2021 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
In 2021, cooler weather and extended hang time produced high-quality fruit with exceptional color and tannin. The 2021 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, aged 16 months in 48% new oak, reveals aromas of ripe currant, tobacco, leather, and dark chocolate. Dense and layered, it promises long-term aging. Joseph Phelps, a visionary of Napa Valley, transformed the region in the 1970s, establishing winemaking excellence. Join us in honoring his legacy of extraordinary quality.
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.
Wine Advocate
Tasted as a final blend, taken from tank, it reveals plenty of cherries, plus a backdrop of darker, riper fruit flavors, like cassis and blueberry. There's the requisite cedar and vanilla, from aging in oak, but it's balanced. In the mouth, the wine is medium to full-bodied, silky-velvety smooth and easy to drink, plush without being creamy or overdone, with a long, mint-accented finish
Wine Enthusiast
This powerful, densely packed wine bursts with aromas of late-picked blackberries, blueberries and cassis that give way to bold black fruit and dark-chocolate flavors accented by cloves, black pepper and cedar. The tannins are full and firm, needing several years to mellow for best enjoyment.
Vinous
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) is shaping up to be a tremendous value, by Napa Valley standards. Expressive savory and spice notes meld into a core of dark red fruit, leather, spice and menthol. This deep, fleshy Cabernet Sauvignon delivers the goods in a bold, punchy style that will be an absolute joy to taste over the next 10-15 years.
James Suckling
Blackcurrants, spiced cedar and dark spices with bark undertones. Full-bodied with very fine, velvety tannins. Textured and compact with a firm, lingering finish. Tight at the end. Needs time to open.
Jeb Dunnuck
Looking at the Cabernet releases, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is deep purple-hued and has a classic nose of ripe currants, tobacco, lead pencil, and chocolate. This rich, fleshy, full-bodied 2021 has solid mid-palate depth, the structure and density that's the hallmark of the vintage, and a great finish. It's a beauty.