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All Wines from Joseph Phelps
Inventory updated: Thu, Sep 19, 2024 04:02 PM cst
Our vintages of Joseph Phelps wine currently include: 1994, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018
Flickinger Fine Wines' inventory of Joseph Phelps wine is listed below. We have an excellent and vast assortment of fine wines to choose from. If you do not see what you are looking for, give us a call and we can suggest another Joseph Phelps vintage or even another producer that we are sure you will enjoy.
| Producer |
Vint. |
Wine |
Price |
Qty |
Order |
| | USA Red |
| Joseph Phelps |
1994 |
Backus Vyd. Cabernet Sauvignon  Very Lightly Scuffed Label; Writing on Label |
$225 |
1 |
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WA 94 (12/1997): I believe the 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard is the finest wine this vineyard has yet produced. Sadly, only 600 cases are produced. The 6.75-acre Backus Vineyard is situated in a high rent neighborhood - the Dalla Valle, Plumpjack, Groth, Venge Family Reserve, and Screaming Eagle vineyards surround it! Phelps' 1994 Backus exhibits an opaque black/purple color, and huge, sweet aromatics consisting of jammy black cherry and cassis fruit, minerals, smoke, and a hickory-like barbecue spice. The wine is thick and super-extracted, with huge proportions of fruit, extract, and tannin. A gargantuan Cabernet Sauvignon, it demands 5-6 years of cellaring, and should last for 20-25 years. In spite of Phelps' worthy efforts with respect to its Mistral portfolio and excellent Chardonnays and sweet wines, this winery's international reputation is built on their Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
WS 89 (10/1997): Marked by dense, earthy, chewy tannins and a strong minty edge, the latter so strong it overshadows the currant and berry flavors. Definitely needs time in the bottle to round out and soften, so hands off until 2000. 600 cases made. |
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2012 |
Backus Vyd. Cabernet Sauvignon (1.5 L) |
$475 |
1 |
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| WA 96+ (10/2014): As you drive down the Silverado Trail it is hard to miss the steep, striking Backus Vineyard across the street from Screaming Eagle. The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard (93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot) is a 2,800-case cuvee that tips the scales at 14.9% natural alcohol. Its dense purple color is followed by notes of acacia flowers, blueberry and blackberry liqueur, smoky charcoal and graphite, and a lavish, full-bodied, powerful, concentrated style with a boatload of tannin. This cuvee is never the most precocious of the Phelps Cabernet Sauvignons, but patience is rewarded. Give this 2012 3-4 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 25-30+ years. |
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2013 |
Backus Vyd. Cabernet Sauvignon Bin-Soiled Label |
$245 |
2 |
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| WA 96 (10/2016): The impressive site of Backus Vineyard, right across from the Oakville Crossroads and the Screaming Eagle vineyard, is an extremely steep but magnificent site in Napa Valley. Production for this wine ranges from 1,200 to 1,600 cases. The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard has 90% Cabernet and the rest Petit Verdot and Malbec. This wine is also aged for 24 months in 100% new French oak. The 2013 is a big, strong, powerful, muscular, even masculine style of wine, with high extract, loads of blackberry and cassis, some loamy soil undertones, sweet but noticeable tannins, and a long finish of close to 50+ seconds. It is a wine meant for the long haul, so I wouldn’t touch a bottle of the 2013 for another 5-6 years and drink it over the following 30+. |
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2007 |
Insignia Proprietary Blend (1.5 L) |
$695 |
1 |
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WA 99 (11/2013): Aged 24 months in new French oak, this infant 2007 exhibits an inky/purple color along with notes of graphite, spring flowers and smoky oak. This full-bodied, classic Insignia reveals fabulous depth, ripeness, texture, viscosity and richness. Still young and unformed, it should evolve for 25 or more years. Perhaps I should just go ahead and give this 2007 a three-digit score as it is a profoundly great Cabernet Sauvignon-based effort. The production was 13,500 cases of this 100% estate fruit blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot. The alcohol came in at 14.5%. The growing season was nearly ideal, with early bud break, generous flowering, a bountiful crop size, and summer weather that was warm and dry with no significant heat spikes. According to the Phelps winemaking team, the cluster grape weights in 2007 came in 23-45% lower than average, which surprised everyone. However, the fruit quality was one of the finest they had ever seen. The result is one of the top Insignias yet produced.
