1994 hails Flora Spring’s first release of the Single Vineyard portfolio with the Rutherford Hillside Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Three years later in 1997 we added the Rennie Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Today, Flora Springs now offers five exclusive, limited-production Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons with the addition of Wild Boar, Out of Sight and Holy Smoke. Each production is highly limited and drawn from select blocks from our family-farmed estate vineyards that consistently produce wines of exacting quality.
The 2015 vintage will be known for its higher quality and lower yields as compared to previous years. The growing season began with warm temperatures in late winter and early spring resulting in an early bud break. In May, colder temperatures during bloom caused fruit set to be uneven, yielding a much smaller crop compared to earlier vintages. Winemakers and vineyard managers worked closely together as the season progressed to ensure grapes ripened uniformly. The harvest, which was in full swing by mid-August, was one of the earliest on record in Napa Valley, and most vintners completed picking by mid-October. Although the continuing drought was a concern around California, Napa Valley received 75% of its annual rainfall average in 2015 making it less worrisome for Napa vintners.
Our Preferred Palates Wine Club Members have a guaranteed allocation of these very limited wines. Learn more about the benefits of membership.
The simple practice of meditation can bring immense peace with profound results.
Nature has a lot to do with reconnecting with our souls, and in today’s day and age – with all the hustle and bustle, it is more important than ever that we take care of ourselves. You deserve to feel at peace, balanced and centered.
So today, take a moment for yourself and listen to the healing sound of flowing water from our natural springs and appreciate the beauty and renewal that springtime promises. Do something good for your soul. Tonight, light some candles with your loved one, share a bottle of wine and toast to all that we should be grateful for.
One our fun and favorite events of the year is the Purple Teeth Barrel Tasting and Great Tastes Members’ Pick Up Party that was held on Sunday at The Room. As usual, The Purple Teel Barrel Tasting included a barrel seminar led by Flora Springs Associate Winemaker Enrico Bertoz. It was a fun but educational exploration of the impact of using different coopers on Flora Springs wines straight from the barrel.
The event is held annually for our Great Tastes Members and since this year was on a Sunday, our theme was a relaxing ‘Sunday Brunch’.
Who wouldn’t want chicken and waffles from The Waffle Roost, the perfect fare for Sunday Brunch?
Guests were entertained with live music by provided by a collaboration between Jules Leyhe and Tapper Dan (John Devoto) and Ivy Hill Entertainment.
Thank you to all our Great Tastes Members who could join us, we appreciate you and raise our glasses to your continued support of Flora Springs!
Flora Springs continually strives to make our Wine Club Memberships as fulfilling, convenient, and personalized as possible, which is why we are excited to share a brand-new Wine Club benefit with you! Beginning in April with our Preferred Palates wine club and in May with our Great Tastes wine club, members will be able to personally customize Wine Club selections by swapping select wines as well as adding on wines to each Club shipment.
We call it Elect to Select, and much like the previous “one-click” add-on emails members are accustomed to, Elect to Select puts specific wine preferences at your very own fingertips. Think of it as your very own tailor-made Wine Club that offers an easy way to get your favorite Flora Springs wines conveniently in one wine delivery, six times a year, with no additional shipping costs incurred. Members will have the opportunity to Elect to Select before every Club shipment moving forward. In general, the 2-week window to customize will end the last day of the month before each shipment.
*Please note, that if you are swapping wine, the system requires each member keep at least one bottle from their original Wine Club shipment.
Of course, if you are currently pleased with our existing offerings, no action is required; you will continue to receive our Single Vineyard Cabernets, Trilogy and Flora’s Legacy Cabernet as scheduled. Members who prefer to pick up their wine are also welcome to customize.
Below is a detailed, step-by- step instruction guide on how to get started with this new member benefit:
To get started with Elect to Select visit FloraSprings.com and log into your account with your Username and Password.
Next, click “Customize Upcoming Membership Order.” Please note that if you are not seeing “Customize Upcoming Membership Order” then you may not be a club member or the order window to make changes may be closed.
Review Club Level and Make Note of Deadline to Customize Your Shipment, Click “Customize Your Order.”
Review “Order Requirements.” This area will show you your Wine Club order threshold based on your current Wine Club level. For example, if you are a Preferred Palates, 6-Bottle Club Member, then you will add a minimum of 6 bottles and meet the minimum dollar value listed below when swapping or adding wines. As you make changes you will see whether you have or have not met the minimum requirements and can make adjustments as needed.What is so great about this system is that you can select wines from our Offered Items list to customize your shipment. You will notice that your standard wine club membership discount is reflected on the offered items showing you your added savings on these wines. Also, keep in mind that you may add up to 12 bottles with no additional shipping incurred.
