Joseph Phelps Backus Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
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Concentration was the defining characteristic of 2004 grapes in both color and flavor. The Backus Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon reveals generous flavors of dark fruit, black currant, graphite, baking spices, liquid mineral and dark rich chocolate. The wine lingers on the palate, is full of supple tannins and ends with a brilliant finish.
Blend: 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard, from a steep hillside site in the low end of the Vaca mountains, across from Rudd Vineyards and Screaming Eagle, boasts an inky/purple color along with remarkably sweet tannins, especially for Backus, which tends to be a forbiddingly backward style of Cabernet. It possesses broad, expansive flavors, an opulent, full-bodied palate and unreal length. One of the superstars of the vintage, it can be enjoyed over the next 20 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
It's impossible for a Cabernet to be richer, more opulent or more hedonistically stunning on opening than this beauty from veteran Phelps. Admittedly, there are significant tannins. But the wine delivers a broadside of the sweetest, ripest cassis fruit imaginable, along with richly toasted oak. It's the kind of Cab that will dazzle even an amateur. Absolutely gorgeous now, with immaculate elegance.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
There is a strong sense of muscle and fruity mass about this bottling right from the start, and, while it is not cast in the tough and sturdy style that is often the norm from Backus Vineyard, the wine is every bit as rich and well-filled as any of its noteworthy predecessors. It shows a pronounced trim of milk chocolate and vanilla running its length, but it is driven first and foremost by a generous and wonderfully constant measure of juicy, currant and black cherry fruit. Slightly grippy tannins make an eleventh-hour appearance and warn against hasty drinking, and, even if delicious now, it is a wine that will only get better.
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Wine Spectator
A deep, rich, profound Cabernet, with ripe, plush currant, black cherry and ripe plum fruit that's well-focused, supple and harmonious. This is intense and powerful, yet elegant and refined, with amazing structure, depth and length.
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Joseph Phelps Vineyards is a family-owned winery committed to crafting world class, estate-grown wines. Founded in 1973 when Joe Phelps purchased a former cattle ranch near St. Helena in the Napa Valley, the winery now controls and farms nearly 375 acres of vines on eight estate vineyards in St. Helena, the Stags Leap District, Oakville, Rutherford, Oak Knoll District, Carneros and South Napa Valley. In 1999, the Phelps family added 100 acres of vineyard property near the town of Freestone on the Sonoma Coast, where Phelps now grows Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Phelps is best known for its flagship Napa Valley blend of red Bordeaux varietals, Insignia, first produced in 1974. Awarded Wine Spectator's "Wine of the Year" in 2005, Insignia is widely regarded as a qualitative benchmark for California winemaking.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.