WS 96 (10/2010): Firm, intense and concentrated, massive yet well-proportioned, with a dense, focused core of graphite, dried currant, blackberry, black tea, forest floor and blueberry flavors. Full-blown, finishing with rich, layered tannins that beg for cellaring. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2013 through 2025. 13,500 cases made.
VM 94 (6/2010): (bottled three weeks prior to my visit) Bright ruby. Claret-like nose offers cassis, minerals, bitter chocolate and strong soil tones. Densely packed and quite tight today, in a classically dry style. But there's also superb sex appeal and excellent energy to the flavors of plum, currant, licorice, bitter chocolate and spices. Most impressive today on the long, chocolatey aftertaste. |
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2009 |
Insignia Proprietary Blend |
$215 |
1 |
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VM 95 (12/2012): A gorgeous, totally voluptuous wine, the 2009 Insignia bursts from the glass with exuberant blue and black fruit, grilled herbs, cloves and cassis. In 2009, the Insignia is silky and polished, yet there is considerable underlying tannin that needs time to soften. Layers of fruit flow effortlessly to the huge, structured finish. I imagine the 2009 Insignia will enjoy a broad drinking window. It is striking today, but also clearly has the stuffing to age for many, many years. The 2009 is 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petit Verdot, 4% Merlot. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2029.
VM 94 (5/2012): Good deep ruby. Rich but youthfully stunted aromas of plum, currant, chocolate, licorice and mint. Then plush, fine-grained and sweet on the palate, with excellent fat and a loamy complexity to the flavors of blackcurrant, dark chocolate and graphite. This has evolved nicely since I tasted it a year ago from barrel. In a distinctly generous style but structured for a long life in bottle. Finishes with gripping, tongue-saturating tannins and terrific chocolatey length.
JS 92 (1/2011): A solid core of fruit, with currants, minerals, fresh mint, and stones. Full bodied and chewy. The mid palate should fill in later.
WS 91 (10/2012): Combines deep, ripe dark berry fruit with crushed rock, cedar and lead pencil notes, and the tannins have a green bitter edge. A step back in richness and complexity for Insignia, this is built for cellaring. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Best from 2014 through 2024. 10,540 cases made.
WA 90 (11/2013): This deep ruby/purple-colored offering is an elegant, medium-weight wine with sweet red and black currant fruit, dark cherry, loamy soil and foresty characteristics as well as ripe tannin. This should be an early maturing Insignia that evolves quickly, but positively over the next 10-12 years. The production of the 2009 Insignia dropped considerably from previous years as only 10,540 cases were produced. All from estate fruit, the final blend was 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petit Verdot and 4% Malbec (another year where no Merlot was used). The alcohol came in at 14.5%. The weather was moist and damp in May which also saw some huge heat spikes. Fortunately, June and July cooled down, August was average, and September experienced above average warmth. Statistically, it was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit for 19 days during the growing season, almost all of them occurring in August and September – never a good sign as it tends to stress and/or raisin and burn the grapes, particularly if there has been considerable crop-thinning. A major rain event (over 4 inches) occurred on October 13, so any producer who harvested after that date was negatively affected. |
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2017 |
Insignia Proprietary Blend (1.5 L) |
$550 |
2 |
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| WA 96 (10/2020): The 2017 Insignia is a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc coming from: 46% Las Rocas vineayrd (Stags Leap District), 22% Barboza vineyard (Stags Leap District), 13% Suscol vineyard (South Napa Valley), 10% Yountville vineyard (Oak Knoll District) and 9% Home Ranch (St. Helena). It was aged for 24 months in 100% new French oak barrels. Deep garnet-purple colored, it comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant scents of Black Forest cake, preserved plums and blueberry pie plus touches of redcurrant jelly, potpourri, clove oil and dark chocolate. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has gained weight from it's in-barrel offering, boasting rich, decadently perfumed black fruit preserves flavors with a racy backbone and velvety tannins, finishing long and spicy. 7,400 cases were made. |
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2018 |
Insignia Proprietary Blend (1.5 L) |
$550 |
1 |
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JS 99 (3/2021): Blackberry and black chocolate with mint, conifer and clove. Sweet tobacco, violets and flowers, too. Some graphite. Cool and complex. Full-bodied with ultra fine, dusty tannins and a wonderful, extremely long finish. Savory and refined. A classic-styled 2018. This needs time, but is so approachable and gorgeous. One of the best Insignias ever. Alive and changing all the time. 40% Stags Leap AVA. 87% cabernet sauvignon, 8% petit verdot, 3% malbec and 2% cabernet franc. Leave this for five or six years, but so wonderful now.
