Joseph Phelps, founder of Joseph Phelps Vineyards, professes a life-long love affair with Burgundian varietals. Years of searching for the ideal soil and climate conditions to pursue his dream of crafting Burgundian-style wines, brought Phelps to Freestone, located in the Sonoma Coast AVA, only six miles from the Pacific Ocean.
Originally the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes were sourced from St. Helena, Yountville and Carneros in the Napa Valley, near the original Joseph Phelps Vineyards. By 1999, Phelps planted over 100 acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the Freestone area and constructed the Joseph Phelps, Freestone Vineyards Guest Center to showcase both the Sonoma Coast and the Napa Valley varietals.
Almost impossible to miss, the fire engine red building points the way to the Joseph Phelps, Freestone Vineyards Guest Center, situated on two and a half acres at the intersection of Bodega Highway and Bohemian Highway.
Guests are welcomed into the cottage-style tasting room and treated to a guided seated tasting. To best experience the Joseph Phelps Vineyards’ wines, I recommend the Insignia tasting which includes a crisp 2013 Sauvignon Blanc, St. Helena, a delightful Sonoma style 2012 Chardonnay, Freestone Vineyards, the luscious berry 2011 Pinot Noir, Quarter Moon Vineyard, an intensely bold 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley and the remarkable flagship 2005 Insignia, a Napa estate Bordeaux blend guaranteed to knock your socks off!
“Joseph Phelps was one of the great visionaries of Napa Valley. His legacy is one of extraordinary quality. He was one of the first to see the merit in blending, which his legendary Insignia, which first debuted in 1974, has proven year after year.
It remains one of the world’s finest Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blends. He also wasn’t content to just stay at home in Napa, but branched out with cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vineyards on the Sonoma Coast. Joe Phelps was a leader, and one of the greats of the wine world.” -Robert Parker
When in Napa Valley, visit the newly renovated original Joseph Phelps Vineyards in St. Helena. www.josephphelps.com