2019 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
A classic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from a family who knows exactly what that means. Inviting violet, dark fruit, tobacco, and earthy aromatics. An expressive palate loaded with blackberry and dark plum. This is a downright delicious, concentrated wine with energy and freshness for days.
Joseph Phelps has long been one of Napa Valley’s stalwarts. For more than 30 years, they have been a pacesetter for critically acclaimed wines. As Robert Parker wrote of their flagship red, 'The Insignia cuvée has been one of Napa’s great Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines since its inception in 1974' and Wine Spectator observed that Phelps is 'one of Napa Valley's benchmark Cabernet Sauvignon producers.' Their focus is on world-class standards, top growers and meticulous cellar triage with Insignia seeing only the best components each year. Phelps has a web of vineyards that would make any winemaker excited to go to work. The winery has been working exclusively with estate-owned fruit sources since 2004, and their specific sites are exceptional. They know every nuance of the land and can conjure magic and bottle thunder. And as evidenced by the press for the 2008 Insignia, Phelps’ continued march towards exclusively estate-owned vineyards is paying handsome rewards.
James Suckling
Blackberry and light dried fruit with oyster-shell undertones. It’s full-bodied with round, lightly chewy tannins that nicely accentuate the fruit character. Walnuts and wet earth.
Wine Enthusiast
This wine is lovely in juicy red fruit, dried herb and hints of allspice, the tannin structure firm and giving. Offering refinement and structure, it shows nuances of black currant, cherry and toasted oak. This will do well in the cellar. Cellar Selection
Wine Advocate
It rolls effortlessly out of the glass with beautifully pure notes of fresh black plums, black cherries and crushed blackcurrants plus hints of cinnamon stick, tobacco leaf and charcoal. Medium to full-bodied, the palate hits the ground running with expressive black fruits and soft, supple tannins, lifted by just enough freshness and finishing pleasantly savory.
Vinous
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) has terrific energy to play off a core of rich Napa Valley fruit. Red cherry, iron, menthol, licorice and pretty floral accents all grace this gorgeous offering. Bright red fruit and lifted floral notes frame the chiseled finish nicely.
Jeb Dunnuck
A year-in, year-out winner, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley should easily be an outstanding wine capable of evolving for two decades or so. Deep ruby/purple, with classy notes of cassis, blackberries, green tobacco, cedary herbs, and flowers, it's medium to full-bodied and has a wonderfully elegant, seamless texture, supple tannins, and outstanding length.