2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard
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Tasting notes
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%. Tel. (707) 963-2745; Fax (707) 963-4831
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
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.
Good medium ruby. Slightly reduced aromas of black fruits, game, menthol and licorice. Dense and brooding, with primary berry flavors complicated by minerals, licorice and gravel. Today this comes across as fatter and sweeter-not to mention broader-than the 2003 Insignia, but it's not at all heavy. Finishes with huge, mouthcoating tannins that will benefit from further time in oak. Showing very well today, but this wine, too, will require substantial bottle aging.
About the producer
California winery Joseph Phelps is best known for its flagship Insignia cuvée, one of the first and finest proprietary red wines in the Napa Valley.