Joseph Phelps, founder of the Napa Valley winery most known for the Bordeaux-style "Insignia," was also a pioneer in California Syrah, producing his first one in 1974 using grapes purchased from the Christian Brothers. He planted some of his own in the Napa Valley and, in the mid-1990s, he also planted Syrah and Grenache on two vineyard parcels on a bench south of King City in Monterey County. Local grape growers farmed the vineyards for over 10 years and in 2008, the Le Mistral Vineyard farmers purchased the vineyard and the Le Mistral brand from Phelps, bringing the production and bottling "back home" to Monterey County.
Daytime temperatures in Monterey County tend to be quite variable because of the wind. The temperature gradually rises during the day and peaks around 2-3 pm every afternoon. Then the maritime influence of Monterey bay causes the wind to blow inland, and it is not unusal for the air temperature to cool by as much as 20⁰F in less than an hour. The high heat spikes seen in Napa Valley do not normally occur in the Le Mistral Vineyard Vineyard on Wild Horse Road. Typified as a cool-climate vineyard, these late afternoon winds cause sugar production to slow in the maturing grapes, resulting in longer hang-time on the vine and creating complex, peppery flavours in the small berries.
The name, Le Mistral, comes from the name for the winds of the Rhone Valley in France, where blustery afternoons cool vineyards quickly and produce similar flavours in their native varietals like Syrah and Grenache.