WTN: 1997 Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa)

WTN: 1997 Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa)
Very short decant off the considerable sediment.
Vibrant light ruby color with just a hint of clearing/fade at the rim. Fragrant nose with pleasant mint/eucalyptus. Nicely balanced red fruit of the non-bomb variety. Tannins integrated. Drinking pretty darn well at this point and I see no reason not to drink 'em if you got 'em.
This Phelps regular bottling was an automatic buy every year for me when it was priced at or below $20. When the price jumped quickly to the $40-$50 range, I stopped buying.
Wm.

Hmmmm... My boys pitched in and bought me a bottle of the '97 Phelps Insignia for Fathers Day a few years ago. I don't know how the two wines compare. I think I'll open it when they're all home from Iraq and I can have all 5 sons over for dinner.

Howie,
I've never had the 1997 Insignia, but the 1994 I had in 2004 or 2005 was stunning. Very shy at first, but blossomed after 60-90 minutes in the decanter. If that bottle is any indication, the 1997 should be in a very nice spot right about now. Hopefully, others with first hand experience will chime in.
Hope your boy(s) return home safely and soon.
Best,
Redwinger

Thanks Bill. I probably won't be able to get all the boys around the table until next Summer. Looking forward to that.

’97 was a fantastic year for California; a well stored '97 Phelps Insignia should hold up nicely. (Even another year I believe Howie, I have a case and a half of '97 home-made Zin still holding up nicely). Tonight I plan to open a ’97 Ravenswood Belloni Zinfandel Russian River Valley.

Salute

Howie,
I've never had the 1997 Insignia, but the 1994 I had in 2004 or 2005 was stunning. Very shy at first, but blossomed after 60-90 minutes in the decanter. If that bottle is any indication, the 1997 should be in a very nice spot right about now. Hopefully, others with first hand experience will chime in.
Hope your boy(s) return home safely and soon.
Best,
Redwinger

Bill and Howie,
I have both the '94 and '97 Insignias in my cellar still (it took me a bit longer to give up on the price escalation, Bill) and I agree that they're great, but don't underestimate how ageworthy they are, either. One thing I really value in the Insignia is its ability to develop substantial secondary and tertiary character with age, so I won't be opening up my '94 or '97 for another 10 years or so. YMMV, of course.

Mark Lipton