Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

They should have called the Winery Floral Springs based on the nose. Beautiful; blackberry, black raspberries, dark cherries, strawberries, dry cranberries and plum floral fruits. Nice spice, vanilla, touch of clove & cinnamon, used leather, dark rich soil, crushed volcanic minerals, black fruit tea, black raspberry cola and dark fresh florals with violets. The tannins are 95% resolved. The body is lush & ripe. The length, tension & structure are nearing the end. Just a few years left of being worthwhile. However, the balance is stereo tuned. The fruit on the palate shows even more elegant & ripe floral fruits than the nose. Blackberry, black raspberries, dark cherries, strawberries, dry cranberries and plum floral fruits. Nice spice, vanilla, light clove & cinnamon, used leather, dark rich soil, crushed volcanic minerals, black fruit tea, black raspberry cola and dark fresh florals with violets for days. The acidity is like a waterfall. The beautiful, long, elegant finish is a little lean yet has a nice richness. Beautiful wine that just missed 9.2. Photos top to bottom and left to right. The Winery; which is separate from the other tasting room only on Hwy 29. The tasting room on Hwy 29 in St. Helena, Flora Spring caves and the front of their tasting room along Hwy 29. Producer notes and history...the stone winery on the grounds were built in 1885 by two immigrant brothers from Scotland, James and William Rennie. They were in construction, built the winery and planted 60 acres of grapes. The brothers had some bad fortune when phylloxera consumed the vines, and then a fire in 1900 destroyed their wine press and cooperage. In 1904, they sold the winery and fifteen years later Prohibition started. The winery was then closed until 1933. That year, Louis Martini, looked into their magic eight-ball and saw Prohibition collapsing and bought the Rennie property. They built a new stone house and also made a reserve wine from the hillside vineyards. However, the old winery remained empty until the Komes family bought the property, 325 acres, the old farm house, the newer stone house and 60 acres of vineyards. The son thought he’d persuade his dad to restore the old winery and proposed to call it Chateau Jerome. Although it had been designed by Hamden McIntyre an architect of several other classic 19th-century Napa wineries, by 1977, the place was a wreck. The tin roof of the building had so many holes in it. They called it the starlight roof. His father looked at it and stated, “I’ve worked all my life for my good name. I don’t want to squander it now.” John’s mother, Flora, however, sided with her son on the potential of the property. Carrie Komes suggested they could name the winery for her mother-in-law. Combined with the abundant springs on the land, they decided the name would be Flora Springs. It was a sure way to their mom’s heart and father’s wallet. Komes put his construction expertise to work on renovating the old winery, which still had scorch marks on the walls. So skeptical was his father about his son’s wine-making project, they divided the winery building. John rented half where he put his first fermenting tank, which he named R2D2. He invited a couple of friends from his wine-making class to help make wine at the new place. He also hired Mary Ann Graf, who in 1965 had been the first woman to graduate from the viticulture and enology department at UC Davis to help manage the project. She told John, “if you don’t hire a winemaker, I’ll quit.” He did and the 1979 Flora Springs chardonnay won a gold medal at the Los Angeles County Fair. In those days, it was fairs, not ratings. This was his first lesson in marketing as they sadly sold all the wine before they won the medal. Fairs were the big news instead of ratings as Parker had not yet risen to fame as he was the only one to call the grand 1982 Bordeaux vintage correctly. They submitted their 1981 Cabernet to eight fairs and won seven gold medals. From there, the winery just kept growing. They were the 67th winery in the county. Over the years, they had their ups and downs, but kept growing. One of their highlights was the creation this wine, Trilogy. It was one of the first Meritage blends in the valley. By 1984, they planted all the Bordeaux varietals; Malbec, Merlot, Cab Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. They wanted to create a blend “by taste”, not by formula for a nice smooth wine that goes deep into the palate. They worked with a little of this and little of that. The first Trilogy was Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cab Franc. It was dubbed as velvet in the mouth. A lot of what they do is taming the tannins. One man who bought Trilogy by the case said, “it’s the only red wine his wife would drink young.” From the leftovers, they began making single-varietal estate wines. Another highlight was the discovery of a unique clone of Sauvignon Blanc in vineyards his father bought in Oakville. UC Davis could identify nothing like it in their vast library of clones. They were a bit ahead of the times, but this clone showed Flora Springs how different in that time period what Sauvignon Blanc could be like as it took all the grassiness out of Sauvignon Blanc. — 9 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.4

