Joseph Phelps Vineyards Hospitality

Thank you for your interest in Joseph Phelps Vineyards. We would be pleased to host you here at the winery. We offer a few different styles of tastings, all of which require an appointment. All of the tastings include a sampling of our current releases and all include our flagship wine, Insignia.

The following hospitality options vary by season and group size. All are available by appointment only. Please call the Customer Service Department to discuss availability: (800) 707-5789.

All of the following require an appointment:

PRIVATE TASTING — Phelps Preferred Members Only.
No charge, limit six guests. Taste our current releases, including Insignia, in the Insignia Room or at the Redwood Patio (weather permitting).

PICNIC TABLE — Phelps Preferred Members Only.
No charge, limit six guests, appointment only (weather permitting). Food is provided by the guests, as the winery does not have a deli or a restaurant.

SEMINAR — No charge for Phelps Preferred Members up to a total of four guests;
$30 per person for non-members.
Limit six guests per party. Every seminar includes a tasting of our current releases, along with Insignia. The seminar topics vary by day and by season. Please call for details and availability. On weekdays we offer these seminars at 11:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. The seminars are 90 minutes long. We are not able to seat latecomers so please plan to arrive early and check in at the reservation desk. Please do not wear any strong perfumes. The seminar setting is not appropriate for small children. We suggest the more casual Terrace Tasting if you are traveling with children.
On the weekends, the seminars last 60 minutes and are offered at 10:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. The weekend seminar is the Wine Appreciation topic.

Seminar Topics: (vary by day, call for availability)

Insignia Blending Seminar: Test your skills as a winemaker in our “Insignia Blending” seminar. Experiment with blending the components that go into our award-winning, flagship wine, Insignia (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec). Compare your blend with our current vintage of Insignia.

Le Mistral Blending Seminar: Taste, compare and blend barrel samples from our top vineyard sites. These are the components that make up our Le Mistral, a Syrah-based Rhône-style wine.

Le Nez Seminar: Hone your sommelier skills on our "Aroma Identity" challenge, where your olfactory senses will be tested by twelve different aromas frequently found in wine.

Wine Appreciation Seminar: This seminar leads guests through an exploration of wine's appeal to all the senses. You can also sharpen your skills on wine history, tradition, proper serving, storage and evaluation. Offered at 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. 1-hour course offered on Saturday and Sunday.

Barrel Seminar - A Focus on Napa Cabernet Sauvignon: This seminar explores the role that the barrel plays in the overall production of wine. We explore winemaking in general and the specific place that the barrel holds in the development and maturation of a wine. In addition to the current release wines tasted, we will taste three barrel samples of our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that have been in three different barrels: a medium toast French Oak barrel; a medium plus American Oak barrel; and a heavy toast French Oak barrel.

The History and Terroir of Insignia: This seminar takes a look at 30 years plus of making Insignia, how the wine has changed over the years, and what makes our Insignia wine so unique and so consistently highly rated. With the 2004 vintage, Insignia is 100% estate grown. We will explore the various Joseph Phelps vineyards in a classroom setting to help discover what makes these vineyards so important in making this Bordeaux blend possible.

TERRACE TASTING — No charge for members up to a total of four guests;
$20 per person for non-members.
Limit six guests per party, appointment only. A casual, self-paced tasting on our back terrace (weather permitting). This includes a tasting of our current releases including our flagship wine, Insignia, without the in-depth, formal presentation of the seminar setting. These tastings are offered Monday through Friday beginning at 10:00 a.m. with the last tasting beginning at 3:30 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, tastings begin at 10:00 a.m. with the last tasting beginning at 2:30 p.m.