Joseph Phelps founded his winery in 1973. He made his fortune in Colorado in the construction industry, which gave him the means to purchase his winery. He purchased a cattle ranch in St. Helena and turned it into a vineyard. He now has vineyards all over the Napa Valley. In 1974, he released his first vintage of his flagship wine, Insignia, which was Napa’s first proprietary Bordeaux style blend.
Joseph Phelps passed away in 2015 but his family still owns the winery.
When I talk about relaxing wines, I am thinking about a bottle of wine that has medium tannins and you can pop and open without food. I know others may think a relaxing wine is a really tannic wine that smacks you in the face after a tough day at work.
This wine, the Joseph Phelps 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec. Grapes are taken from select Napa Valley Vineyards in St. Helena, south Napa Valley, Oak Knoll District and Stags Leap District. The wine is aged for 18 months in 40% new oak (49% French, 51% American) and 60% in 1-2 year old French and American barrels before bottling.
It it priced in at $134.99 per bottle.
For more information about the winery, please see their website at