Rob's "Wine of the Week" Archives
So here is my wine review for the week of April 28th...
JOSEPH PHELPS CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2005
Description: Thanks for all of the great emails recently about the wine reviews, in particular the recent obsession of this space with the new high quality rose wines. I am taking a brief respite from the roses while the weather is still relatively cool to check out the continuing releases of the 2005 Cabernets. So far, most 2005 Napa reds I have tasted (Pride, Del Dotto, Caymus, etc) have been enormous. They have also been outstanding, but they are definetly young and tight and need time to develop.
Phelps remains one of my favorite wineries and has become more accessible in the past five years, now found in most wine stores and even some grocery stores. While the Insignia is still their flagship, they usually produce a high quality cab that is still relatively inexpensive for a major Napa name.
How and when I drank it: Saturday afternoon, April 20, 2008 at my house
How to get it: Almost all wine specialty stores and BevMos carry it, some grocery stores sell it as a top shelf wine, it’s on many restaurant wine lists and can always be bought at the winery in Napa.
How Much: about $50.
My Thoughts: This is a slightly more approachable Cabernet than other 2005 I have tasted. While still clearly tightly wound, there is some balance and depth already to this wine. The tannins are still slightly firm on the finish, but before then are noticeable notes of both tobacco and caramel, all swirling together cherry and cinnamon flavors. The most obvious sign of youth is the slight mineral taste that hits the middle of the tongue, but with time this wine could easily turn into a Cabernet Crème Brulee. I enjoyed it now, but expect it will be even better in 3 years.
Overall Score: At $40-50 this is a steal for what is truly a great Napa Cabernet. While others are charging 2 to 3 times that price for their simple cabernet, this is easily a far better wine than Opus One or any recent vintages from Nickel & Nickel, Grgich Hills or even Rubicon Estates (one of my favorites that is going through a rough time right now). 4 ½ vines
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