It takes a special Cabernet Sauvignon to be designated a Flora Springs “Single Vineyard.” Along with Trilogy and Flora’s Legacy Cabernet, these are the crown jewels in our portfolio. We asked General Manager Nat Komes how he and the winemaking team decides what makes the cut.
How do you determine when a vineyard is good enough to be bottled on its own?
To become a Single Vineyard a wine must convey a unique sense of place and individuality; in its aromas and flavors it must clearly express the characteristics of a particular site. Of course, the wine must be of extremely high quality. It’s gotta taste good!
How do you get complexity in a Single Vineyard wine?
The complexity comes from the site itself and in the way we blend different blocks together. Our viticultural practices are tailored to each block, allowing us to tease out the differences and distinctive characteristics of each one. That, coupled with the singularities each vintage brings, gives each of our Single Vineyard wines dimension and layers of complexity.
What winemaking techniques do you employ with the Single Vineyard Cabernets?
Our vinification is aimed at obtaining purity of fruit and the structure that makes for extended aging. We carefully hand sort the grapes upon receipt, give them a three- to four-day period of cold soaking prior to fermentation, and carefully manage the extraction of tannins during and after fermentation. Then we age the wines for about 18 months on average in French and/or American oak, depending on the wine.
What makes the Wild Boar Cabernet Sauvignon stands out as a Single Vineyard wine? Wild Boar has always been a revelation to me in the sense that I consider it to be an “all-American” wine. By that I mean it has a bit of a wild west character to it, yet it can also be polished and refined. Kind of like a well-dressed cowboy. We age Wild Boar in 70-75% American oak, which frames it in sweet, vanilla-like tannins. Although big, Wild Boar is never clumsy, but rather manages to walk the fine line between rich, ripe fruit and structural elegance.
Single Vineyard Cabernets
Truly elegant and powerful wines, that reflect the place from which they originate, learn more.
The 2018 Trilogy is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot, and if you’ve been keeping track, you’ll note these are the same three varieties that have comprised Trilogy since 2013, although in different percentages. The blend is not a given; each year we start from scratch, evaluating the wine lots and determining what will make the finest wine.
Of course Trilogy is always centered around a strong core of Cabernet Sauvignon…that much we do know. Cabernet gives the wine its strongest, most concentrated fruit component, as well as its full body and fine tannin structure. Cabernet endows the wine with aging power. Malbec, on the other hand, gives the wine an opening, with rich, dark fruit that makes you sit up and take notice right away. Petit Verdot, in contrast, stretches the wine, leaving you with a long, satisfying finish. It adds color too, but it’s the lingering quality of Petit Verdot that I really love.
So you see, at least in 2018, and in the previous five vintages, Malbec and Petit Verdot provide the framework for Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s like a painting you’d find in a museum, where the gilded frame is the platform and the finishing touch on an otherwise beautiful portrait. Next year may bring a different blend, with other varieties. We never know until we start to taste the new lots. What we do know is that our mission with Trilogy, since the beginning, is to create the best wine possible from our estate vineyards in Napa Valley. In that we will never waver.
This coming weekend would have been the 34th annual Trilogy Release Party—which is the highlight of my year. I’m going to miss the festivities…my favorite food pairings, live music, dancing, the wine of course, but mostly I will miss seeing all of our faithful Trilogy Release Party guests. I extend my deepest apologies to the Trilogy Fez gang. Please know that I, along with my mom and dad, Anne and the rest of our team will raise a glass to you, toasting the friendships we’ve made over the years.
I invite you to look back at past parties—enjoy this video compilation of some of our favorite moments.
A Look Ahead
Although we cannot host the big party this year, we will still be releasing the 2018 Trilogy on February 6 and you can be the first to taste the new vintage. We also look ahead to continuing the legacy of Trilogy, the reviews for the 2018 vintage are already rolling in.
93 points, Jeb Dunnuck “…a seamless, elegant texture that just glides across the palate. Giving up lots of red and black currants, flowery incense, medium to full-bodied richness, no hard edges, and a juicy, seamless, impossible to resist personality, it’s ideal for drinking over the coming 10-12 years.”
92 points, James Suckling “Rich aromas of blackcurrant jam, cloves, dried herbs and orange peel on the nose. It’s medium-to full-bodied with round, sleek tannins. Spiced and juicy with lifting freshness on the finish.”
Save the Date: February 5, 2022
Mark your calendar now for the 2019 Trilogy Release Party. We look forward to delighting you with all new experiences next year. Stay tuned!
