2010 Chardonnay Freestone Vineyards

The major news here is that Phelps has recently decided to bring their Freestone project back under the official Phelps umbrella for greater efficiency, so beginning with the 2009 vintage the Freestone chardonnays and pinots will be labeled Joseph Phelps Freestone Vineyards Following a tricky 2008 growing season for pinot noir in the Sonoma Coast (and points north), 2009 brought very healthy grapes, noted director of winemaking Damian Parker, who rated it 8.5 on a scale of 10 in terms of cleanliness of fruit, with 2010 meriting 6. Over on the Napa side, however, the winemaking team at Phelps loves the 2010 reds for their precision and aromatic lift. Almost all of the Backus and Insignia wines, as well as the syrah, were from fruit picked before the serious rains began on October 23, said Parker.

I was deeply impressed with the wines I tasted from Joseph Phelps's Freestone property on the Sonoma Coast. I guess making world-class reds in Napa Valley isn't enough. The Pinots are made with some whole clusters, but it is the distinctive personality of the Calera clones that seems to define those wines. The Chardonnays are both done in a full malolactic style. The Pastorale sees a little bit more time in oak and also gets a slightly higher percentage of new barrels. These beautiful Chardonnays and Pinots deserve considerable attention. The 2010 Chardonnays were scheduled to be bottled in March 2012.