1985 | Joseph Phelps | Eisele

Offering up a superb bouquet of cassis, sweet dark berries, eucalyptus, cigar ash, espresso, a beautiful base of soil tones, a nice touch of vanillin oak and a topnote of chipotle pepper. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, ripe and complex, with a great core of black fruit, fine soil undertow, moderate, seamless tannins and a long, beautifully balanced and tangy finish.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The backward 1985 Eisele Vineyard is marvelously concentrated, but extremely tannic and at least 5-10 years away from full maturity. Impressively endowed, well-focused, dense, powerful, thick, and tannic, this wine leaves little doubt that the extract, ripeness, and quantity of fruit are more than sufficient to balance out the wine's tannic ferocity. This is a huge, massive, stunningly proportioned Cabernet Sauvignon that should hit its stride by the turn of the century and last for two decades.

• John Gilman: The 1985 vintage of cabernet sauvignon from the Eisele Vineyard is everything one might expect from the confluence of Joseph Phelps at the absolute top of their game and a great vintage. The wine is quite ripe by the vintage’s rather 'cool' standards, coming in listed at 13.5 percent octane and offering up a superb bouquet of cassis, sweet dark berries, eucalyptus, cigar ash, espresso, a beautiful base of soil tones, a nice touch of vanillin oak and a topnote of chipotle pepper. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, ripe and complex, with a great core of black fruit, fine soil undertow, moderate, seamless tannins and a long, beautifully balanced and tangy finish. This is certainly drinking well today, but a few more years in the cellar will be beneficial, as there is still a bit of backend tannin to soften up here and probably, yet another layer of complexity to unfold! Great juice.

Producer Information

Joseph Phelps is one of Napa Valley's most prominent wine producers. As is the case with many of Napa's most famous producers, the key grape variety here is Cabernet Sauvignon. The iconic redwood winery is located just outside of St Helena. The company owns vineyards across Napa, notably in Stags Leap, Oak Knoll, Rutherford and Oakville. The estate was established in 1973 with a first release of three wines. Joseph Phelps was running a construction company in Colorado and had come to Napa for a project and had fallen in love with the wine industry there. After importing grapes back to Denver for vinification for a time, he bought a cattle ranch in the valley and began planting vineyards. Joseph Phelps' flagship wine is Insignia, which made its debut in 1974. This is a blend based on Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller amounts of other Bordeaux varieties. The precise components vary with each vintage. Current options are Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. The company hopes to replant some Merlot for future vintages. Phelps' aim was to move away from varietal labeling and create a wine that could be different every year, depending on what the vintage called for. It is one of Napa's so called cult Cabernets, and several vintages have been awarded 100 points by noted wine critic Robert Parker. From 2004 Insignia is made entirely from estate grown fruit. Outside of Insignia, Joseph Phelps makes a large portfolio of wines. Fruit for these is sourced both from estate vineyards and partner growers. The line up ranges from single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon wines to more approachable varietal wines made from classic California varieties. These include Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Sauvignon Blanc. Fruit for some of these comes from vineyards along the Sonoma Coast. Older wines may feature other AVAs.

DISCLAIMER** This is a single item listing unless otherwise noted in the description. Retailer advises either in stock or in route to their location. Usually ships within one to four business days. Longer processing times may occur especially around holiday(s). Some items may become backordered or delayed without notice due to demand & will ship out upon arrival. Overseas 700ml products typically have longer processing/transit times. You can always verify product availability by calling 1-888-548-0333. Please refer to our cancellations & returns agreement or reach out to our support team at help@caskcartel.com for any additional questions.

Our dedicated team specializes in creating personalized shopping experiences. If you’re looking for a specific item or collection that isn’t appearing on our marketplace, please reach out to us at concierge@caskcartel.com or fill out the product inquiry form and one of our dedicated team members will be in touch.  Whether it’s a product you’ve experienced while traveling or a rare, hard to find item you’ve been searching for, we have an established global network of retailers with the ability to locate and source the rarest and hardest to find products.