Our etched and hand-painted bottles are a cherished tradition at Flora Springs, a way for us to commemorate special holidays with festive, one-of-a-kind bottlings. With each holiday release, the etched art changes and provides a unique Napa Valley wine to give or collect for yourself.
Our 2017 Be Mine Red Blend celebrates the most romantic holiday of all, Valentine’s Day, and is the perfect accompaniment to your date night candlelit dinner for two.
Or, delight your Galentine, mom, auntie, or sister with our playful Wine Love Stories.
Valentine’s Day Order Deadlines
Order deadlines for delivery by February 14 are in effect. Check shipping times.
Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is China’s most important traditional festival. Each Chinese zodiac year begins on Chinese New Year’s Day. The Chinese New Year can begin anytime between late January and mid-February. In 2021, Chinese New Year begins February 12th.
Year of the Ox
2021 is the Year of the Ox, the second of the twelve Zodiac animals. The ox symbolizes quiet strength, and a person born during the Year of the Ox is said to be self-confident, balanced and resilient.
Flora Springs celebrates this Zodiac sign with an etched and hand painted magnum featuring the playful resilience of this joyful beast of burden and the beauty symbolized by bamboo. Twice the size of a standard wine bottle at 1.5 liters, magnums are ideal for entertaining, for extended aging – and also make stunning gifts. Only 66 bottles were produced, with a limit of six bottles per person.
Greetings Great Tastes and Preferred Palates Wine Club Members!
We have a lot of exciting things planned for you in 2021, including new wines, new benefits, and more. We are so pleased you will be joining us for another great year.
Please remember that this schedule is subject to change, but we will always keep you updated.
Great Tastes
Shipment
Wine
Billing Date
January
2018 Sangiovese & 2018 Poggio Del Papa
1/4/2021
March
2020 Pinot Grigio & 2018 Trilogy
3/1/2021
May
2018 Petit Verdot & 2018 Napa Valley Cabernet
5/3/2021
July
2020 Soliloquy & 2017 Three Keys Cabernet Sauvignon
7/5/2021
September
2019 Ghost Winery Malbec & 2019 All Hallows’ Eve Cabernet Franc
9/6/2021
November
2018 Holiday Etched Wines – 2 different designs
11/1/2021
Great Tastes Red Wines Only
Shipment
Wine
Billing Date
January
2017 Napa Valley Merlot & 2017 Poggio Del Papa
1/6/2021
March
2018 Trilogy – 2 bottles
3/2/2021
May
2018 Petit Verdo t& 2018 Napa Valley Cabernet
5/4/2021
July
2017 Three Keys Cabernet – 2 bottles
7/6/2021
September
2019 Ghost Winery Malbec & 2019 All Hallows’ Eve Cabernet Franc
Our etched and hand-painted Holiday Bottles are one of Flora Springs’ most treasured traditions, a way for us to give you exclusive access to rare wines in festive, one-of-a-kind bottlings.
This year Nat Komes found inspiration from a vintage greeting card he uncovered in his Grandmother Flora’s attic, an illustration of a cardinal perched on a holiday wreath. Christened the “Christmas bird” for its spectacular red color, the cardinal is a symbol of the beauty and warmth of the holiday season. This brilliant bird found its way onto each of our holiday designs, our Holiday 2020 Gift Guide, and even throughout our holiday photo shoot.
Halloween is always a cause for celebration at Flora Springs, and all year long we look forward to releasing our Halloween Wines. Over the last decade, these seasonal bottlings have become some of our most anticipated and highly sought after annual releases.
And though Halloween is different this year, we’re still going big. We’ve partnered with several very creative people who love Halloween as much as we do. Need Halloween inspiration? Look no further.
Creative Inspiration for your Halloween wine party and entertaining with Flora Springs and Recipes
Listen in as Anthony Dias Blue of Blue Lifestyle talks about our upcoming release, the 2017 Holy Smoke Cabernet Sauvignon. “Simply put, the wine is stunning… the impressive 2017 Flora Springs Cabernet Sauvignon Holy Smoke Vineyard is a Napa Valley icon…97 points & Double Gold”:
Working as a family and team, we have pledged to over-deliver on wine quality for more than 40 years. Now this dedication has been taken up by third generation family members Nat Komes and Sean Garvey. There is nothing more gratifying to us than hearing from our customers about how much they enjoy our wines. It makes everything we do worthwhile.