WA 97+ (7/2021): The 2018 Insignia is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc. The vineyard sources this year include: 30% Las Rocas (Stags Leap District),18% Yountville (Oak Knoll District), 13% Banca Dorada (Rutherford), 18% Suscol (South Napa Valley), 14% Home Ranch (St. Helena), 12% Las Rocas (Stags Leap District), 7% Barboza (Stags Leap District). It was aged for 24 months in 100% new French oak barrels.
JD 95-97 (1/2021): Very much in the style of the vintage with its pure, concentrated, yet also elegant and focused style, the 2018 Insignia offers up a vivid purple hue to go with lots of red and blue fruits, menthol, tobacco, graphite, and distinct minerality. With an almost Bordeaux-like style, medium to full-bodied richness, present tannins, and a great finish, it's a beautiful, classic Cabernet Sauvignon blend from this team that's going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and keep for two decades or more.
WS 94 (10/2021): This is richly layered, with cassis, crushed plum and blackberry puree flavors moving through slowly but steadily, while warm earth, ganache and black licorice notes follow along. Picks up a tarry edge on the finish as the fruit takes an encore. For fans of the muscular, fruit-driven style. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2022 through 2036. 17,000 cases made.
VM 93-96 (1/2021): The 2018 Insignia is a beautiful wine. It is also quite delicate and less bombastic than some recent vintages have been. Its hard to tell if that is just the personality of the year or if changes in farming and/or winemaking are also at play. I suppose time will tell. In the meantime, the 2018 is gorgeous Insignia with tons of potential. Blueberry jam, spice, menthol, dried herbs and licorice all develop in the glass, all lifted by the salivating acids of a long, cool growing season. Antonio Galloni. |
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2009 |
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon |
$89 |
1 |
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| WA 91 (12/2011): The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon is a big, rich wine bursting with dark fruit. This is a fairly immediate style, some serious tannins notwithstanding. Smoke, tobacco and licorice develop in the glass, adding complexity and nuance. The powerful, fruit-driven finish is totally rewarding, but this will be even better in a few years’ time. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2024. |
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2010 |
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon |
$75 |
29 |
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| WA 94 (12/2012): The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon is beautiful. Scents of pain grille, mocha, black currants, spices and plums emerge from this deep, resonant wine. The 2010 possesses stunning textural depth and richness, not to mention phenomenal overall balance. Readers who want to get a sense of the 2010 vintage without spending a huge amount of money may want to start here. This is a dazzling wine, especially within its price range. The 2010 is 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2025. |
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2014 |
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon |
$79 |
2 |
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| WA 92 (10/2016): Phelps is now producing three cuvées of Cabernet Sauvignon – their Napa Valley, their flagship proprietary red Bordeaux blend called Insignia (which they debuted in 1974), and their Oakville steep hillside vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon called Backus. The basic Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa is 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. It saw 18 months in a combination of both French and American casks. This is their biggest cuvée (27,000 cases) and it is a beauty. The 2014 is supple, with silky tannins, dark plum, blackcurrant and licorice-infused fruit with a touch of spice, a lushness on the attack and mid-palate, and a silky finish. This wine was meant for early drinking, but there is no doubt it has the concentration and overall balance to age nicely for 15-20 years. |
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