5. Once completed review the “Order Summary” to ensure all requirements have been met, then click “Review Order” to review your final wine selections. 6. Final step, please review your order and input any special instructions. 7. Congratulations! You have now just customized your Flora Springs Wine Club shipment. We sincerely hope you enjoy and use this new benefit and we welcome any feedback or questions. Please contact us at 800.913.1118 or email wineclub@florasprings.com to discuss how we can ensure your shipments meet your preferences.
Due to an unexpected development – as well as variances in winter weather across the country – the Great Tastes March shipment may be delayed, depending upon your delivery location:
States west of the Rockies: Currently on track to ship March 12th
States east of the Rockies: Great Tastes Red Wines Only will ship March 12th
States east of the Rockies: Great Tastes and Great Tastes White Wines Only will ship March 19th
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at (800) 913-1118 or wineclub@florasprings.com.
We’re excited to release our first wine from the 2017 vintage, our 2017 Napa Valley Pinot Grigio. 2017 was a momentous year in Napa Valley, and we know there will be a lot of curiosity about the vintage. Following is our take on the growing season and vintage, including the wildfires that affected so many in our community. Despite many challenges, we think that 2017 will go down in history not only for the wildfires but for the high quality of the 2017 vintage and wines.
2017 began with winter rain, and lots of it, enough to fill reservoirs, replenish groundwater and bring a five year drought in California to an end. Our spring weather was mild, and due to the abundance of water the vines experienced vigorous growth. We were vigilant about canopy management, going through our vineyards and removing excess leaves to ensure the developing grapes had adequate sunlight and air flow. With just a few summer heat spikes, it first appeared that harvest would proceed at a normal pace, but a heat wave over Labor Day weekend hastened picking during the first two weeks of September. Cooler temperatures arrived in mid-September, giving our red fruit extra time on the vine. Overall though, harvest was early in 2017; the last of Flora Springs’ grapes were harvested on Saturday, October 7.
Of course it’s impossible to look back at the 2017 harvest without remarking on the tragic wildfires that affected Napa Valley and neighboring growing regions. At Flora Springs we are enormously grateful to the first responders, law enforcement, community leaders, organizations and volunteers who worked tirelessly to keep our communities safe. We are also incredibly blessed, or perhaps lucky, that our grapes had all been picked prior to the start of the fires on October 8. We were not alone in this good fortune. Damage to Napa Valley wineries and vineyards was not widespread, as the fires burned predominantly in the forested hillsides. The Napa Valley floor between Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail – where our estate winery and vineyards are located – saw little to no impact. In fact, less than 10 percent of Napa Valley’s wineries and less than 8 percent of vineyards experienced direct damage from the fires, and it’s estimated that 90 percent of the total grape tonnage was picked before the fires started.
Still, we know that wine enthusiasts will have lingering questions about the effect of the fires on the grape harvest, and particularly about what is known as smoke taint. A brief explanation: a wine with smoke taint will have a distinct, unpleasant taste that is often compared to a campfire or ashtray. Unlike “smoky aromatics” that might arise from a wine’s contact with an oak barrel, smoke taint is strong and acrid, dominating the sensory characteristics of the wine. Smoke taint can occur when un-picked grapes come into contact with wildfire smoke; the smoke penetrates the grape skins and its compounds can be activated upon fermentation. In this way, even grapes that do not smell or taste smoky can yield a smoke-tainted wine. Rest assured that the few Napa Valley vintners who harvested fruit after the fires were hyper-aware of the possibility of smoke taint and have done everything possible to ensure only the highest quality 2017 wines go to market.
Now back to the quality of the 2017 vintage: for the vast majority of vintners who harvested their grapes prior to the fires there’s a shared sense of excitement about the wines from 2017, most of which are still in barrel. Says Winemaker Paul Steinauer, “Although our yields were somewhat smaller, the 2017 wines are already showing concentration and richness. The whites have bright, fresh flavors and the reds are saturated in color with powerful fruit flavors. There’s no reason to believe this vintage will not rank among the finest of the decade.”
Looking back, the 2017 wildfires challenged our community in innumerable ways, but also demonstrated our shared spirit of strength and resilience. At Flora Springs, in addition to being humbled by our good fortune and the outpouring of generosity from our friends around the world, we’re excited to open the chapter on the 2017 vintage.
