Winemaker Notes
The 2010 Syrah has aromas of sweet blackberry, fresh thyme, sage, cigar box, spicy black pepper and subtle hints of violet. A bold offering with bright fruit flavors of dark plum, chocolate and baking spices. Lush tannins lend to the brilliant texture and long, lingering mouth feel in this structured, yet elegant wine.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2010 Syrah is deeply expressive from the first taste. Blue and black fruit, grilled herbs, sage and rosemary all come together nicely in the glass. The 2010 is at times a bit rustic, but it has plenty of varietal character and excellent balance in its class. I expect the 2010 will drink nicely for a number of years.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a fine Syrah from a producer with a long history of success with the Rhône variety. It's inky and dark in color with a palate that's tannic and dry, with long, deep, spicy flavors of blackberries, grilled meat, black pepper and toasty oak. It will provide good drinking with grilled meats and stews.
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Wine Spectator
Offering an enticing core of rich, exotic dark berry, game, leather, pepper and espresso flavors, this classy Syrah finishes with clinging tannins.
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.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.