About this winery
In the late 60s, Joseph Phelps was running one of the largest construction companies in the U.S. when he won the bid to build Souverain Winery (now Rutherford Hill) located a few miles outside of St. Helena. Enamored with the beautiful Napa Valley and contemplating a career change, in 1973 he bought the 600-acre Connolly cattle ranch in Spring Valley, and began planting vineyards. The winery was completed in 1974 and that same year the first Syrah was made, the first grapes were crushed at the...
See the JOSEPH PHELPS detail page for more information on this brand
Notes about product
The 2018 growing season in Napa Valley was marked by cool, mild weather. The cooler than normal spring delayed budbreak, bloom and veraison by two weeks compared to the previous several years. The mild weather pattern in August and September allowed for an extended hang time during harvest allowing exceptional and complex flavor development and overall fruit quality for the vintage.
Production notes
The wine was aged for eighteen months in 40% new oak (49% French, 51% American) and 60% one- to two-year-old French and American barrels before bottling. The coopers included Ermitage, François Frères, Demptos (French & American), Canton (American), Dargaud Jaegle, Orion and Taransaud. A wine of great energy, length, and finesse, 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon opens.
Tasting notes
A wine of great energy, length, and finesse, 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon opens with floral notes, cedar and pencil shavings followed by ripe blackberry, cassis and red currant jam. Fresh and focused with pleasing acid and tannin structure building tension along the palate to the lingering finish.