1984 Joseph Phelps, Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Bottle (750ml)

The 1984 Eisele Vineyard bottling of Cabernet Sauvignon from Joseph Phelps is another wine that puts down the assertion that the 1984 was one of the first ?modern, high octane? vintages in California, as this wine comes in at a svelte 12.9% alcohol. It is a very good wine that is still a bit youthful and really deserves further bottle age to allow it to completely blossom. The bouquet is complex, deep and very promising, offering up scents of cassis, dark berries, gentle tarry tones, eucalyptus, a touch of petroleum jelly, a fine base of dark soil tones and a nice framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and still sports a fair bit of backend tannin, with a fine core of fruit, good soil signature and grip and a long, nascently complex and quite promising finish. With more bottle age, this wine may blossom dramatically. (JG)" (May 2021)
Joseph Phelps, Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley