St. Helena, CA, May 7, 2015—Joseph Phelps Vineyards is pleased to announce the appointment of Sam Burton to the position of Vice President and Director of Operations. Burton will have overall operational responsibility for the Phelps family’s estate vineyards and wineries, including the Joseph Phelps Vineyards in Napa Valley and Freestone Vineyards on the Sonoma Coast.
“We are honored to have someone of Sam’s caliber join our team,” said Bill Phelps, President of Joseph Phelps Vineyards. “His experience in vineyard and winery operations will be instrumental in keeping Joseph Phelps at the forefront of winegrowing excellence.”
A native of Australia, Burton graduated from the University of Adelaide with a degree in Agricultural Science with honors. He began his career as a viticultural consultant in Australia before coming to the U.S. to work first for Chalone and then Constellation Wines in vineyard operations and grower relations.
Most recently he oversaw all grape supply, both grower relations and the estate vineyards, for Diageo Chateau & Estates before being promoted to Director of North Coast Operations, overseeing all winery operations for the North Coast.
The hiring of Burton was a result of the Joseph Phelps management team’s work with wine industry executive search company The Cypress Group. Joseph Phelps Vineyards will open their renovated winery building in St. Helena this spring, after an extensive remodel.
About Joseph Phelps Vineyards
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 varieties, 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. Visit online at josephphelps.com, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Flickr and YouTube @JosephPhelps
