Phipps Family Cellars
2007 Rutherford Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon •Morisoli Borges Vineyards
California: Rutherford (Napa)
Mission Briefing
96 Points of Pride
Agent Red scored a stunner of a wine today! After Robert Parker and Wine Spectator both scored the 2007 vintage of Napa Cabs at 96+, Agent Red made it a personal mission to unearth some hidden gems from this outstanding vintage. And after reaching deeply into the library of our friends at Phipps Family Cellars, he might have discovered one of the best yet - today’s 2007 Rutherford Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is that good!
Today’s wine has aged beautifully and features a classic Napa Cab flavor profile - layers of concentrated dark fruit laid overtop hints of terroir and subtle spice. We highly recommend trying a bottle now, and then cellaring some for later, as this wine still has plenty of aging potential.
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Super dark, inky scarlet at the center of the glass, with a touch of a magenta at the rim. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | Very elegant on the nose, with reduced dark fruit of blackberry and plum mingling with soft tobacco, toasty oak spice, coffee bean, eucalyptus, and a touch of sage. |
| Taste: | Classic Napa Cab flavor profile, with braised dark fruit of black currant, blackberry, and black cherry laid overtop fresh berry bramble, saddle leather, tobacco leaf, black peppercorn, and a hint of blueberry. |
| Finish: | Soft and supple on entry, with a bit of acidity and firm structure, this is everything you expect from a top tier Napa Cabernet. |
| Pairing: | Pan fried ribeye with a blackberry and sage balsamic reduction drizzled overtop. |
What the Winery Says
Our 2007 Morisoli-Borges Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is an absolute show-stopper that reflects the extended growing conditions of this exceptional vintage, displaying an elegant lushness of flavor as well as a long, round, and lingering finish.
The power and elegance of the incredible 2007 vintage is augmented by the more classic impression of weight and perfect balance of the fruit. It is a vintage that offers much complexity early and will repay aging, but is already balanced and amazingly-well integrated.
A classic Rutherford wine, the 2007 PHIPPS Cabernet is concentrated and powerful, with a mix of cocoa & subtle coffee notes, dried currant and explosive dusty cherry-berry fruit that’s focused and persistent, ending with firm yet integrated tannins. Bone dry, it shows further herb-infused flavors of blackberries, spices, smoky sandalwood, and yes, the well-integrated tannins are very dusty like you would expect from a classic Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon.
- Winemaker
- Andrew Phipps
- Accolades
- 99 Point Vintage - Wine Spectator
- Appellation
- Rutherford, Napa Valley, California
- Vineyard
- Morisoli-Borges Vineyard
- Fruit Variety
- 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
- ABV
- 14.4%
About the Winery
Phipps Family Cellars (PFC) is a boutique winery that produces ultra-premium wines from some of the finest vineyards in the Napa & Sonoma Valleys. Phipps Family Cellars (PFC) was founded in 2004 with a desire to create small lot wines from coveted vineyards for memorable occasions. In 12 harvests, Phipps Family Cellars has grown from producing 350 cases of Zinfandel to over 3,500 cases of various varietals annually. In 2007, Phipps Family Cellars added the STATUS QUO label (our homage to André Tchelistcheff), and in 2015 our third label, the CALIFORNIA Wine Company was introduced to offer everyday-priced wines.
Winemaker Andrew Phipps
18 years of experience in the wine and beverage industry with expertise in national sales, marketing and fine wine production led Andrew Phipps to create Phipps Family Cellars.
Andy Phipps is a third-generation Californian who got bit by the wine bug during a semester abroad in France. Other than a scarf for his mom, all he brought back was a backpack full of his favorite wines from Bordeaux, St. Émilion and other famous wine regions.
Two short years later and after a brief career at Coca-Cola, Andy met the Cellar Master at Beaulieu Vineyard during one of his many day trips to the Napa Valley and was offered a position as a General Winery Worker. It was this position that would lead to the knowledge and understanding of the entire winemaking process.
Andy worked in the cellar, laboratory, on the crush pad & bottling line, and, briefly, under André Tchelistcheff, aka the Maestro, on experimental lots during André’s final year consulting and until his passing in 1994. This experience taught Andy the history & fundamentals of classic winemaking, attention to detail & cleanliness and the art of blending. In short, the BV Cellar taught him everything that he could possibly learn about grape-to-table fine wine production.