1995 & 96 Joseph Phelps Cabernet

rollers can move along as this isn’t Backus but i must say the 95 pedestrian effort from Joseph Phelps shined brightly with a beautiful floral nose that belies the robust elegance that is the nature of this wine. only 37% of the grapes used were estate grown (there is some Merlot and a touch of Cab Franc) from a delayed vintage saved by a glorious Indian summer.

nice comeback from a corked 1994 i had a few weeks back this 1995 wine was powerful with an awesome mouthfeel that simmers thru the whole experience. red fruit in addition to the requisite darker tones and silky tannins, no real chocolate notes but the wine has a minute long, smooth finish.

killed with grilled ribeyes and sautéed mushrooms.

then we popped the 1996 which i also adored. cork again perfect and initially another floral nose with a very dark taste profile more typical of Cabernet. while darker than the 95 this wine matured though over 3+ hours to include some tertiary notes while maintaining a really solid sweetness. tannins melded now while some wood persists. finish short to medium but no bitterness @ all. wine showed little age and all the sediment was in the shoulder, was able to drain the bottle to the bottom!!!

can’t imagine anyone disliking these bottles.

The 94 is wonderful. I still have some mags left.