Coil Signal Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir Mendocino Ridge 2019

It is with great pleasure we spotlight COIL, an emerging, debut brand made by an insanely talented father-son duo, Chris and Josh Phelps. Josh’s roots run deep in Napa, being raised in a winemaking family while his father, Chris, was crafting highly respected wines at the helm of Dominus Estate in Yountville. Before that, he spent time at the renowned Chateau Petrus in Bordeaux. With an innate knack for entrepreneurship and brilliant ideas that came very easily to Josh while growing up surrounded by the wine world, he started his very first entrepreneurial endeavor, “Napa Valet”, at age 15. He continued to build his knowledge of business through college while selling wine and working harvest with his father. Josh’s philosophies on winemaking and business overall were further molded by a handful of key Napa Valley locals he adoringly calls his mentors and friends, such as Joel Gott, Kimberly Jones, Leslie Rudd, and of course, his father, Chris Phelps.

Today, Chris produces his own exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon brand called Ad Vivum, using fruit from the remarkable Sleeping Lady Vineyard in Yountville. Additionally, he consults for Inglenook, as well as Josh’s business. “I have my wine brand, Ad Vivum, and my own consulting LLC. Josh is my main client. And now Josh has his own company. He helps mine mostly for promotion and sales. He has the entrepreneurial gene. He persuaded me—when he started his brand in 2007—to start my own brand.” If this isn’t one of the most amazing stories to come out of Napa Valley, I am not sure what could be better or more special. Chris continues to be best known for being an esteemed terroir-focused winemaker responsible for producing high-end, sought-after Cabernet Sauvignons from cherished vineyard sites within the Napa Valley, while Josh, is better known for producing affordable wines for daily consumption utilizing grapes grown in California, Oregon, and Washington bottled under his Grounded Wine Company brand.

In this new effort, the duo launched COIL, a name that represents the cyclical nature of grapes and winemaking, and the tension that makes a good wine remarkable, that focuses on a single-vineyard Pinot Noir site in Mendocino, CA, originally planted in 1999. The Signal Ridge Vineyard is located at an elevation of 2,642 feet on top of Cold Mountain in the center of the Mendocino Ridge AVA. The extreme altitude, exposure to sun and cold, and thin soils composed of fractured sandstone, mudstone, and marine sediment all contribute to a low-vigor environment for growing ultra-high quality Pinot Noir fruit that is defined by its terroir. From early on in the 2019 growing season during bud break, all the way through harvest, the days were long-lasting which allowed for very gradual ripening of a relatively small crop of small-berried clusters. At the time of harvest, 70% of the total fruit they brought in was destemmed and then co-fermented with the remaining 30% whole-cluster fruit. With a focus on extended maceration of 21 days on the skins, Chris and Josh then aged the wine for 16 months in 30% new French oak. The result is a joyful, vibrant, balanced, and nuanced wine. Aromas of ripe black cherry, white pepper, juicy cranberry, slate, and a faint spiciness in the background. The firm acidity provides balance and an intriguing tension that enhances the long, spicy finish. With only 292 cases made, this wine won’t last long. Drink alongside anything you are preparing on your BBQ, or with pasta, mushrooms, roasted chicken, or cured meats.