Joseph Phelps Backus 2003

Joseph Phelps Backus 2003

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  • Robert Parker rating 98
  • Vinous rating 92
Joseph Phelps Backus 2003
5 left

HED98013

75 cl

14.3%
£250.00
Taxes included.

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Joseph Phelps Backus 2003 is a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon red wine from the Napa Valley of California. Founded in 1973, Joseph Phelps Vineyards is family-owned winery celebrated for its commitment to crafting world-class, estate grown wines from Napa Valley and the Sonoma Coast. Backus is a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the red soils of the Oakville Corridor and eastern hillsides overlooking Screaming Eagle and Rudd Estate. On the 2003. "Blackberry, blueberry, crushed rock and white flower aromas soar from the glass of this stunningly rich, full-bodied wine. One of the most concentrated and potentially long-lived wines of the vintage, it is unquestionably a candidate for wine of the vintage. It is richer and more backward than the Insignia, but stunningly multidimensional, built like a skyscraper, and staggeringly profound. Wow! What an amazing wine. Forget it for another 4-5 years and drink it over the following quarter century." Wine Advocate, 2013
98 Robert Parker
The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard, from the red soils of the Oakville Corridor and eastern hillsides overlooking Screaming Eagle and Rudd Estate, is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Blackberry, blueberry, crushed rock and white flower aromas soar from the glass of this stunningly rich, full-bodied wine. One of the most concentrated and potentially long-lived wines of the vintage, it is unquestionably a candidate for wine of the vintage. It is richer and more backward than the Insignia, but stunningly multidimensional, built like a skyscraper, and staggeringly profound. Wow! What an amazing wine. Forget it for another 4-5 years and drink it over the following quarter century. For statisticians, the 2003 Insignia finished with 14.4% alcohol and the Backus, 14.3%.

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92 Vinous
Medium ruby-red. Cassis, bitter chocolate and a hint of eucalyptus on the nose. Juicy, intensely flavored and focused, with a lovely spine of acidity giving definition to the purple fruit flavors. Showing more cut than fat today, but this wine is hiding its underlying density of material and opulence. The tannins seem a bit rough today, but this was bottled just two months prior to my tasting.

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Founded in 1973, Joseph Phelps Vineyards is family-owned winery celebrated for its commitment to crafting world-class, estate grown wines from Napa Valley and the Sonoma Coast. Joe Phelps was a building contractor from Colorado who began investing in Napa Valley vineyards in the early 1970s, producing the first vintage of his now-famous "Insignia" in 1974 - one of the first super premium Bordeaux blends from Napa.

The current winemaker is Ashley Hepworth, who initially joined Joseph Phelps in 1999 as an intern. Alongside Insignia, Ashley and the team also make a number of varietal wines with the Freestone Vineyards Chardonnay being a notable high point.

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