Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Stemmy earth and dark, savory pine give in to sauteed mushroom and cinnamon in this lean, soft and delicious estate-grown wine. A tension of acidity buoys a backdrop of wild strawberry and cranberry on the palate, ending with just the right amount of weight and length, succulent to the end.
-
Wine & Spirits
Joseph Phelps made a significant bet on coastal pinot noir and chardonnay in 1999, stepping outside of Napa to develop 100 acres of vineyards in the fog-cooled hills near Freestone. Those vines now grow a polished and silky pinot, with sunny fruit sweetness that suggests candied cherries. Savory scents of vineyard dust and tea leaves contrast that juicy fruit, while citrusy acidity gives it a toned edge.
Joseph Phelps Vineyards is a family-owned winery committed to crafting world class, estate-grown wines. Founded in 1973 when Joe Phelps purchased a former cattle ranch near St. Helena in the Napa Valley, the winery now controls and farms nearly 375 acres of vines on eight estate vineyards in St. Helena, the Stags Leap District, Oakville, Rutherford, Oak Knoll District, Carneros and South Napa Valley. In 1999, the Phelps family added 100 acres of vineyard property near the town of Freestone on the Sonoma Coast, where Phelps now grows Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Phelps is best known for its flagship Napa Valley blend of red Bordeaux varietals, Insignia, first produced in 1974. Awarded Wine Spectator's "Wine of the Year" in 2005, Insignia is widely regarded as a qualitative benchmark for California winemaking.
The Sonoma Coast AVA is large in area but, not counting overlapping regions like Russian River Valley, only has a few thousand acres of grapevines—and it’s no wonder. Much of the region is rugged and not easily accessible. Its proximity to the Pacific Ocean’s fog and cool breezes limits the varieties that can be cultivated, but it proves to be an ideal environment for high quality Pinot Noir.
Since fog is a frequent fact of life here, as are heavy marine layers that sometimes bring rain, the best vineyards are wisely planted above the fog line, on picturesque ridges that capture enough sun to provide even ripening. That, with the overnight drop in temperature that reliably preserves acidity, results in fine expressions of Pinot Noir that often receive tremendous critic and consumer praise alike, and are often in high demand.