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This 2016 Chardonnay is a great opportunity to try a wine from a great vineyard that has spent more time in bottle than we are used to. It was sourced primarily from the Camp Meeting Ridge Vineyard with additional fruit from other growers in the AVA with vineyards close to the ocean. The rocky soils and cool climate produce Chardonnay with fresh, bright fruit flavors, complex minerality, and bright acidity. In the cellar, Flowers Winery leads in crafting wines with balance, freshness, pure fruit and elegance. The winter of 2016 brought rains that refreshed the soils following some dry years. A warm spring suggested an early harvest; however, coastal fog brought the phenolic chemistry of the fruit to optimal harvest levels during late August. The wine is richer and more full-bodied than younger vintages, offering pleasant bright notes of pear and citrus, but with an earthier and more robust finish on the palate. Vinous (94 points) described it as an “intriguing wine, especially in its structural, phenolic feel. The candied lemon peel, white flower and mint flavors are rendered with considerable power in a Chardonnay that is exotic, alluring, and full of nuances.”
One trend in California winemaking has been a push toward growing grapes on increasingly marginal lands ever closer to the Pacific Ocean. The reasoning is simple: cooler temperatures allow grapes to ripen slowly while retaining acidity, which is particularly desirable in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay if they are to achieve Burgundian levels of excellence. But when Walt and Joan Flowers purchased land on a remote ridge in northern Sonoma County just two miles from the Pacific Ocean, they may have pushed the envelope just a little too far. After all, cool temperatures are less than welcome if grapes can’t get ripe. (Just ask the folks in Chablis or Champagne how easy it is to make wine in their respective climates!) Fortunately, it soon became clear that their 350 - 550 meter ridge really was a “warm site in a cool climate” – well above the fog line but cooled by ocean breezes. Moreover, the volatile geology of the Pacific coast has blessed their land with shallow soils teeming with sandstone, schist, greywacke and greenstone. Hence, the long growing season from the maritime climate coupled with the rocky soils that stress the vines results in low yields of intensely flavored grapes that grow in tight bunches of small berries – just perfect for making the kind of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that encouraged Walt and Joan Flowers to leave their home in Ohio to pursue a dream of making wine.
Situated upon two ridges in the northern part of the Sonoma Coast AVA, Flowers Vineyard and Winery grows Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in one of the highest vineyards on the United States. Camp Meeting Ridge Vineyard (so named because the Native Americans used to gather there for the summer months) consists of 21 acres of Chardonnay and 8 acres of Pinot Noir that were planted in 1991. The Sea View Ridge Vineyard is somewhat higher in elevation and even closer to the ocean (though still “a warm spot in a cool climate); it was planted to 41 acres of Pinot Noir and a smidgen of Pinot Meunier in 1998.
In the vineyards and winery, Flowers employs a range of cutting edge methods. The vineyards are planted with 4 clones of Chardonnay and 11 clones of Pinot Noir and are farmed sustainably and organically without irrigation. The winery utilizes gravity instead of pumps to move wines from tank to barrel. Winemaking employs hand sorting, cold soaking, extended maceration, fermenting with native yeasts, aging in new French oak, lees aging and lees stirring (in the case of Chardonnay) and whole-cluster fermentation (for some Pinot Noirs). The results of such painstaking attention to detail are critically acclaimed wines that are aromatic and flavorful, complex and provocative and that have enough structure, acid and minerality to capture the essence of the extreme coastal terroir.
| Country | USA |
| Region | California |
| Appellation(s) | Sonoma Coast |
| Winery | Flowers |
| Vintage | 2016 |
| Color | White |
| Varietal(s) | Chardonnay |
| Closure | Cork |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Bottle Size | 8.5 x 30.0 |
| Case Size | 27.0 x 18.5 x 30.5 |
| Alcohol | 13.0% |
| Product Code | FL16CMC |
| UPC | NONE |
94 points – Vinous; 94 points – Jeb Dunnuck; 93 points – Wine Advocate; 93 points – Wine Spectator.
Aromas of chamomile, lemon peel, and Asian pear harmonize with notes of honeysuckle and wet stones. On the palate, crisp green apple and ruby grapefruit are complemented by minerality and salinity expressive of the site so close to the Pacific Ocean. Refreshing acidity prolongs the lovely finish.
Hand-sorted clusters were gently pressed, and the juice fermented on native yeasts in 100% French oak (20% new). It was bottled after 12 months of aging in barrel.