Joseph Phelps Vineyards — Attraction in St. Helena

We came to Joseph Phelps on day two of our four day stay in Napa. We arrived around 11:30am and were checked in in a blink of an eye. A few minutes later a new friend that we met at the Silver Oak tasting the day before arrived and we were all set to start the fun!

I've been a member of Phelps Wine Club for over 3 years now, this gives me the opportunity to visit Phelps complimentary and bring a total of 4 people. They served all their current release lineups, from their Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, Cabernet, to the Insignia! Backus was not available because they were serving it on specific events and times of the year. We also tasted the future 2016 Insignia from which I exclaimed from inside my soul;

"This is the best youngest thing I have ever had!"

I want you to picture this, beautiful views, excellent wines, knowledgeable personnel in a newly built tasting facility, what else can you ask for? When we were about to finish I realized that most of the wines we tried I had already drank them or have them in my cellar, so I found one of the managers and managed to get something a little bit older, something that really made up for the 3,164.6 miles traveled. They accommodated this in a classic fashion, when they were selecting the wine I went to the restroom and when I came back the wine was already served, my girlfriend asked me if I could guess what it was and I nailed it, a 2002 Joseph Phelps Insignia that blew my mind, after the fact I researched it and it was rated 100 pts by Robert Parker!

Here are my ratings to all visited wineries by alphabetical order, for details on each one look for my reviews:

Services - Wine - Overall Alpha Omega 5 5 5 Darioush 5 5 5 Duckhorn 1 3 2 Hendry 5 4 4 Joseph Phelps 5 5 5+ Merryvale 5 4 5 Merus 5 5 5+ Ovid 5 5 5 Paraduxx 4 3 4 Rombauer 5 4 5+ Silver Oak 5 4 5

I'm a huge fan of Phelps wines from day one, a...

WORST experience ever!

Being a big California wine lover and have visited dozens of wineries in Napa, Sonoma and many other regions around the world, i have to say Joseph Phelps visit was absolutely the worst experience by far. The host assigned to us Meredith and the manager were both extremely judgmental and condescending without even trying to be helpful.

17 of us each had $350 lunch with 6 wine pairing. The service we received was astonishingly bad. First the host Meredith falsely accused me being intoxicated and refused to serve any wine right at the beginning of our lunch. After I asked what signed did I exhibit to raise concerns, she said my friend was holding my hand when I walked out of the vehicle. Really? That's how you call someone drunk just because my friend was holding me off the vehicle? Throughout the lunch, there was almost no service, they didn't tell us a thing about the courses served and their wine. They refused to give my friend an extra piece of bread and when someone asked or any revisits of wine because they said there is a 6 oz per person policy. A friend also found a bug in one of her wine and someone saw hair in one of her dishes. Overall the experience was horrible and when we tried to speak to the manager, she was cold and judgmental saying she would defer the services to the “professionally trained” staff.

Now after reading the responses from the management upon our groups multiple complaints, it explained why this place was so poorly run. When your lack of basic service and bad behaviors get exposed to the public, it is easiest for management to blame the customers for being intoxicated. Just so you know falsely accusing your customers intoxicated in public places like yelp is "libel" and I really hope you guys have evidence. How are we intoxicated when it was our first winery stop of that day? How is a group of women celebrating bachelorette party a public health safety issue? When you make false accusations of us showing signs of intoxication, can you please be clear on exactly what signs? You surely would have camera footage to prove yourself wrong and...

Came here recently for a second visit, so the experience is still fresh in my mind.

Joseph Phelps is a premier Napa tasting room while keeping it relatively casual. You still need an appointment to get in, but after that, you're not kept on a schedule or rushed by any means. The staff are all very friendly and helpful. If you want to know more about the wine, they'll give you the spiel. Otherwise, they aren't snooty about it if you're new to wine.

Phelps has a great variety of reds, of which the Insignia is the best you can taste at the winery, which goes for about $200-250 depending on the vintage. (They also have a red called Backus that is not available for tasting.) The Insignia is some of the best reds I've ever had. I also really enjoyed their Syrah and Pinot Noirs.

Though Phelps is known for its red wines, they also make some great whites. They also make a great dessert wine called Eisrebe, which they make in the ice wine style (by freezing the grapes since it's too hot for natural freezing).

Their wine club is also a pretty good deal. You get 20% off as a member, which is a lot if you're considering getting the Insignia. This is also the only way you can get the Backus. The cheapest club level is about $550 for the year w/o the Backus, around $750-$800 if you get the Backus. If you become a club member, you get tickets to their release party as well as complimentary tastings and the blending class.

The tasting prices at Joseph Phelps is on the high end for Napa - $35 for the regular tasting and $70 for the reserve tasting. But let me tell you, it is so worth it. You can do your tasting indoors in the tasting room, or outdoors on their nice sunny patio overlooking the vineyards.

If you're in Napa and are looking for a great tasting experience plus great wine, Joseph Phelps should be on top...