Phelps: A Winery Makeover

Six years ago, winemaker Craig Williams faced up to a series of dilemmas that had left his Joseph Phelps Winery just another good Napa Valley winery without much of an identity--and with a list of wines longer than any other major premium winery.

Phelps made Chardonnays that were soft and awkward, lacking focus. The Napa Valley Zinfandel was good, but the Sonoma County Zinfandel, made from purchased grapes, was even better. The flagship Cabernet Sauvignon was hard and astringent and rife with curious aromas. The Riesling was soft and appealing, but how many people buy Riesling? Put simply, Phelps made too many wines in too many styles, including a number of red wines from Rhone grapes that were so erratic that from year to year no one could predict what they’d be like.

Today, after taking steps to solve problems in the winery and vineyard, and after making major changes in production, the Phelps winery stands on the threshold of a new era. The current wines are better than ever, and the soon-to-be-released wines are even more impressive.

Even two years ago, no one would have put money on this turnaround occurring, not with some of the odd wines Phelps had made. Moreover, with the long list of wines Williams was asked to make, there was little time for experimentation to make the necessary improvements.

This hurt the image of the Phelps winery, which was founded in 1973, when Joe Phelps bought a 200-acre parcel of land off the Silverado Trail. The winery immediately made headlines for its fine wines; in the 1970s and 1980s, the image of the winery was high. But in the last few years it has declined. In fact, a Los Angeles-area merchant once told me, “No one has come in and asked for a Phelps wine in two years.”

Today, Williams, who inherited the head winemaker position from Walter Schug a decade ago, admits he’s been through a transformation. He has trimmed the line of wines to a manageable number--though it is still larger than most fine wineries--and he has begun to focus on bringing more character to the remaining wines by making huge changes in production.

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“It started with changes we made in the vineyard,” says Williams. Too much grape production from some vineyards was leaving the wines hollow, so he planted test blocks of grapes on special “devigorating” rootstocks, which cut grape production by as much as 25%. He found that better wine resulted, so by 1988, he was tearing out older vines and planting more and more of Phelps’ acreage with roots that gave a smaller but better-quality crop. It was expensive, but it would pay dividends down the road.

Another step was identifying that a few of Phelps’ red wines, including the vaunted Insignia, a Cabernet-based blend, had a problem called brettanomyces. The horsey/leathery aroma in the wine was liked by some, but Williams knew it was like a ticking time bomb. He also knew that getting rid of “brett” wasn’t easy and would be expensive.

But winery owner Joe Phelps, a successful contractor from Denver, is in this game not so much for profit as to make great wine. He agreed to the rigorous cleanup campaign. It required the mass discarding of expensive French oak barrels and the implementation of a rigid cleanliness program to make sure the wines were protected from any form of spoilage.

Phelps also bought new equipment--a gentler crushing machine and a device that chills grape juice before fermentation--leading to better control over the wine. Williams and assistants Gary Brookman, Lisa Bishop and Damian Parker began to crush fewer tons of grapes per day. “We got rid of the panic days of harvest,” says Williams.

Winemaking changed too. There was less handling and processing of grapes and juice. Williams stopped adding sulfur dioxide to the grapes at a stage where once it had been considered mandatory. He stopped adding acid to the wine and instead altered picking dates to ensure that the wine would have enough acid off the vine. He kept press wine separate from “free run” juice and used it sparingly in final blends.

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He also solved the Syrah riddle that had plagued the winery for 15 years. Joe Phelps loves the variety, as he does all the red wines of the Rhone Valley. He has made Syrah since 1974, but some were strange and aged poorly.

In the early years, Williams says, the source of grapes changed often, from western valley floor to eastern valley floor to foothills. Only in the last four years has Williams found the grapes to make the best Syrah. Today Phelps’ “Vin du Mistral” wine, called “Le Mistral,” is a sublime example of a California/Rhone red with style, fruit, power and grace.

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What follows are tasting notes of wines that carry the Phelps name; a few also carry the Rhone-ish brand name of Vin du Mistral:

1991 Vin du Mistral Viognier ($25)--An intriguing aroma of flower blossoms and peaches, hints of nutmeg and cardamom, and a creamy finish. I feel this is the best Viognier in California.

1992 Chardonnay, “Los Carneros” ($16.50)--Hints of toast, citrus and pine; a roasted nut character in the taste with broad, buttery notes. Not as crisp as I prefer, but well made. This is the first Phelps’ Chardonnay from grapes entirely from the cool Carneros region, and it is better than past Phelps Chardonnays. (To be released in a few weeks.)

1992 Vin du Mistral Grenache Rose ($9)--Spectacular strawberry and orange peel aroma with rich taste and rewarding depth. Really a red wine in some ways, but with white wine texture--a most serious rose.

1992 Vin du Mistral Grenache ($9)--Similar to the above wine, but with more depth, color and intensity. A pomegranate-like aroma, with a dash of black pepper, fairly light in the mouth. The wine doesn’t need as much chilling as the rose. It offers Chateauneuf-du-Pape sort of character with the weight of a Beaujolais.

1991 Vin du Mistral “Le Mistral” ($15)--Similar to a Cotes du Rhone, with nuances of anise and roasted green peppers with a leafy aftertaste. Far superior to past vintages, with enough oak to let you know it’s there, not enough to rob the wine of fruit.

1991 Merlot, Napa Valley ($14)--With spiced herbs, cherries and a trace of earth, this wine has a weight that is appealing. Despite a big, chewy mid-palate, it ends with a graceful finish.

1990 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley ($17.50)--Vanilla/chocolate notes over a solid core of perfectly ripe (not overripe) black cherry fruit and spice. A marvelously scented and flavored wine with a lean finish. Should age well, but already is tasty. Superb wine.

1990 Cabernet Sauvignon, “Backus Vineyard” ($32)--Mint and a slight menthol-like note combine with black cherry, cassis and a roasted oak component to reward lovers of big-style Cabernets. This version of the Backus (always in demand by collectors) is better than in the past because of a more claret-like aftertaste. Powerful and graceful all at once.

1989 “Insignia” ($35)--Very rich, ripe, minty kinds of aromas with loads of black cherry and oak/earth tones in the finish. A round, rich and powerful wine that will reward long cellaring. Phelps’ Insignia was one of the first Meritage-type wines when it appeared in 1974. After a few awkward vintages, it is back to being great.

Wine of the Week

1992 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Farnese ($6.50) : Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, which takes its name from a grape native to Abruzzi, in central Italy, is often confused with the Tuscan wine Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, which is made from a different grape (Sangiovese) in a place called Montepulciano. The Montepulciano grape makes a lighter, less rich red wine than a Sangiovese and requires less aging. In fact, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, typically not aged in oak barrels, is best consumed young.

This wine was specially bottled for Lorenzo Scarpone, owner of Villa Italia Gourmet Foods and Wines of South San Francisco by a cooperative that has its own vineyards. “I didn’t want something full-bodied,” he says, “even though I know a lot of people like full-bodied wine. I want to have something that’s easy to drink with the pasta, even with seafood pasta, which is very popular today.”

The wine, which was not aged in oak, is delicious, with ripe, faint strawberry-like fruit and a lush and fairly rich taste. It works well with a wide variety of dishes even though it finishes typically tart. A few discount shops will have the wine for less than this list price. If you’re upset at the escalating prices of Chianti ($12 for simple Chianti), this is one excellent alternative.