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On November 3rd, 2005, Joe Phelps announced that he was stepping down as Chairman of Joseph Phelps Vineyards and asked the Board of Directors to elect his son, Bill Phelps, to replace him. The following day the board elected Bill the new Chairman, with Joe retaining the title of Chairman Emeritus.
Bill has spent the last eight years representing the Phelps family in the partnership between family and management an arrangement that has contributed much to the winery's success. He has also developed and implemented long-term strategic plans for the winery and vineyard operations, and taken an active role in the company's new ventures in western Sonoma County. As Chairman, Bill is committed to both preserving and building upon his father's visionary ideas in order to maintain the winery's leadership position in the years ahead.
Bill moved to the Napa Valley in 1998, after practicing law for 20 years, primarily in the investment banking industry. Born in 1954, he is a graduate of Colorado College and the University of California's Hastings College of Law. Bill also works with his father in a variety of business interests, and serves on the boards of the Land Trust of Napa County and the Community Foundation of the Napa Valley. He is also President of Stone Bridge Cellars, Inc., a holding company for Joseph Phelps Vineyards.
Bill lives in St. Helena with his wife Andrea and their two children, Allie and Will. | 