The Wine Club Sunday Tasting: New Releases from Joseph Phelps 2004/08/22

Year	Wine	Price	Rating
2002	Joseph Phelps Pastiche White, Napa Valley pineapple, a little bit of pickled taste, quite full body - so - ws	8.99	***
2002	Joseph Phelps Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley toasty oak, pear, acidic but pleasantly so, long finish. - so - ws	14.99	***
2003	Joseph Phelps Viognier, Napa Valley very fragrant apricot, sweet, mixed fruit, honeysuckle, refreshing, long finish - so - ws	23.99	****
2002	Joseph Phelps Chardonnay, Carneros roasted nut, butter, citrus, full body - so - ws	19.99	****
2001	Joseph Phelps Ovation Chardonnay, Napa Valley hidden nose, concentrated citrus, rather simple but long finish - so - ws	34.99	****
2001	Joseph Phelps Pastiche Red, Napa Valley This is a really bad wine. olive, spice, dill, licorice, mineral. The blend is 33% Grenache, 30% Mourvdre, 19% Syrah, 6% Merlot, 5% Carignane, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Alicante Bouschet. Probably all the junk that can't be used by themselves and put together in a bottle. It really has this garbage bag taste or feel to it. - so - ws	8.99	*
2001	Joseph Phelps Le Mistral, Napa Valley pepper, plum, very simple. The previous vintages of Le Mistral seemed to be better - so - ws	18.99	**
2001	Joseph Phelps Merlot, Napa Valley simple cherry, a bit of vanilla oak, tannic finish - so - ws	29.99	***
2001	Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley jammy blackberry, with a hint of blackk pepper, med to full body, long finish. - so - ws	38.99	****
2001	Joseph Phelps Insignia, Napa Valley very different nose from other vintages, more mature: chocolate, black currant, vanilla, full body, violet, complex, astringent finish. Definitely the best Insignia among those I've tasted: 96 - 2001. US$99.99 is pre-arrival price. It's likely to go up to $120 when released in Septemeber. This will definitely go to my Top 10 list of the year alongside 2001 Caymus Special Selection and 2001 Chateau Haut-Brion. - so - ws	99.99	*****
2001	Joseph Phelps Backus Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley Huge nose of wild flowers and creme de cassis, mixed herbs, jammy, but doesn't seem to evolve. Humble opinion: I think it lacks structure to age, giving a "thin", simple impression, although immensely enjoyable right now. Definitely not as interesting and complex as the 2001 Insignia. - so - ws	126.99	****