Had a bottle 6 mos ago. Blend of 95% Cab Sauv, 4% Merlot, rest Petit Verdot, Malbec & Cab Franc, blended then aged for 24 mos in 50% new & 50% once-used American oak. Deep Ruby, youthful aromas of black fruit, sweet cacao & complex spice. Palate shows flavors of rich ripe juicy berries & cherries, core of sweet fruit with oak & vanilla notes. Nicely integrated firm, graceful tannins, long finish, displays primary fruits on ending, just beginning to develop some secondary aging, approachable now. Excellent. — 5 years ago
2014 vintage. Last tasted 04.20.22 (9.5). Still tight but behind all the subterfuge, clouds, white lies, deception and smoke, there is a fantastic show slowly being assembled. All the performers are there and you've watched plenty of the rehearsals. Another 8-10 years will likely find this in the 9.6 and maybe 9.7 zone when the curtain finally rises. Built for future speed. If you've got the time and ca$hi$h, put a case aside and start tapping in 2035. This goes places wine doesn't have a right to. It's not asking for permission. 01.30.25. — a month ago
2022.11.15 Rest. Enoclub Alba w/Wakano
Super wine
Euro 65.00 — 2 years ago
Enjoyed this, though it does comes off a little harsh, which can perhaps be attributed to its youth. A NAS, but as I understand, the blend is at least as old as the standard 10 year old. It definitely has a pretty similar profile - pepper, brine, peat smoke, and citrus. Would be good to taste them side-by-side given the general consensus that the Storm's essentially the 10 taken up a notch. There's a really "sweet" inner core that pushes through to peaty, somewhat-medicinal finish. Medium length. Really liking this profile (particularly the saline character) so I'm definitely going to be checking out the rest of the range. — 4 years ago
Still good, but past its peak. Tannins are still strong but fruit is starting to fade. Drink now. — 3 months ago
Medium Ruby red color with aromas of dark berry fruit and earthy spice, blend of 90% Sangiovese with rest Canaiolo. On the palate flavors of black cherry and plum with tobacco, floral and earthy cedar notes. Full-bodied, well balanced soft drying tannins on a smooth medium+ finish. Grab some Italian food and enjoy the great value wine. Consistent quality, a Fav!! — 8 months ago
2011 tasted April of 2021. While the flirtatious wines of Bordeaux will, with rare exceptions, betray my trust, I can always depend on Joseph Phelps to provide me with a solid bottle wine.
Year after year, no matter what the stresses of the vintage were, the wine makers at JP know how to produce perfectly balanced Cabs and Cab blends (but they’re not as successful with the non-Cab varietals).
This bottle of JP’s Cab is decade old, and it’s just hitting its stride. Lots of leather, rust, and a hint of mint on the nose. Ripe cherries and pomegranates on the front. The original velvety tannic balance has become just a wee bit tattered over the years. But this new-found roughness provides a youthful and boisterous counterpoint to the rest of the component that are entering a staid middle age (in wine years that is). It’s like your 45-year-old dad going wild and buying a Harley Davidson, then cruising off down the road. You say, “WTF! That’s is the way to live!” Lots of gravely high notes on the mid palate, but the old velvety tannins reassert themselves on the long finish. This is a damn lovely wine! — 4 years ago
Grant & Jullie
Taste of dark cherries and plums. Velvet and full bodied. Delicious!
— a month ago