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All Wines from Joseph Phelps
Inventory updated: Wed, Sep 02, 2026 04:02 PM cst
Our vintages of Joseph Phelps wine currently include: 1989, 1998, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2021, 2022
Flickinger Fine Wines' inventory of Joseph Phelps wine is listed below. We have an excellent and vast assortment of fine wines to choose from. If you do not see what you are looking for, give us a call and we can suggest another Joseph Phelps vintage or even another producer that we are sure you will enjoy.
| Producer |
Vint. |
Wine |
Price |
Qty |
Order |
| | USA Red |
| Joseph Phelps |
2018 |
Backus Vyd. Cabernet Sauvignon  |
$259 |
1 |
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JD 97+ (12/2021): In contrast to the more open and seamless Insignia, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard is a beast of a wine based on 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, and 4% Malbec that saw the same two years in new barrels. More blackcurrants, black cherries, mulberries, graphite, crushed stone, lead pencil, and tobacco notes define the nose, and it's full-bodied, with an incredible depth of fruit and richness on the mid-palate, building tannins, and a great finish. With air, it picks up this intriguing, burning ember, iron, almost Hermitage-like character, yet it shuts down with extended air and becomes more tannic and unyielding. It's a brilliant wine, but the cellar is going to be your friend. It should hit full maturity in about a decade and will evolve for 30-40 years. 2,900 cases. (Drink between 2031-2061).
WA 96+ (7/2021): The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard is a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 4% Malbec, aged for 24 months in 100% new French oak. Deep purple-black colored, it soars out of the glass with notes of plum preserves, baked black cherries and crème de cassis, plus nuances of pencil shavings, bouquet garni, crushed rocks and unsmoked cigars with a touch of cardamom. The palate is full-bodied and seductively rich, delivering mouth-coating black and blue fruit preserves with loads of exotic spice accents and a velvety texture, finishing long with a refreshing herbal lift.
VM 96 (1/2022): The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard is a very pretty wine, but it also comes across as a bit compact. There is plenty of energy and drive if not quite the volume that is such a signature of this Oakville Cabernet. Time in the glass brings out layers of dark red/purplish fruit, rose petal, lavender and mint. The 2018 is a gorgeous wine in the making. Readers should expect a mid-weight, relatively restrained vintage of this flagship Phelps Cabernet. (Drink between 2025-2040). Antonio Galloni. |
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2021 |
Cabernet Sauvignon |
$89.99 |
12 |
|
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1989 |
Eisele Vyd. Cabernet Sauvignon Signs of Old Seepage |
$185 |
4 |
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1998 |
Insignia |
$219 |
1 |
|
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| WA 91 (12/2000): A great achievement, the 1998 Insignia (78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Merlot): is a fabulous wine from what was a far more challenging vintage. Approximately 18,000 cases were made, an amazing quantity in a year that produced far less promising raw materials. Evolved, with a saturated ruby/purple color, it possesses a sumptuous bouquet of smoke, cedar, licorice, and cassis. This full-bodied, fat, succulent effort reveals admirable purity and symmetry, and a soft finish with remarkably deep flavors that caress the palate. It can be drunk now as well as over the next 15-16 years. |
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2014 |
Insignia |
$445 |
12 |
|
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WA 97+ (10/2017): Composed of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc coming from six vineyards and reared for 24 months in 100% new French oak, the 2014 Insignia Proprietary Red Wine has a deep garnet-purple color and nose of crushed blackberries and fresh blackcurrants with touches of cigar box, sandalwood, dried lavender, beef drippings and mocha plus a waft of wild thyme. Medium to full-bodied and incredibly elegant and fine in the mouth, the lively fruit is well structured by grainy tannins and seamless acid, finishing long and earthy. 14,500 cases were made.
JS 97 (5/2017): The blackberry, dark-chocolate and walnut aromas are persuasive. Full body, a dense and fruity center palate and beautiful depth and intensity. The tannin texture is exceptional. Great wine. Drink in 2020 and onwards.
VM 97 (3/2018): The 2014 Insignia has turned out beautifully. Finely sculpted, nuanced and classic in structure, the 2014 is built on a core of energy and brightness. There is a level of purity and delineation in the flavors that is remarkable. Bright red cherry, lavender, rose petal and graphite add to the wine's sculpted personality. The 2014 is not an obvious or especially opulent Insignia, but rather a wine that makes its case with its impeccable balance. A closing flourish of bright, floral notes adds the final shades of nuance. Antonio Galloni.
