Joseph Phelps Insignia (750ml)

Before Joe Phelps became a vintner in the early 1970s, he’d built a successful career as a construction engineer. Before graduating from Colorado State University, Joe had many different jobs; a newspaper carrier, print shop owner, filling station attendant, fishing lure purveyor, surveyor, and estimator.However it was in construction that Joe first made his mark, building the company his father had founded, Hensel Phelps Construction Company, into one of the largest and most successful construction companies in the U.S. in little more than a decade.

In March of 1973, Joe took possession of the 600 acre cattle ranch on the east side of St. Helena, wasting no time laying out and planting 100 acres of vineyards with the help of Walter Schug- hes first hired winemaker. They planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Riesling, and Gewurztraminer. Today the Phelps family owns and farms 425 acres of vines in Napa Valley on nine estate vineyards in St. Helena, Rutherford, Oakville, Stags Leap District, Oak Knoll District, South Napa, and Carneros. Each vineyard has its own personality and brings a different characteristic to the wines. Their philosophy is to maintain, preserve and (where possible and appropriate) ecologically enhance the natural vineyard environment.