My faith in the cellar worthiness of Napa cabs has been shaken lately. In the last month, wines from reliable houses like Lail, Pine Ridge, and even Duckhorn had fallen apart before hitting age 10.
At age 15, however, this Phelps Cabernet was still going strong. Along with the tasty 20 year old Silver Oak from last night and the 1999 Silver Oak from a couple of weeks ago, this Phelps wine reaffirms my belief that there are still a handful of Napa estates producing wines that can compete with those of Bordeaux when it comes to being worthy of extended cellaring.
To be sure, the softness of the tannins suggested that it was in prime drinking age, but there was still plenty of dark fruit and structure to support a few more years of aging. Cassis, black cherry, prunes, and a tad of some earthy mushrooms. Yum. Grade: A-
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