Born in the winemaking region of Livermore, California, Chris Phelps grew up with two interests that determined his educational path: wine and the French language.
As a result he studied enology and French at UC Davis and after graduation in 1981 entered the Institute of Enology at the University of Bordeaux. In addition to an intensive wine-tasting program, his requirements included practical experience: He served as winemaker at Château des Laurets in Puisseguin-St. Emilion during the blockbuster 1982 harvest. He was then invited by Christian Moueix of Château Pétrus to join a new Napa Valley winery, Dominus Estate. Following six months of intensive training at Pétrus, Chris served as winemaker at Dominus from 1984 through 1995. Caymus Vineyards recruited Chris in 1996 for several winemaking projects; he served as red winemaker for Caymus from 1999 to 2003 and was responsible for production of both the Caymus Napa Valley and Special Selection cabernet sauvignon bottlings.
Joining the Swanson team in April 2003 was an ideal move. The family winery’s ability to consistently produce outstanding wine from Oakville posed an irresistible opportunity. Since then, Chris has contributed a fresh perspective to all phases of winemaking, from preharvest through blending and bottling.
Chris is a member of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture and the Napa Valley Wine Technical Group. He lives in St. Helena with his wife, Maria, and their four children, with whom he shares a love of swimming and backpacking. An assistant scoutmaster, he also leads his local Boy Scout troop on expeditions.