2022 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Quick Description
- "Lively, Approachable Yet Plush With Plenty of Years Ahead" ~ 94 JS
- A Grand Cru Icon in California
- "A Beautifully Composed Wine" ~ 93 Decanter
- BHW has the Lowest Price Anywhere!
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2022 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
- "Lively, Approachable Yet Plush With Plenty of Years Ahead" ~ 94 JS
- A Grand Cru Icon in California
- "A Beautifully Composed Wine" ~ 93 Decanter
- BHW has the Lowest Price Anywhere!
- Free Shipping on 12 or More Bottles
About the Wine
An icon begins with a relentless pursuit of excellence. Boundaries are meant to be broken. New adventures come from the road less traveled.
Joseph Phelps Vineyards has become practically synonymous with Insignia ($350). A true visionary, Joe Phelps was one of the first American winemakers to see the merit in blending, proving his conviction when he debuted Insignia in 1974. According to Robert Parker, “Insignia remains one of the world’s finest Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blends.”
This wine is the more accessibly priced Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from the same wine making team that creates one of the icons from California. 91% Cab combined with a deft touch of other Bordeaux varietals. The wine was aged for sixteen months in 48% new oak (half French, half American) and 52% used French and American oak barrels before bottling.
The 2022 vintage began with mild weather and early budbreak from late March to early April. The season remained sunny and temperate through August until a brief September heatwave brought several days of 110°F temperatures across Napa Valley. This compressed the harvest window, with red grape picking beginning on September 9th and concluding by October 5th.
Tasting notes
This wine opens with an enticing bouquet of black and red fruits - juicy black cherry intertwined with fresh pomegranate and bright cassis.
Notes of cedar spice and toasted coconut add intrigue and sophistication to the aromatic profile. On the palate, layers of raspberry compote and dried wild berries unfold across a full-bodied frame.
The wine shows impressive density while maintaining elegance, supported by well-integrated tannins that provide structure without overwhelming. This is a wine of both power and finesse.
Critical Reviews
Bright, lifted, black and red fruits with aromas of dark cherries, damson plums, cedar box and fresh herbs. The full-bodied palate has a supple, rounded mouthfeel and softly integrated tannins. 91% Cabernet Sauvignon with smatterings of the other main Bordeaux varieties. Lively and approachable yet plush with plenty of years ahead. Drink or hold. ~ 94 James Suckling
The 2022 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon is a beautifully composed wine. It offers precise Bing cherry and blackberry fruit layered with spiced plum aromatics, tobacco, sage, and a fragrant ironstone mineral character. The palate is plush and juicy, with satiny tannins and a sweetly spiced finish. It was aged for 16 months in 48% new oak (50% French, 50% American) and 52% used French and American oak barrels before bottling. ~ 93 Decanter
~92 Cellar Tracker
The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is based on 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Merlot, brought up in French and American oak. Classy red and black fruits, vanilla oak, tobacco, and graphite notes all define the aromatics, and it's ripe, rounded, and nicely textured, with good mid-palate density and a good finish. ~ 91 Jeb Dunnuck
The Joseph Phelps 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon is dominated by fruit from Yountville and Suscol; only 21% of the blend is from growers, as there's a push toward estate fruit. As always, there's some American oak in the mix, but that proportion is evolving downward. Redcurrants and cherries are joined by gentle dusty earth notes and hints of vanilla and cedar on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is a bit more dusty and drying than the 2021, yet it remains soft and approachable. With more than 30,000 cases produced, it should be widely available across the entire US. ~ 90 Robert Parker
Food Pairing
Steak
Ribs
Mouthfeel & Acidity
Wine characteristics including body, acidity levels, tannin structure, and sweetness profile.
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Joseph Phelps Vineyards
Napa Valley, California
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