Celebrating a Pinot Noir winemaking tradition at Joseph Phelps Vineyards
St. Helena, CA, November 17, 2016 —Joseph Phelps Vineyards is pleased to announce the release of its tenth vintage of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir produced from the winery’s estate in Freestone, CA. Marking a decade of Sonoma Coast winemaking, the 2014 Joseph Phelps Pinot Noir, Freestone Vineyards bottling is a blend of the two Phelps estate vineyards: 51% from the Quarter Moon Vineyard and 49% from the Pastorale Vineyard.
Located just six miles from the Pacific Ocean, the Phelps family purchased a 200-acre former dairy farm near the town of Freestone in 1999. Soon thereafter, 100 acres of vines were planted, 80 acres of Pinot Noir and 20 acres of Chardonnay, followed by the construction of a state-of-the art, gravity-fed winery dedicated to the production of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
“In the late 1990s, our family spent a considerable amount of time searching for an ideal location to grow Pinot Noir and Chardonnay along the Sonoma Coast,” said Bill Phelps, Executive Chairman of Joseph Phelps Vineyards. “At that time, Freestone was a relatively unknown area for grape growing. Our two vineyard locations, Quarter Moon and Pastorale, have matured over the last decade to produce wines of great quality and consistency. The wines from the 2014 vintage are incredibly distinctive, highlighting the unique characteristics of this winegrowing region.”
Joseph Phelps Vineyards has a long history with both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The winery’s inaugural 1973 vintage included Pinot Noir, followed by the production of Chardonnay in 1974. Phelps produced Pinot Noir from several vineyard sources in Napa Valley and Sonoma under the direction of founding winemaker Walter Schug until 1983, and continued Chardonnay production from those regions until the early 2000s. The inaugural vintage of Pinot Noir from the winery’s estate in Freestone was crafted from the 2005 vintage. Chardonnay production began in 2006. The 2014 vintage Sonoma Coast wines were produced under the winemaking leadership of Justin Ennis.
“2014 was an exceptional vintage for us in Freestone. Given the dry spring and summer weather, the vineyards produced Pinot Noir clusters with much smaller berries,” stated Justin Ennis, Sonoma Coast Winemaker at Joseph Phelps Vineyards. “As a result, we saw great concentration of flavor and color, producing high quality wines with long-term aging potential.”
The current Sonoma Coast wine releases from Joseph Phelps Vineyards:
- 2014 Pinot Noir, Freestone Vineyards, Sonoma Coast – 100% estate-grown Pinot Noir from the Freestone Vineyards, including 51% Quarter Moon Vineyard & 49% Pastorale Vineyard. SRP: $55.00
- 2014 Chardonnay, Freestone Vineyards, Sonoma Coast – 100% estate-grown Chardonnay from the Freestone Vineyards. SRP: $55.00
- 2013 Pinot Noir, Pastorale Vineyard, Sonoma Coast – 100% estate-grown Pinot Noir from the Pastorale Vineyard. SRP: $75.00 (Winery exclusive wine)
- 2013 Pinot Noir, Quarter Moon Vineyard, Sonoma Coast – 100% estate-grown Pinot Noir from the Quarter Moon Vineyard. SRP: $75.00 (Winery exclusive wine)
- 2014 Chardonnay, Pastorale Vineyard, Sonoma Coast – 100% estate-grown Chardonnay from the Pastorale Vineyard. SRP: $75.00 (Winery exclusive wine)
Visiting Joseph Phelps Vineyards
Joseph Phelps Vineyards offers a variety of tasting experiences seven days a week by prior appointment at their recently renovated historic winery in Napa Valley. To learn more, please visit www.josephphelps.com.
Thanksgiving Holiday Recipe
In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday season, Allie Phelps, granddaughter of winery founder Joe Phelps, has reinvented her family’s traditional stuffing recipe to pair with the newly released 2014 Joseph Phelps Pinot Noir, Freestone Vineyards, Sonoma Coast. A link to the recipe may be found on the winery’s website: www.josephphelps.com/reinvented-phelps-family-holiday-stuffing.
About Justin Ennis, Winemaker, Sonoma Coast
Justin Ennis joined Joseph Phelps Vineyards in 2007 as Cellarmaster in Freestone, after nine years as Cellarmaster for William Selyem Winery in Healdsburg, as well as Harvest Supervisor and Cellarmaster for wineries in New Zealand and Argentina, respectively. Justin was promoted to Assistant Winemaker in 2011 and is responsible for all day-to-day winery activities at the Freestone estate, working in all aspects of Sonoma Coast Chardonnay and Pinot Noir production for Joseph Phelps Vineyards. In February 2014, he was promoted to Winemaker. To further his education, Justin has taken numerous extension classes at U.C. Davis over the years, focusing his efforts on viticulture and winemaking.
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, the winery now controls and farms 390 acres of vines in Napa Valley on eight estate vineyards in St. Helena, the Stags Leap District, Oakville, Rutherford, Oak Knoll District, Carneros and South Napa. In pursuit of an ideal location to grow Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, in 1999 the Phelps family purchased land near the town of Freestone on the western Sonoma Coast, planted 100 acres of vineyards, and built a dedicated winery. Phelps is best known for its flagship wine, Insignia, a Napa Valley blend of red Bordeaux varieties first produced in 1974. The winery offers a variety of tasting experiences seven days a week by prior appointment. More information can be found at www.josephphelps.com.