JD 96 (12/2017): The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Insignia checks in as 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc and was brought up all in new oak. This beauty comes from six estate vineyards and offers a gorgeous bouquet of black raspberries, cassis, Asian spice and white chocolate. With full-bodied richness, a beautiful, opulent, yet balanced texture, sweet tannin, and a great finish, it's a gorgeous 2014 that's already hard to resist, yet will cruise for two to three decades in the cellar. |
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2022 |
Insignia |
$275 |
10 |
|
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WA 96 (10/2025): There are 10,400 cases of the impressive 2022 Insignia, a wine that has been entirely estate-grown since 2004. In a vintage impacted by an extended Labor Day heat wave, nearly two-thirds of the production came from the more shaded west side of Napa Valley, with harvest extending from September 7 through October 5. Scents of new suede, baking spices, loam and ripe cherries mingle easily on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is rich, expansive and velvety, becoming just a little bit more open-knit on the lengthy finish. While unlikely to be a long-lived, legendary Insignia, it's still a delicious, forward wine that should drink well for close to 20 years.
JD 95 (12/2025): Based on 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec, and 1% Cabernet Franc and aged 24 months in 100% new French oak, the 2022 Insignia offers ripe red and black fruits, smoky tobacco, chocolate, and Asian spice notes. It's a plush, full-bodied, round, layered Cabernet with sweet, ripe, present tannins, solid mid-palate depth, and a great finish. It brings beautiful mid-palate density, a sound, layered, balanced structure, and a great finish. This successful, impeccably made, quality 2022 is best enjoyed over the coming 20 years. There are 10,400 cases produced. Drink 2025-2045. (Drink between 2025-2045).
VM 94 (11/2025): The 2022 Insignia is dark, sumptuous and super expressive. Ripe black cherry, cedar, dried herbs, mint and lavender are all finely knit together. Most of the fruit in 2022 was from Banca Dorada and Las Rocas in Stags Leap, both cooler sites that fared better in this challenging vintage. Soft contours round things out in style. (Drink between 2027-2044). Antonio Galloni. |
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2015 |
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (1.5 L) |
$175 |
1 |
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JD 93 (12/2017): The only 2015 I was able to taste from this estate (I couldn’t visit due to the fires), the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon is 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot. Deeper and richer than the 2014 with gorgeous notes of black currants, plums, graphite, toasted spice and licorice, this beauty is full-bodied, supple and seamless on the palate, with fine, fine tannin and surprising freshness and purity. It’s a beauty, layered wine to drink over the coming 15-20 years. While I couldn’t visit at Joseph Phelps due to the fire, their 2014s (and a few 2015s) showed beautiful in my tastings in Colorado.
WA 91 (10/2017): Blended of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc, sourced from six vineyards, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon reveals a medium to deep garnet-purple color and nose of red and black currants, black raspberries and mulberries with hints of pencil shavings, cinnamon stick, cloves and vanilla pod. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has great freshness, with the vibrant, open-for-business fruit well supported by ripe, grainy tannins, finishing with good length.
VM 88 (1/2018): The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon is a pretty wine. There is good depth and density, but most of that happens at the outset, as the wine loses some of its persistence through the mid palate and into the finish. Ultimately, the shortcomings of the year can't be totally overcome. I would prefer to drink the 2015 sooner rather than later. (Drink between 2017-2023). Antonio Galloni. |
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2022 |
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon |
$78.95 |
6 |
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VM 92 (12/2024): The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) is terrific, especially for a wine of its level and production. Aromatic, medium in body and impeccably balanced, the 2022 is seriously impressive. It is perhaps a bit more floral and lighter than most years, but its balance and overall harmony are beyond reproach. This is a strong showing. New oak is 45%, 27% French and 18% American. (Drink between 2025-2032). Antonio Galloni.
JD 91 (1/2025): The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is based on 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Merlot brought up in French and American oak. Classy red and black fruits, vanilla oak, tobacco, and graphite notes all define the aromatics, and it's ripe, rounded, and nicely textured, with good mid-palate density and a good finish.
WA 90 (2/2025): The Joseph Phelps 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon is dominated by fruit from Yountville and Suscol; only 21% of the blend is from growers, as there's a push toward estate fruit. As always, there's some American oak in the mix, but that proportion is evolving downward. Redcurrants and cherries are joined by gentle dusty earth notes and hints of vanilla and cedar on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is a bit more dusty and drying than the 2021, yet it remains soft and approachable. With more than 30,000 cases produced, it should be widely available across the entire US. |
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