While our customers’ feedback is most important to us, we also appreciate it when our wines get noticed by wine critics, reviewers, and bloggers.
Accolades for 2017 Trilogy
93 points Blue Lifestyle “Deep garnet color; soft vanilla nose; silky smooth with soft plum, toast and vanilla new oak; elegant, lush and showing spice and notes of mocha and chocolate, long and balanced.” January 2020
93 points James Suckling “A soft and fruity red with currants, chocolate and hints of toasted oak. Medium to full body. Round tannins and a flavorful finish. Nicely done for the vintage. 80% cabernet sauvignon, 17% petit verdot and 3% malbec. Drink or hold.” February 2020
91 points Jeb Dunnuck “The 2017 Red Blend Trilogy checks in as a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Petit Verdot, and 3% Malbec. It’s a pretty, elegant wine from this estate and has lots of beautiful black and blue fruits, roasted herbs, chocolate, and gravelly earth-like aromas and flavors. These all carry to a medium to full-bodied blend that has terrific balance, nicely integrated acidity, and a great finish.” February 2020
Wine time: Flora Springs Trilogy 2017, Napa Valley The Augusta Chronicle “…a blockbuster wine, bold and powerful but drinkable upon release. And with a little bit of age it gets even better. The Flora Springs Trilogy 2017 – just released this week – is 80 percent cab, 17 percent petit verdot and three percent malbec. The grapes come from three prestigious regions in Napa: Oakville, Rutherford and St. Helena.
It is a gorgeous deep garnet in the glass with aromas of plum and herbs. Among the complex flavors on the palate I could pick out black plum, black cherry with hints of cola and mocha.
The wine doesn’t overpower, though. With sleek tannins and crisp acidity the wine stays fresh and perfect for matching to food….The wine is so great now, it’s hard to imagine what it will be like if it continues to improve in the bottle. The winery says it should be at its peak between now and 2028. Besides Trilogy, the winery produces several tiers of outstanding wines. The Napa Valley series includes a cab, a merlot, a chardonnay and a sauvignon blanc. They also produce several single vineyard cabs, and a number of artisanal wines that include a barrel fermented chardonnay.”Read more.
—Dennis Sodomka, February 2020
96 points Creators Syndicate “Trilogy was one of the first Bordeaux-style proprietary blends from the Napa Valley when it was introduced 30-some years ago, and it was one of the best of the genre at the time. I am happy to report nothing has changed. One of Napa’s iconic Bordeaux blends, Trilogy 2017, is another masterpiece. Beautifully balanced, with layers of dark fruits, a note of graphite and a beautiful touch of oak vanillin, this is a wine to lay down in the cellar for another 10 to 12 years, though it is remarkably pure, smooth and satisfying at this early stage.”—Robert Whitley, March 2020
Score: 8.5 – 9 VINOGRAPHY®: a wine blog “Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of dusty roads and cedar. In the mouth, black cherry, cola and blueberry notes mix with a touch of black olive savoriness. Faint, taut tannins buff the edges of the palate, as the wine lingers with notes of olive and licorice. A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec.” March 2020
93 points Good Vitis “…Flora Springs was founded in 1978, but its Napa Valley property was first planted with vineyards in the late 1800s so the terroir is for real (it has been replanted since). I’ve had several vintages of the Trilogy and they all deliver. Tasting note:The potent nose offers scorched earth and graphite-infused blackberry, black plum, violet, kirsch and dark chocolate ganache. It is full bodied, balancing lush, smooth and broad tannin with juicy acidity. The balance is really on-point. Flavors include blackberry, coconut, (real) maraschino sauce, black pepper, teriyaki sauce and cigar tobacco. It has a strong core of wet earth minerality. This is nice now with an hour decant, but I imagine it’ll start hitting its stride in five years and drink nicely for the following five to ten.” May 2020
Wines For The Man In Your Life South Florida Reporter/MoreAboutWine.com “Cabernet sauvignon, petite verdot and malbec got into this very smooth, approachable wine from Napa Valley. Cherry and cassis with some cherry and spice.”Read more. June 2020
Best Samples for 2020 DallasWineChick.com “2017 Flora Springs Trilogy wine — Flora Spring’s flagship wine is made from estate vineyards and dates back to 1984 when it was one of Napa’s first proprietary red blends. The 2017 is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Petit Verdot, and 3% Malbec. It’s big, bold and satisfying with notes of black fruit, mocha, cassis, chocolate, spice and vanilla.”Read more.
—Melanie Ofenloch, June 2020