Anne Komes and her father-in-law, Flora Springs President & Proprietor John Komes
It’s no secret that the Flora Spring’s Annual Trilogy Release Party is considered one of the most anticipated Napa Valley wine festivals of the year. Happening each year on the first weekend of February, our guests can expect to partake in first-class entertainment, high-end food and excellent wines all while basking in the beautiful vistas from our family’s Napa Valley Estate. February weather, however, can be spotty at best, and that is why we have decided to share our wine country fashion recommendations to help you to prepare for the day’s fête.
While most people know what the typical attire expectations are for Cocktail, Black Tie and Business Casual dress codes, sometimes we hear more confusion around what we commonly ask for in Napa Valley: Wine Country Casual.
We recently met with the stylish Anne Komes for her thoughts on what Wine Country Casual means to her and her must-have pieces for the Trilogy party.
Living in Napa Valley, what is your personal definition of Wine Country Casual? “To me, Wine Country Casual is anything appropriate for a vineyard tour or outdoor dining. It’s easy to dress up Wine Country Casual with a cute boot or accessories like a pretty scarf or hat.”
What is your favorite accessory to bring to the Trilogy party? “For the Trilogy party, I like to wear comfortable shoes because of the dancing! I prefer boots but I know my husband Nat likes to dance so I wear comfortable shoes and jeans.”
What is one thing you never leave home without? “My favorite accessory is my husband.”
What should you be prepared for at the Trilogy party? “I am preparing for a Trilogy party full of fun, great conversation and meeting new friends.”
What is your perfect Trilogy outfit? “I like to wear a hat because it is good, rain or shine! The party happens in February so comfortable but warm clothes because your body needs to move and you don’t want to be restricted with layers!”
For the men out there, what advice would you give them with regards to Trilogy party attire? “Men should feel comfortable to wear whatever makes them comfortable. To some, it may be a t-shirt and for others, it could be a suit. The only rules for a party should be proper behavior, otherwise, relax, it’s a party!”
Check out the full Trilogy Release Party experience:
“Everyone who knows me knows I have an affinity for wild boars. That’s why we named one of our Single Vineyard Cabernets Wild Boar. My first encounter with this animal happened back in the mid-1970s, when my dad retired from Bechtel. He was looking for land to invest his money in. At the time, land in Napa Valley cost $25,000 an acre, and Dad wasn’t ready to pay that much. But in Pope Valley land was ‘cheap’ – only $1,000 an acre. He found 100 acres that had a lake, walnut trees, etc. The owner said he’d sell it, and my Dad thought he had a deal. Then he read somewhere that Louis Martini had bought it. Apparently the owner wanted to sell to a ‘local.’
So, my dad bought a place next door, 500 acres, 60 of them planted. There was an old house on the property with nine bedrooms and eight bathrooms but no living room. (One can only surmise what that house was used for!) My dad asked me if I could build him a living room – I was still a contractor at the time.
So I hired some guys, and one of them was up on a scaffold doing some plastering and he saw a wild boar grazing nearby. He called me and said ‘John, there’s a wild boar on your property. Can I shoot him?’ I said ‘Why don’t you call the game warden?’ He said ‘John, a wild boar is a varmint; all I need is your permission.’ I said ‘Ok, as long as you give me the hind quarter.’ So he got his gun, and he shot it. A few minutes later I get a call from my dad: ‘John, John! One of your guys just shot the neighbor’s pig!’”
Addendum: “I did finish that house, and we put it up for sale, along with 20 acres. A woman who was the ex-mayor of Coronado wanted to buy it, said she wanted to live in the country. But she didn’t know if she could manage 20 acres…could we make it 10 for the same price? Done!”
One our fun and favorite events of the year is the Purple Teeth Barrel Tasting and Great Tastes Members’ Pick Up Party that was held on Sunday at The Room. As usual, The Purple Teel Barrel Tasting included a barrel seminar led by Flora Springs Associate Winemaker Enrico Bertoz. It was a fun but educational exploration of the impact of using different coopers on Flora Springs wines straight from the barrel.
The event is held annually for our Great Tastes Members and since this year was on a Sunday, our theme was a relaxing ‘Sunday Brunch’.
Who wouldn’t want chicken and waffles from 
Guests were entertained with live music by provided by a collaboration between Jules Leyhe and Tapper Dan (John Devoto) and Ivy Hill Entertainment.
