| The Winery History Winery Biographies Video Clips |
| Winery Biographies Bio of Joe Phelps Bio of Bill Phelps Bio of Tom Shelton Bio of Craig Williams Bio of Damian Parker Bio of David Lockwood Bio of Mike McEvoy Bio of Ashley Hepworth |
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| Joseph Phelps was born on a farm and spent his early years as a
working member of a farm family. In college, he studied engineering
and construction management while working intermittently as a construction
estimator. Graduation was followed by three years as a naval officer
in the Pacific during the Korean conflict. Upon return to civilian life, Phelps began a first career that included presiding over the expansion of a small local firm into a nationally prominent construction organization, recognized as a leader in its field. In 1972 and 1973, Joe established the business and built the winery which bears his name, and which over the years has become identified as one of the most respected benchmarks of California wine quality. The transition from construction executive to winegrower may appear to many as an unlikely career change, but to Phelps it is simply a logical full circle return to earlier priorities. "I'm very fortunate," he muses. "I've been able to combine the relaxed and less demanding life style of farming with a fulfilling commitment to quality and a lifelong affection for fine wines." Joe resides on the Spring Valley ranch on a hill overlooking the winery. 
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| On November 3rd, 2005, Joe Phelps announced that he was stepping
down as Chairman of Joseph Phelps Vineyards and asked the Board of
Directors to elect his son, Bill Phelps, to replace him. The following
day the board elected Bill the new Chairman, with Joe retaining the
title of Chairman Emeritus. Bill has spent the last eight years representing the Phelps family in the partnership between family and management — an arrangement that has contributed much to the winery's success. He has also developed and implemented long-term strategic plans for the winery and vineyard operations, and taken an active role in the company's new ventures in western Sonoma County. As Chairman, Bill is committed to both preserving and building upon his father's visionary ideas in order to maintain the winery's leadership position in the years ahead. Bill moved to the Napa Valley in 1998, after practicing law for 20 years, primarily in the investment banking industry. Born in 1954, he is a graduate of Colorado College and the University of California's Hastings College of Law. Bill also works with his father in a variety of business interests, and serves on the boards of the Land Trust of Napa County and the Community Foundation of the Napa Valley. He is also President of Stone Bridge Cellars, Inc., a holding company for Joseph Phelps Vineyards. Bill lives in St. Helena with his wife Andrea and their two children, Allie and Will. Back to Top |
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| In December of 1995, Joe Phelps announced the appointment of Tom
Shelton as President and Chief Executive Officer of Joseph Phelps
Vineyards. Tom joined the winery as Vice-President and National Sales Director in 1992, and in December of 1995 was appointed President and Director of Sales and Marketing. Upon announcing Tom's promotion, Joe Phelps credited the collective efforts of both Tom and winemaker Craig Williams for "a dynamic renaissance of the Joseph Phelps brand." A 1974 graduate of Wake Forest University with a Bachelor's Degree in Politics, Tom began his graduate studies in Political Science at the University of Maryland in 1975. His interest in fine wines began during this time with a part-time position in a Washington DC wine store. As a sales representative for Quality Brands in Maryland from 1975 through 1978, Tom acquired an understanding of the wholesale tier of the wine industry but in 1978 returned to retailing by opening, along with a partner, a new wine store in Towson, Maryland. In 1984, the opportunity to join Vintage Wine Merchants, a highly respected national distributor of fine California wines, provided Tom's first wine supplier experience. As the Mid-Atlantic Regional Sales Manager for Vintage Wine Merchants, Tom worked with fine wine distributors from New Jersey to North Carolina. In 1986 he was promoted to Eastern Divisional Manager and later in the same year was invited to move his family to San Francisco, California to take over the position of National Sales Manager. Before joining Joseph Phelps Vineyards in 1992, Tom held the position of Vice-President and Director of Sales for both Franciscan Vineyards and Guenoc Winery, respectively. Since joining Joseph Phelps Vineyards, Tom has played an active role in wine industry issues. He served on the board of directors of the Napa Valley Vintners Association from 1996-2000 and served as President of the trade organization in 1999. As one of the founders of Free the Grapes, Tom has endorsed reform of the mandatory three-tier system of wine distribution in the United States. He has also served the Napa Valley as a representative to the board of directors of the Wine Institute, and is active with the Coalition for Free Trade. Tom was appointed to the Napa County Watershed Oversight Committee and continues to serve on the board of the Napa County Watershed Information Center. He has a particular interest in the issue of migrant farmworker housing. With over 30 years in the wine industry, Tom enjoys the benefit of experience at every level of the three-tier system for wine distribution. When not "on the road," Tom resides in Calistoga with his wife, Laurie, where he enjoys the ongoing challenges offered by Bryan, Jonathan, Jessica, Trevor and Camille. He takes great comfort in his vintage Martin guitar and faithful standard poodles, Django and Bella. 
