Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

2007 Phelps…what can I say? I should have waited another 5-7 years for it to be perfect. Palate enters as ripe, lush, ripe, velvety, slightly candied; strawberries, cherries & progresses into blackberries, black raspberries, black plum & stewed plums. The tannins round but still meaty. It glides effortlessly over the palate. Dark berry cola, charcoal, touch of lead pencil, dark, hearty Indian/Asian spices, some pepper, cedar, mix of fresh & dry tobacco, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, dark, melted chocolate, mocha powder, caramel notes, anise, dry to slightly moist, dark soils, Rutherford dust, mix of dry, soft herbs, dry crushed, limestone minerals, fresh, dark, red, flowers framed in violets/lavender for days, perfect, round, acidity with an incredibly well blended fruit & earth, nice tension and a beautiful finish that lasts minutes. I need another well stored bottle of 07 in 5-7 years. Velvet wrapped in silk. Phelps Napa is so incredible at 15-20 years of age regardless of vintage. This would be closer to 20-22 years plus. Just an hour decant. Might have been better w/ 3 hours or a second day bottle.

Happy Labor Day weekend from Chateau Isbel.

The legendary 07 vintage. Wine candy with & after Wagyu ribcap.

It’s on its 3-5 year peak cycle.

Candied & just a touch stewed; blackberries, blueberries, dry, dark cherries, creamy raspberries, bramble, pine syrup sap, melted caramel w/ nuts, dark chocolate, mocha powder, eucalyptus, mint, sage, bay leaf, splash of oregano, dark spice w/ some mid heat, dry top soil, rich forest floor, fresh & withering dark florals, lavender, violets, beautiful acidity with fine length, balance & elegantly polished.

Yeah, the zucchini & sugar snaps peas are cut from my garden the end of this week. If you haven’t had sugar snaps peas out of the garden, you are missing veggie candy. Both crazy good w/ the snap peas taking the tape.

On the nose, sweet dark currants. Ripe & rich blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, plum, black raspberries & poached strawberries. Fair amount of baking spices, anise, black raspberry cola, black tea, violets and fresh dark florals. The palate is lush, beautiful & fresh. The fruits perfectly ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, plum, black raspberries & poached strawberries. Really delicious! Black raspberry cola, anise, moist rich turned earth, sweetened black tea, a touch of dark crushed rocks, some, sry top soil, a note of bay leaf, fresh tobacco leaf, very little graphite, nice round acidity and a long, slightly dry tannin fruit finish that last over a minute. It's very good now but patience will be rewarded waiting five more years to open. @Paul Treadway Huntington Beacher

Last weekend, we enjoyed the 06 Napa. Tonight, we coravin-ed an 07 for comparison. I have to tell you that their Napa Cabernets are pretty consistent year to year despite changes in weather etc.. However, many people & critics revered the 07 vintage and with cause. It's has better structure, length tension & balance over the 06. Yet, the 06 is nearly just as luxurious as the 07. For me, I've had more expensive Napa Producers than the JP Napa. For example, some; Carters, Realm, Blankiet, Merus & Kobalt just to name a few. Keep in mind, I said some and not all. Many of these wines are twice the price of the JP Napa yet did not deliver twice the pleasure. In fact, some not as much pleasure and some only as good for twice & more the the price. I love really good wine, but I love wine that delivers 3-4 times on the price even more. JP Napa does that with 10+ years in the bottle...not upon release or in it's infancy. If you drink them early, you're just throwing your $ away. This 07 was in the $40-$42 range at Costco upon release. As I taste it tonight, it's such a steal. I'm not here to sell you on JP, I'm simply sharing my long history with them and tasting them against other more expensive Napa Cabernets. If you are 25-35, just buy these and forget about them for 10+ years. I believe you'll be happy you did. The nose of the 07 is ripe, beautiful; blackberries, dark cherries, blueberries, boysenberries, black plum & plum. Liqueur notes, warm toast, anise, saddlewood, baking spices, violets and dark fresh & dry florals. The palate is beauty & complexity. The mouthfeel is thick, rich, lush and elegant. The dusty/grainy tannins are nicely resolved but have another 8-10 years to completely resolve. The fruits are ripe, rich; blackberries, dark cherries, blueberries, boysenberries, black plum, plum & black raspberries. Lead pencil shavings, mint, eucalyptus, herbaceous notes, leather, tobacco with ash, cinnamon, nutmeg, notes of vanilla, cedar, dry crushed rocks, loamy soils, underbrush, violets, dark, dry & fresh dark florals. The length, structure, tension & balance are pronounced and will hold up for many years to come. The acidity is simply perfect. As for the finish that will only get better. It's; long, beautiful, elegant and sticks to your palate. It hasn't faded in over 5 minutes. This wine will continue to evolve and further impress. I can't wait to taste it's enhanced elegance in another 8-10 years. Photo tour of; their terrace view, small berries that translate to great wines of concentration, Bill Phelps who has taken over for his late father Joseph and one of many areas to relax and sip their wines in their newly remodel estate.

