 1974. Awarded Wine Spectator's "Wine of the Year" in 2005, Insignia is widely regarded as a qualitative benchmark for California winemaking.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.