October 19, 2017
The wine country fires had been quite an experience over the past week and a half! Through all the evacuations, flames and thick smoke our dedicated winemaking team continued to show up to work and safeguard our 2017 vintage. Thankfully 100% of Flora Springs grapes were harvested and under the roof before a fire ever started. Here are a few images capturing our devoted team at work in the smokey conditions.
October 17, 2017
First, thank you to all of you who reached out to us in the past week and to everyone for keeping Napa Valley in your thoughts and prayers during these terrible fires. And thank you to the firefighters and first responders who are still fighting so bravely and selflessly to keep our communities intact.
We are pleased to report that our family and our staff are safe, and we are so very thankful that no one here at Flora Springs has lost their home. Our benchland and valley floor vineyards are also thankfully intact, as is the winery – including our beloved old stone Ghost Winery. Miraculously, because of the growing conditions this year, 100% of our grapes were harvested and under the roof before the fires began. And though helicopters still hover at the ridgeline above and to the west of us, we are cautiously optimistic that conditions will continue to improve in Napa Valley in the coming days.
Unfortunately, not all of our friends and neighbors are as fortunate, and I speak for everyone here at Flora Springs when I say that our hearts go out to the folks whose homes and businesses have been damaged or destroyed. Our community is one of resilience and strength, and together we will pull through. If you are interested in supporting relief efforts in Napa Valley, we encourage you to visit the Napa Valley Community Foundation Disaster Relief Fund.
Finally, we ask that you go to our Facebook page for updated information on visiting The Estate and The Room. We are open for business and welcome visitors, as fall is usually our busiest time of year. Also, please know that our fulfillment centers are not impacted by the fires; we are still able to process orders and club shipments will be delivered as planned. We encourage you to visit our website for any additional wines you’d like to purchase.
This is a challenging time for all of us, but after forty years in Napa Valley, our family and the Flora Springs team remain strong, determined and resilient. Now more than ever, thank you so much for your loyalty and support.
Sincerely,
John Komes
October 17, 2017
by Doris Hobbs
Trick or Treat with a ghostly blend of wine with Flora Springs All Hallows’ Eve Cabernet Franc, 2015 Ghost Winery Malbec, 2013 Harvest Witch Cabernet Sauvignon, and more.
These devilishly delicious wine picks will satisfy the most bloodthirsty vampire in your group, as well as the white wine-loving witch. Watch out for wicked cool labels created by Jeremy Fish of San Francisco and official Artist in Residence at Coit Tower. His artwork is mainly about storytelling and communication, told through a library of characters and symbols with an emphasis on finding a balance with the imagery somewhere between all things cute and creepy.
These spooky labels complement the fact that Flora Spring’s has been designated as one of the original “ghost wineries” in Napa Valley. All the wineries built between 1860 and 1900 were abandoned in the early 20th century due to vine disease, the Great Depression, and Prohibition.
These limited production wines sell out fast, but you can keep them in mind for the next dark, dark night, I highly recommend the following Spooky AND delicious selection.
2015 Flora Springs “Ghost Winery” Malbec $55
“Ghost Winery” is the third in the Flora Springs Halloween Trilogy wine and can be purchased as a 6 pack for your spooky celebration.
2013 Harvest Witch Cabernet Sauvignon $50
For the 2013 Harvest Witch, Flora Springs winemaker conjured up a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon from two distinct Napa Valley regions: Rutherford and Pope Valley. The Rutherford component, from the Komes Ranch, brings rich, juicy black and blue fruit and smooth tannins to the blend, while the Pope Valley element features bolder tannins and wild blackberry and spice notes. The wine was aged in a combination of new and seasoned barrels, adding notes of both vanilla and mocha along with subtle hints of fresh-baked bread. With bold fruit, excellent structure and seductive tannins, this is a wicked good wine that will make you cackle like a witch and howl at the moon.
2014 Drink in Peace Merlot Box Set $115
New this year, Flora Springs pays tribute to traditional Day of the Dead artwork with Drink in Peace Merlot – packaged with the wineries infamous Coffin Box. This darkly saturated plum-colored Merlot from Rutherford offers a blackcurrant and raspberry-scented nose and a palate dominated by rich black cherry fruit, spicy oak, toasty vanilla and cedary smoke.
There’s nothing to fear for this year’s Halloween party, because at least if the ghouls, goblins, zombies, and witches are afoot, you can offer them some scary-good wine from Flora Springs.
September 28, 2017
Mother Nature has certainly dealt us quite a hand this year! She dealt us almost two full weeks of Phoenix-like weather with 110–115F days! And just when it was supposed to taper back, and settle into the mid-80’s, she dealt us another round of 100+F degree days – crazy! Fortunately, we were very proactive with our irrigation regimen before, during and after these heatwaves, and made it through relatively unscathed. It certainly sped things up a bit. Presently it is September 27th, and we have already completed 75% of the 60 different lots that we receive. From our total estimated production, we are about 65% through the harvest at this point. Based on what we are seeing in the vineyards, we could complete harvest by the second week of October, if not sooner. It wasn’t that long ago, that we rarely, if ever finished before November!
