Winemaker Notes
Produced since 2005, the Joseph Phelps Freestone Vineyards Pinot Noir represents the "True" Sonoma Coast wine movement. In the late 1990's, a search for vineyards led Joseph Phelps Vineyards further West to the town of Freestone on the Sonoma Coast, where few vineyards existed at the time. The Pinot Noir grown here opens with floral aromas of red fruit and savory herbs, has balanced acid and tannin structure, and lingering boysenberry and cherry notes.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
So bright and energized, showing strawberries, dark cherries, spices and dried rose stems. Medium- to full-bodied with lively, linear acidity and a vivid finish. So delicious to drink. D
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Pinot Noir Freestone Vineyards has layered aromas of pomegranate, rhubarb, hibiscus and clove, plus undertones of mushroom and forest floor. The medium-bodied palate offers generous layers of fruit and oak spice that lure you back to the glass for another sip. It’s structured by silky tannins and lip-smacking acidity and has a long, pure finish.
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.