2014 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

If you’re fortunate to have bottles of the Parker 100-point “Insignia” from 1997 or 2002 still laying around, you know the depth and longevity that is classic to Phelps. If not, here’s your chance, at a fraction of the price, to see why Phelps stands as one of the pillars of Napa Valley, and as a house renowned for producing powerful yet elegant age-worthy Cabernets. True to form, the 2014 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon is, as Robert Parker put it, “a beauty,” “supple, with silky tannins, dark plum, blackcurrant.” James Suckling delivered a 93-point score calling it “layered” and praising its “polished tannins.” Antonio Galloni chimed in: “Once again, Phelps has done a terrific job.” Galloni calls the Cabernet “one of the finest values in Napa Valley.” 

Wine Spectator called 2014 in Napa a “dream vintage, with quality along the lines of 2012 and 2013.” At Phelps, the team took full advantage of the sunny, dry growing season. By delaying irrigation, leaving cover crops untilled, and aggressively thinning clusters, the experienced vineyard crew pushed the vines to the limit, forcing each plant to compete for precious nutrients and water reserves in the soil. When the call to harvest was made on September 16th, concentration in the grapes was extraordinary, with sugars and acids perfectly balanced. 

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon is bold and confident, but not showy, displaying the subtlety and  polish of a Napa classic. It is honest and approachable, yet has the stuffing to improve for 10-15 years in a cool, dark cellar — that is, if you have the patience to wait.