Joseph Phelps Insignia by John Ney
One of the most recent focals of Thomas Art is Insignia, produced by Joseph Phelps Vineyards.The NapaValley winery founded in 1972 is located in Spring Valley near St. Helena, not far from the former Christian Brothers Winery that is now home to the Culinary Institute of America.
Insignia's 1974 vintage was released in 1978 and was at the forefront of the now very popular trend of bottling wines produced utilizing a combination of the five varietals traditionally used in Bordeaux.This was taken a step further by marketing the product as a proprietary label instead of a varietals name such as the great Chateaus of France do with their famous Bordeaux.Now Insignia is forever celebrated in the Arvid work “Right Place, Right Time” which debuted earlier this year.
Producing a wine as outstanding as Insignia consistently with every vintage is not an easy task. Phelps has done their homework in research, studying the effects of “terroir” on the grape and the end result of the wine that it produces.Phelps has extensive vineyard holdings throughout NapaValley and western SonomaCounty.The elite regions of Napa Valley where they have vineyards reads like a “who's who” of California grape growing areas with holdings in Carneros, Stags Leap, Rutherford, Oakville, Oak Knoll and the eastern foothills.There are plans to build a second smaller winery located among the 80 acres of Pinot Noir and 20 acres of Chardonnay in the Freestone Vineyards in SonomaCounty.
Depending on the harvest and availability of high quality grapes, annual production varies between 65,000 and 85,000 cases.It is with great pride that over 90% of the grapes used in the Joseph Phelps line of wines come from estate owned vineyards.
Winemaker Craig Williams, a graduate of the prestigious University of California Davis with a degree in fermentation science, has been with Joseph Phelps since 1977.Utilizing technology and state-of-the-art techniques and under Williams watchful eye, production increased from 40,000 cases when he first started to over 100,000 cases by 1994.With their commitment to continuously strive for quality improvement and consistency, Williams and vineyard manager Bulmaro Montes have increased the use of grapes grown on estate-owned vineyards and reduced production so as to be able to maintain consistent quality.Last month, Williams was recognized as Winemaker of the Year at the Santa Fe Wine Festival.
Life has come full circle for founder Joseph Phelps.Born and raised on a farm, he is back farming again, but this time it's tending to vineyards and growing grapes.After attending college and a stint in the Navy during the Korean War, Joe Phelps returned to civilian life.His career path began by taking a small local company and guiding its expansion into one of the premier national contractors in the United States.
In 1972, Joe founded Joseph Phelps Vineyards, and the following year built the winery.As a former contracting executive, the structure housing the winery was of great importance.It was Phelps' philosophy that the winery had to project the same quality image of greatness that the wines crafted inside have earned.The gigantic winery was built with the same quality and attention to detail as his wines.It was architecturally designed so that the redwood structure was incorporated into the surrounding area.It boasts details such as the grand entrance featuring a Wisteria-covered trellis built of coveted 100 year old bridge timbers.The entire estate features panoramic views of not only the beautiful rolling hills in which the estate's vineyards lie, but Spring Valley, nearby St. Helena and to the west, the MayacamasMountains.
Today, Joe and his wife Lois, who herself is an accomplished cook and interior designer, live on a hill on the Spring Valley ranch, overlooking the winery.Joe appears to be quite thankful for his success and considers himself fortunate that he is able to combine the laid back and relaxed lifestyle of farming, with a love of wine and his lifelong commitment to quality.
The legacy of Joseph Phelps Vineyards is established with Joe's son Bill's return to NapaValley in 1998.An attorney by trade, Bill practiced law for over 20 years, specializing in the Investment Banking area.Bill is involved in various NapaValley area organizations in addition to the winery.
Day to day operations of the winery have been in the hands of President and CEO Tom Shelton for nearly ten years. Joe Phelps is adamant in giving credit to Tom and winemaker Craig Williams for “a dynamic renaissance of the Joseph Phelps brand.”Having lived in the Washington, D.C. area for many years, his interest in wine began with a part-time job at a wine shop during college.After graduating from the University of Maryland in 1975, Tom spent the next nine years in various positions in the retail and wholesale wine industry in the “DC” area.Then the career in the wine business was “kicked up another notch” in accepting a position with a national distributor of California wines, and he has been involved with California wineries ever since, the last thirteen years being with Joseph Phelps.
Tours and Tastings are by appointment only Monday-Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm and Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm.For more information, contact the winery directly at 707.963.2745 or visit their web site www.jpvwines.com.The winery is located just outside of St. Helena on Taplin Road, east of the Silverado Trail, about ¼ mile north of Zinfandel Lane.
Arvid Pieces Featuring Joseph Phelps Insignia:
Right Place Right Time
