2014 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard (there's 4% Malbec in the blend) is a more opulent, hedonistic, and sexy wine compared to the Insignia and offers awesome notes of crème de cassis, earth, blackberries, toasted spice, graphite and truffle. With a full-bodied, opulent profile, ripe tannin, and a stacked mid-palate, it's one of those wines that has the richness and fruit profile to deliver incredible pleasure in its youth, yet the balance and depth to keep for 2-3 decades. While I couldn’t visit at Joseph Phelps due to the fire, their 2014s (and a few 2015s) showed beautiful in my tastings in Colorado.

Bottled in January 2017, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard is a blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Malbec and was aged in 100% new French oak. It has a deep garnet-purple color and is scented of blackberries, black cherries and kirsch with nuances of dark chocolate, espresso, sautéed herbs, dusty earth and cedar. Full-bodied, big, rich and densely packed with red and black fruits, it has a wonderful frame of fine-grained tannins and great freshness, finishing long with some exotic spice notes coming through. 1,900 cases were made.

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard is just as impressive as it was last year. Gravitas and pure power are two of the signatures. The flavors are intense and dark, with plenty of black cherry, plum, smoke, licorice and menthol overtones. Size and weight make the Backus one of the bigger, richer 2014s I have come across so far.