Nice balance and a good time to drink for sure.

It has been a few years since our last 2007. It has softened some but, still a beast and picked up more florals. The 2007 has shown the consistent quality of the vintage over multiple bottles.

The nose reveals; dark sweet currants, deeply extracted blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, purple fruit blend, blueberries, poached strawberries on the glass edges, anise to black licorice, limestone minerals, steeped fruit teas, sweet tarriness, leathery notes, dry crushed rocks, dry brush, dry herbs, dark liqueur notes, hints of graphite, volcanic minerals, dry top soil, expresso roast, vanilla, light, dark clove, touch of nutmeg, dark chocolate, coco powder, malt in malt balls with dark, withering & candied florals with violets & lavender.

The body is; ruby, lush and full. The tannins are; round, chewy, meaty, dusty and only 50% resolved. The structure, tension, length and balance have just hit their stride and still climbing. Dark sweet currants, deeply extracted blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, purple fruit blend, blueberries, plum, poached strawberries on the glass edges, anise to black licorice, limestone minerals, steeped fruit teas, sweet tarriness, leathery notes, dry crushed rocks, moist clay, dry brush, dry herbs, dark liqueur notes, hints of graphite, volcanic minerals, dry top soil, expresso roast, vanilla, light, dark clove, touch of nutmeg, dark chocolate, mocha, caramel, coco powder, malt in malt balls, Asian spice, splash of soy sauce, a touch of black pepper, wood plank, withering & candied florals with violets & lavender. The acidity is like a fresh mountain stream. The long finish is; elegant, ripe, ruby, well balanced fruit & earth and persistent for days.

The 07 has 10-20 years of good drinking ahead depending on how you store & enjoy wine.

Photos of; their Estate vines as viewed from their patio terrace, the famous Napa Valley sign on Hwy 29 at sunset and a couple different shots of their member party.

This was a check in on the 2007 vintage. The 07 is still very youthful and fresh. It will be another 5 years until I open another. However, it was nicely polished and perfect to close out our main course.

The body is full, lush & thick. The tannins still pronounced, round but, firm, meaty and nicely tarry. The structure & tension say this wine will last another 15-20 years properly stored. The length & balance show the excellent craft of this producer and the quality of the 2007 vintage in Napa.

It showed; very dark currants, heavily extracted. blackberries, black raspberries, black plum with skin, sweet dark tarriness, lots used dark expresso grounds, some graphite, fresh tobacco, pleasant woodiness, crushed dry rocks, limestone minerals, alluvial soils, nicely layered baking spices, some mid dark spice, incense, light herbs and fresh, dark, red, purple florals. The acidity is round and nicely executed. The long, still big, ruby, lush finish is really beautiful. However, I forward to what the 07 down the road. It is worth the wait.

Photos of; the Estate vines as viewed from their terrace, old barrels that decorate their tasting lounge, tasting terrace and main lounge area as you walk past check in.

Bright ripe red fruit with dark berries that linger on. The acidity is well balanced but a bit firm, hints of vanilla in the tannins, that are velvety and mouthwatering. Full bodied wine.

Drank from a half bottle and it was at a really nice stage in its development. Great with bacon-wrapped steak!

Still very tannic and dense...a little too much grip. I say hold or decant several hours. Just a little coarse and graceless right now.