Not wasting any time, we are already ripping out one of our Sauvignon Blanc vineyards at Crossroads Ranch in Oakville that was faltering due to disease. Fortunately, we sold these grapes to another winery, so it will not affect our Sauvignon Blanc production at all. We will be planting this block to Cabernet Sauvignon and will receive that fruit in the coming years to increase our Oakville Cabernet program.
September 15, 2017
It’s no secret that Halloween is one of our favorite holidays, and this year we are celebrating with special new Halloween releases, including 2015 All Hallows’ Eve Cabernet Franc, 2015 Ghost Winery Malbec, 2013 Harvest Witch Cabernet Sauvignon, and more.
These seasonal wines are spooky and sure to sell out! Shop Halloween wines.
About the Artist
Currently the official Artist in Residence at Coit Tower in San Francisco, Jeremy Fish has a degree in painting and a focus in screenprinting. His education and work experience has lead to a career as a fine artist and commercial illustrator. Finding a balance between exhibiting his work both across the US, and internationally in galleries and museums, he also maintains a presence designing skateboards, t-shirts, vinyl toys, album covers, periodical illustrations, murals, sneakers – and now, wine labels. His artwork is mainly about storytelling and communication, told through a library of characters and symbols with an emphasis on finding a balance with the imagery somewhere between all things cute and creepy. Jeremy has been based in San Francisco for the last 20 years. Learn more.
September 8, 2017
We have officially picked all of our Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc for the year. We started the Pinot Grigio on August 15th, and finished the Sauvignon Blanc on August 31st.
We then started harvesting the Lavender Hill Chardonnay in Carneros on September 6th. The very next day, we received Merlot from the Estate. This is the earliest date on record for reds.
The last week was pretty crazy…Phoenix-like temperatures in the 115 degree range! On top of that, the valley was blanketed with smoke from a fire burning in Butte County. Fortunately, both have subsided and we are back to average harvest temperatures once again…at least for the time being.
We will be bringing in additional Merlot, as well as Petit Verdot from Oakville, on Monday and Tuesday. Then we will finish up with the last of the white grapes on Wednesday.
The harvest has been pretty fast and furious thus far – keeping things exciting. We were very proactive with our irrigation regimen before and during the heatwave, so the fruit is still in excellent condition. We are extremely pleased with the quality thus far, and expect to make some fantastic wines!
September 1, 2017
Note: The following was excerpted from an article written by David Stoneberg and published in The Weekly Calistogan. The full article can be found here.
The winter, with its abundant rain and the ensuing growing season that was perfect for ripening wine grapes has many growers optimistic about the 2017 harvest. For some, workers are already harvesting their sauvignon blanc and chardonnay grapes; others, though, are waiting for the first grapes to cross the crushpad…
Oakville – Linda Neal, grower, Tierra Roja Vineyard, “Yount Mill kicked off the Oakville season on Aug. 9, harvesting for sparkling wines, with other white varietals quickly following, reports Kendall Hoxsey-Onysko. Turnbull follows with sauvignon blanc at the winery on Aug. 23. Winemaker Peter Heitz writes, “The flavors are fantastic!” Flora Springs may have started two days later, but did so with a saber flourish as winemaker Paul Steinauer christens the first load…”
August 28, 2017
#CabernetDay 2017 is August 31st. We’re starting the celebration today along with our friends, the Wine Weirdos!
August 23, 2017
Harvest is one of my favorite times of the year and there is a palpable nostalgic energy in the air. As we approach the inevitable first pick of 2017 which we surmise is about two weeks behind the 2016 harvest, we are on track for a normal year. I’m not kidding when I say that this vintage is beautiful for grape growing and one of best I’ve seen in the last decade.
The mild weather of late is giving the clusters time to moderately develop sugar content in conjunction with phenolic levels that contribute to ideal color and aroma. Perfect fruit ripeness is typically the intersection of sugar and the stage at which the phenols change from green and bitter to pleasantly astringent, soft and ripe-tasting. And this phase is just around the corner. We anticipate that our yields will be up between 15-20% over the 2016 vintage which means more wine for you and more wine for me! What could be better than that?!
August 20, 2017
Join the 8th Annual Global Celebration of Cabernet.
#CabernetDay is a global celebration of the Cabernet grape, intended to give Cabernet lovers around the world a fun opportunity to express their passion for the grape. Cabernet lovers come together in person and online to discover and share everything about Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet-based blends.
We are proud to say that after more than 37 years of winemaking and more than 30 years of crafting Trilogy – our flagship Cabernet-based red blend – Flora Springs is still breaking new ground. We credit the consistent organic and sustainable farming practices of our vineyard team as well as the focus and direction of our winemaker, Paul Steinauer.
How to participate:
*Must be 21+ to enter. Void where prohibited. Wine will not be included in prize pack. Chance of winning depends on number of entries.