Joseph Phelps...thoughts?

[Alex_N]

Their '94 Insignia is one of the better Napa cabs I’ve ever had, and the 97, 2001 and 2002 were fantastic wines. I recently tasted the 12 and 13 and they were closed monsters and a different style than I remember. If I had to choose from a big Napa producer there are just too many others I’d prefer at that price point.

[Gerry_Morrisey]

Like others, I stopped after 2002. The 2003 was not one of their best yet they jacked up the price due to the 02’ getting WS WOY. Still have some 95,97,01 and 02 to last me for a while.

[Mark_Golodetz]

As someone who used to love the style of California Cabernets, and no fan of the modern, it is interesting how Phelps morphed from one to the other. They used to make iconic wines from the Eisele vineyards, and they were austere and beautiful, with a hint of sluttiness if you looked hard. It is hard to reconcile with the modern wine, but frankly, they are not catering to me and my taste.

BTW I did try a 2009 which was drinkable.

[Arv_R]

Their Backus single vineyard is delicious. Its a small plot of land directly below Dalla Valle and next to Au Paradis and Weitz along the eastern hillside.

I recently had a 2012 out of magnum and with a two hour decant it was singing. I may be wrong, but I think you can only purchase this if you are in one of their wine clubs.

Ditto. Still made in the old style it seems. An aged bottle of this wine is absolutely spectacular. Had a 97 last year that was special.

We had a 92 Backus a few years ago that was excellent.

For a winery that seems kind of $$$ to me, I see a lot of their regular Napa cab every vintage at our local Costco. I mean pallets of the stuff.

[Steve_Mac]

I have six bottles of 2002 Phelps Insignia, well cellared, along with the wood box they came in. I’m thinking about selling them but am not sure what is the best way to go about it. Giving it to a store on consignment is one option. They would probably want 15-30% of the sales price, depending on the store. Has anyone sold wines like this through other channels or can it be done here?

[Ian_H]

Insignia was the wine that turned me onto wine early on in my journey. I can’t remember the specific vintages I had but they would have been late 90s thru to about 2003. Really, really liked them. Also, I was drinking mostly dreck at the time so this stuff would naturally really stand out.

I have 2008-2013 in my cellar now. I opened the 08 several weeks ago and it was good, but I concur with the consensus that not worth the price. In fact, we ended up leaving about a full glass in the bottle as we moved onto other things in the ensuing days and I never went back to the Insignia. Now, it’s not worth leaving good wine behind, but it sort of gets to the point here.

[John_Glas]

Overpriced!

[K_Tran1]

Overpriced!

Maybe you should do a blind taste with Phelps napa cab vs. other napa cab NV. I find it does surprisingly well in a blind tasting. Costco is selling it for $56, do you think it should be $20?

[John_Glas]

Maybe you should do a blind taste with Phelps napa cab vs. other napa cab NV. I find it does surprisingly well in a blind tasting. Costco is selling it for $56, do you think it should be $20?

I would rather buy Anderon’s Conn Valley for $35ish. The Insignia used to be a good, overall value but is selling over $200. Also I can get Januik or Andrew Will wines for about half and just as good in my opinion.

[Philip_G]

One may hear Joseph Phelps and think Napa Valley Insignia. Looking into their portfolio, it appears they have a couple other Cabs and a Syrah. Also vineyard designate Pinot’s and Chards from their property on the Sonoma Coast.

Has anyone had any of their wines of late? Are they are priced well considering the quality? Most of their 2016 wines across the board were 94-100 points. Thoughts?

I’ve had and liked their Freestone Chardonnay. It seems to be about in the right price point for similar CA Chardonnays that I enjoy like Seavey, Shafer, etc.

I’ve also picked up the Napa Valley Cab at Costco and while decent, it feels over priced for what you get and I think are other options in that price point I would rather have.

I like the Insignia, even post 2002, ha. Wasn’t buying this type of wine then so didn’t get upset by them winning WS WoTY. It’s a voluptuous treat but pricey so I try to pick up one or two if I can find a deal. I’m going to try to do a taste comparison with The Bard in the not too distant future but I don’t have any Bard going back very far and don’t want to open anything too young.

[Ian_S]

Since the 2002 Insignia, I have not hunted for Phelps wine.

Same here. 2002 was the end for me.

Probably for different reasons though. Victor, by his own admission several times in a few threads, is either a cheapskate or legitimately can’t afford to play in that arena.