A benchmark Napa Cabernet from one of California’s most celebrated estates. The 2022 vintage opens with vibrant black cherry, cassis, and pomegranate, layered with cedar, tobacco, cocoa, and hints of fresh herbs. Plush and full-bodied yet beautifully balanced, it offers silky tannins, lively acidity, and a long, spiced finish. With critical acclaim and wide availability, this wine delivers both power and finesse—enjoy now or cellar for a decade.

Jamessuckling.com | JS 94
Published: Jul 2, 2025

Bright, lifted, black and red fruits with aromas of dark cherries, damson plums, cedar box and fresh herbs. The full-bodied palate has a supple, rounded mouthfeel and softly integrated tannins. 91% cabernet sauvignon with smatterings of the other main Bordeaux varieties. Lively and approachable yet plush with plenty of years ahead. Drink or hold.

Decanter | D 93
Published: Feb 28, 2025
Drink: 2025-2034

The 2022 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon is a beautifully composed wine. It offers precise Bing cherry and blackberry fruit layered with spiced plum aromatics, tobacco, sage, and a fragrant ironstone mineral character. The palate is plush and juicy, with satiny tannins and a sweetly spiced finish. It was aged for 16 months in 48% new oak (50% French, 50% American) and 52% used French and American oak barrels before bottling.
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 14.50%
Body: Medium
Oak: Oaked
Grapes: 2% Cabernet Franc 91% Cabernet Sauvignon 4% Petit Verdot

The Wine Advocate | RP 90
Published: Feb 27, 2025
Drink : 2025-2035

The Joseph Phelps 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon is dominated by fruit from Yountville and Suscol; only 21% of the blend is from growers, as there's a push toward estate fruit. As always, there's some American oak in the mix, but that proportion is evolving downward. Redcurrants and cherries are joined by gentle dusty earth notes and hints of vanilla and cedar on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is a bit more dusty and drying than the 2021, yet it remains soft and approachable. With more than 30,000 cases produced, it should be widely available across the entire US.

This was my first opportunity to sit down and taste with Senior Director of Winemaking Ryan Knoth, who took over from Ashley Hepworth in March 2023. His previous winemaking experience includes stints at Sinegal, Gondola and Staglin. "It's a 50-plus year legacy I'm trying to build on," he said. "And changes I want to make will be subtle."

The biggest thing, said Knoth, is that "from 2023 on, everything will be estate fruit—even the Napa Cabernet. We're starting on a regenerative agriculture approach here at the home property and focusing more on quality."

Vivino.com | Vivino 4.4

Aromatics of plum, cherry, currants, coffee, cocoa and hints of allspice, fresh thyme, tobacco and forest floor. The body is laced with integrated tannins, great freshness and red fruit characteristics.

Josephphelps.com

The wine shows impressive density while maintaining elegance, supported by well integrated tannins that provide structure without overwhelming. This is a wine of both power and finesse.

- 2022 - 

TASTING NOTES Our Cabernet Sauvignon opens with an enticing bouquet of black and red fruits - juicy black cherry intertwined with fresh pomegranate and bright cassis. Notes of
cedar spice and toasted coconut add intrigue and sophistication to the aromatic profile. On the palate, layers of raspberry compote and dried wild berries unfold across a full-bodied frame. The wine shows impressive density while maintaining elegance, supported by wellintegrated tannins that provide structure without overwhelming. This is a wine of both power and finesse.

GROWING SEASON The 2022 vintage began with mild weather and early budbreak, which ranged from late March to early April. The weather was sunny and mild through August until a heat event in the first week of September, which brought several days of temperatures over 110 oF to most of Napa Valley. This extreme heat meant that there was very little time between the white grape and red grape harvests. We began picking reds on September 9th and ended on October 5th. Careful fruit selection using our optical sorters
was a crucial tool in maintaining excellent wine quality.