Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

This Californian red blend is ripe with a bright ruby red colour. The nose is intense with aromas of blackberry and damson fruit. In the mouth it is full and round, medium-bodied and loaded with fruity notes of ripe cherries, berries and plum combines with flavours of cedar, sandalwood and coffee. Ripe tannins and a good acidity gives backbone to this wine which finishes long and fruity.

Wine Spectator: 93
A freshly plowed humus note pokes out first, with further coaxing in the glass revealing dense black currant, fig and blackberry paste flavors. On the back end, bittersweet cocoa and espresso crema notes give this a dark, slightly rugged persona, but should smooth out with some brief cellaring. For fans of the toasty style. Best from 2025 through 2040.

Wine Advocate: 93
There should be around 30,000 cases of the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon. Tasted as a final blend, taken from tank, it reveals plenty of cherries, plus a backdrop of darker, riper fruit flavors, like cassis and blueberry. There's the requisite cedar and vanilla, from aging in oak, but it's balanced. In the mouth, the wine is medium to full-bodied, silky-velvety smooth and easy to drink, plush without being creamy or overdone, with a long, mint-accented finish.

Wine Advocate: 93

There should be around 30,000 cases of the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon. Tasted as a final blend, taken from tank, it reveals plenty of cherries, plus a backdrop of darker, riper fruit flavors, like cassis and blueberry. There's the requisite cedar and vanilla, from aging in oak, but it's balanced. In the mouth, the wine is medium to full-bodied, silky-velvety smooth and easy to drink, plush without being creamy or overdone, with a long, mint-accented finish.

Wine Enthusiast: 94
This powerful, densely packed wine bursts with aromas of late-picked blackberries, blueberries and cassis that give way to bold black fruit and dark-chocolate flavors accented by cloves, black pepper and cedar. The tannins are full and firm, needing several years to mellow for best enjoyment.

Vinous: 93
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) is shaping up to be a tremendous value, by Napa Valley standards. Expressive savory and spice notes meld into a core of dark red fruit, leather, spice and menthol. This deep, fleshy Cabernet Sauvignon delivers the goods in a bold, punchy style that will be an absolute joy to taste over the next 10-15 years.

James Suckling: 94
Blackcurrants, spiced cedar and dark spices with bark undertones. Full-bodied with very fine, velvety tannins. Textured and compact with a firm, lingering finish. Tight at the end. Needs time to open.

Jeb Dunnuck: 92
Coming mostly from the estate (70 acres), the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is based on 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Merlot. Bottled in March of this year, it has a deep ruby/purple hue to go with a pure, ripe, seamless, medium to full-bodied profile as well as ample cassis and darker raspberry-like fruits, classic tobacco, and spicy, chocolaty oak.

Jeb Dunnuck: 92

Coming mostly from the estate (70 acres), the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is based on 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Merlot. Bottled in March of this year, it has a deep ruby/purple hue to go with a pure, ripe, seamless, medium to full-bodied profile as well as ample cassis and darker raspberry-like fruits, classic tobacco, and spicy, chocolaty oak.