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| A 1975 graduate of U.C. Davis with a degree in fermentation science,
Craig has been instrumental in Joseph Phelps Vineyards' growth and
development for almost three decades. He joined the winery in 1976
to assist then-winemaker Walter Schug, took over red wine production
in 1980, and was officially promoted to winemaker in charge of all
wine production when Schug left to start his own winery in 1983. Respected among his peers for his soft-spoken manner, quiet dedication, and commitment to excellence, Williams is one of California's foremost winemakers. When asked what are the most significant changes he has observed over the years, he answers, "We went through a challenging period during the late 80's and early 90's where we were having trouble with consistency in some of our grape sources. But beginning in 1989, the redevelopment of estate-owned vineyards in Carneros, Stag's Leap, and the Rutherford Bench, as well as the development of new vineyards in south Napa, Oakville and Oak Knoll, gave us the raw materials we needed to launch a new era in the quality of JPV wines. It was also the first step in implementing a plan to shift our production primarily to domaine-based, red Bordeaux varieties — a plan that is much closer to being realized after the record amount of Cabernet harvested from the 2005 vintage." When asked what he envisions giving him personal satisfaction in the years to come, it is clearly the new Sonoma County project in Freestone. "As an agricultural member of the Freestone community, I am most interested in helping guide our company through the process of responsible, environmentally-sensitive vineyard and winery development in Sonoma. Our success depends on being good environmental stewards as well as achieving quality in the vineyards." Craig would readily admit that what makes this goal attainable is the ability of his staff to work as a team and place problem solving above individual egos. What he perhaps would be more reluctant to acknowledge is the leadership role he has played in making this possible. Craig lives in St. Helena with his wife, Robin, and their children, Maureen and Gavin. 
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| Damian began working for JPV in 1981 as bottling line supervisor,
and in 1990 was promoted to cellarmaster, a hands-on job overseeing
the day-to-day winemaking operations. In 1994 he became production
supervisor, with the added responsibility of planning and scheduling
production department activities, and in 1997 he was promoted to Vice-President
in charge of production. A graduate of Healdsburg High School in Sonoma County, Damian moved around a lot in his youth, living in North and South Dakota, Montana, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and California, while his father was assigned to various hydroelectric projects with the Army Corps of Engineers. Today Damian has recently remarried and lives in Napa with his wife Carolyn. Between them they have five grown children, Sarah, Graham, Samantha, Sydney and Stacy. Back to Top |
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| David, an avid skier, pilot and self-described motorcycle maniac,
was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, the youngest of 4 children. His father
was a physician and his mother a nurse, and after WWII they settled
in what was then the Wild West where David spent his childhood swimming,
hiking, skiing and meeting the occasional celebrity in the local casinos. He came to work for JPV in 1998 following two years as CFO with a start-up company on the Central Coast. Prior to that he had been Director of Finance for Schramsberg Vineyards, a Controller for Rockwell International in Southern California, and an Assistant Controller for Hilton Hotels in Las Vegas. With a BS in Business Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and an MBA from the University of Southern California, David is well qualified for the job of JPV’s Chief Financial Officer. He also loves it. “The work here is demanding,” David reveals, “but everyone works hard with little supervision because of the caring family atmosphere created by Joe Phelps. This is my ideal of how a company should be managed.” Back to Top |
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| A native Marylander, Mike McEvoy moved west to join Joseph Phelps Vineyards as Director Mike’s first trip to the North Coast wine country in 1992 inspired numerous return visits. In the years that followed, he simultaneously developed a passion for fine wine and a desire to pursue a career in the wine business. Mike worked with historic Boordy Vineyards in his home state of Maryland as Marketing Manager in 2002. His association with Boordy led to a meeting with Tom Shelton, President & CEO of Joseph Phelps Vineyards, and brought Mike to the Mike McEvoy is a graduate of Washington & Lee University in Virginia and holds an MBA from the University of Baltimore. He successfully completed Level I of the Court of Master Sommeliers examination in 2004. Besides wine, Mike’s lifelong passions include music and football. Mike is an accomplished guitarist with several recording credits. And, having grown up in Baltimore, he roots for the Ravens, but still misses the Colts. Mike and his wife Gina reside in Napa with boys Owen (11) and Harrison (9) and daughter Isabel (2). |
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| Ashley’s passion for wine and food began while attending Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. In addition to earning a BS in Biology and a minor in Chemistry, her college years were marked by kitchen positions in some of Durango’s finest restaurants. Upon graduation A year of hands-on cellar experience led to the position of laboratory technician, where Ashley was responsible for all wine analysis. Soon thereafter she became the Enologist and in the Fall of 2004 received a promotion to Associate Winemaker. In 2006, Ashley earned a Winemaking Certificate from UC Davis – a program that extended the breadth and depth of her winemaking knowledge. Today, Ashley works alongside Damian Parker and Craig Williams, focusing on winemaking and overseeing the laboratory. Ashley lives in St. Helena and enjoys cooking, traveling and skiing. |
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