Arriving at the Joseph Phelps Vineyards in St. Helena, situated on the original hilly 600-acre cattle ranch Phelps acquired in 1973, I was immediately struck by the sight of approximately 500 sheep grazing in the meadow below. “ChatGPT counted 97 sheep per block,” said my host, Leslie Benjes, noting that both the sheep and the Great Pyrenees sheepdog had been brought in for the occasion.
Following the first generation of Napa Valley pioneers—among them Charles Krug, Chateau Montelena, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, and Beaulieu’s André Tchelistcheff, several of whom were associated with the 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting—a second wave of influential vintners emerged. As Benjes explained, “Joe [Phelps] was part of that second wave, the so-called Rat Pack, along with Joseph Heitz, Robert Mondavi and the Trincheros.” Phelps died in 2015, and the winery joined the LVMH portfolio in 2022.
Joseph Phelps Vineyards became best known for Insignia—the first proprietary Bordeaux-style blend from California. I tasted two Insignia vintages, 2019 and 2021, during the winery’s Tasting Experience ($350)—a five-course food-and-wine pairing led by Chef Matt Bordon. The menu featured bay scallops, Nordic halibut, morel mushrooms, ribeye steak, and finished with mandarin pavlova.
In the late 1990s, Phelps expanded to the windy, fog-swept western Sonoma coast, acquiring property eight miles from the Pacific Ocean and establishing Freestone Vineyards. Kistler, Littorai and Paul Hobbs were among the other pioneering wineries producing exceptional Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from high-altitude vineyards in demanding growing conditions.
The West Sonoma Coast AVA is wild and varied, defined by forests, hills and valleys, with hawks, falcons and bald eagles often visible overhead. It lies near the Russian River Valley and Fort Ross, where Russian fur trappers and loggers first arrived in California.
I stood at the top of Freestone’s Quarter Moon Vineyard, 690 feet above sea level—a steep, prime Pinot Noir site overlooking the Petaluma Gap below. Curiously, the vine rows were planted vertically up and down the hillside rather than across it.
“We hope one day to be certified as Freestone-Occidental, a sub-AVA, because the terroir is so biodiverse, with redwoods, oaks and coyote brush that bring a distinctive wild character to the wines,” said Justin Ennis, who has been at Freestone since 2007 and has served as chief winemaker since 2013. “Our Pastorale Vineyard has classic Goldridge soil, a rare mix of sedimentary seabed and Russian River moon dust—a powdery soil with excellent drainage.”
As we walked through the vineyards, Ennis compared the personalities of the Pinot Noir from his two single-vineyard sites. “Pastorale is more classic, fruit-forward and crowd-pleasing, while Quarter Moon is savory and spice-driven, with dark cherry and roasted shiitake notes,” he said.
As for Pastorale Chardonnay, he makes it in an approachable, fruit-forward style. “Not oxidized, with a creamy texture without being buttery,” Ennis explained, adding that it retains bright acidity.
My visit offered a full immersion into Freestone’s character: a falconry demonstration, a table set beneath a century-old oak tree in the vineyard, and a chef grilling salmon—the ideal pairing for Pinot Noir—as I tasted multiple vintages of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. People often say wine tastes best in the vineyard and becomes something else entirely once brought home. Not for me. Like the wine savant in the hit series Drops of God, I will carry those Western Sonoma Coast taste memories with me for years to come.
BARONESS RECOMMENDS
Freestone Vineyards Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2023 ($77) has vibrant raspberry, cherry and cranberry flavors with savory notes of sage and thyme and a mineral salinity on the finish. It’s an elegant cool-climate wine for which Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is known.
With floral aromas of violet and peony, Freestone Vineyards Pinot Noir Pastorale Vineyard 2023 ($125) has dominant red cherry and strawberry flavors with a layering of pomegranate and cranberry. With 100 percent Pinot Noir from the Pastorale Vineyard, the wine has integrated tannins and a bright acid structure and exceptional length on its sweet floral finish.
A savory structured wine, Freestone Vineyards Pinot Noir Quarter Moon Vineyard 2023 ($125) has concentrated black cherry and blackberry flavors with notes of cranberry and pomegranate adding a vibrant acidity. With firm tannins that bring it structure, texture and age worthiness, the wine showcases the darker side of Quarter Moon vineyard.
With the ideal 2024 growing season on the Sonoma Coast, Freestone Vineyards Chardonnay Pastorale Vineyard 2024 ($120) is bright and perfumed with lovely white flower and citrus aromas. There’s a subtle lemon-custard richness to the palate, yet it’s crisp and vibrant. The 100 percent Chardonnay finishes clean with a lingering citrus note and touch of salinity.
One of Napa Valley’s iconic wines, Joseph Phelps Insignia 2021 ($365) has aromas of hibiscus, wild blackberry and black cherry, and is rich and intensely concentrated. It’s a blend of over 90 percent Cabernet Sauvignon with small portions of Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc and is aged 24 months in 100 percent new French oak. It’s a masterpiece of a wine and received the highest scores from top critics.