Dark ruby. A little cloudy, almost opaque. Briary red fruit, wood and dust. Big rich and round in the mouth. Long finish. Needs air to show its stuff. Very nice. — 10 years ago

Justin Hart

9.5

2011 was a tough year, but you wouldn't know it with this wine. It goes boom the instant your sip it, big explosive fruit (prune or plum), coco powder that completely coats the mouth. A strong, silky backbone and all kinds of spice. Drool... — 11 years ago

with Alex and Cherish

Paul H

9.2

This is another delayed review of a 2012 Double Eagle Red Blend. The '12 blend is 44% merlot, 36% cab and 20% cab franc. This was a big wine. It needed to be decanted for a bit but it is worth the wait. Upon first opening there was strong cedar, cherry and earth aromas. These gave way after a while to plum, berries and light cedar aromas. There are plenty of tannins for this one to last a while I feel. With that said it has a nice long finish with nice ripe red fruit, a little oak and earthy tones lingering in your mouth. This was very enjoyable. #napavalley #doubleeagle — 11 years ago

Robert Love

9.5

95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot. Gorgeous nose of black currant, liquorice, and asphalt. Big and bold in the mouth, but not overripe, with integrated tannins, nice acidity, and a lingering finish of dark fruit and spice. Good now through 2025. — 11 years ago

Rob Shore

9.3

Always a favorite from Venge. Big round mouth feel. Soft edges. — 12 years ago

Dock Hooks

9.7

Big bacon nose with floral honey front mouth affect quickly going mineral for a clean but lingering finish of flowers & white grapes. Enjoying this fine yet affordable wine with manchego and niçoise-coquillo olives, at PromiseLand Market, in Morehead City, NC... — 12 years ago

Andrew Nash

9.3

$50 at Wine Room. Very smooth yet big mouth feel — 13 years ago

Robert A. Manchester IV

9.2

Huge nose!! And that's on a head cold. Solid fruit whiff but with a some understated sweet. Full mouth first sip. Draw back on tongue reveals sweetness and ripe cherry (maybe recall the head cold). This is a big fruit wine. Stands up to hearty faire and dominant flavors. — 9 years ago

Justin Hart

9.6

Big, chewy, mouth coating Syrah, absolutely gigantic actually. Leathery, peppery, tannic and silty/coco powder notes dominate throughout, but a nice, ripe red raspberry note slips right through the middle and finishes so sweetly. Yum!!! — 9 years ago

with Jen and Cherish

Roman Sukley

9.2

2015 Kutch Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. I think we all know Jamie's story, stock trader turned winemaker, so I'll not repeat it here. Suffice it to say that I lived vicariously through him for years as he apprenticed with Michael Browne and then graduated to his own label. A nicer man you will never meet ( and he knows a thing or two about Porsche as well). Expressive nose of cherries, plums, menthol and forest floor. The palate is slightly sweet with cherries, black raspberry, clove and a touch of oak and brambles. In recent years, Jamie has progressed away from the big, over-the-top, high alcohol Pinots currently dominating the California market. This wine has an earthy, Burgundian character with mouth-watering acidity and smooth tannins. 12.9% alcohol. I see your vision Jamie @kutchwines and I'm still interested in that 912.) — 9 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.3

Ridge Wine Dinner. Dark ruby, almost opaque. Herbal nose with notes of black fruit, gravel, tobacco leaf and cedar. Secondary notes show this has evolved. Rich and big in the mouth. But still shows it's big angular tannins and needs more time for them to resolve. Hope the fruit stays along for the ride. — 9 years ago

Albert Camilleri

9.3

Cloudy, probably needed better decanting. Red fruits and earthy nose. Powerful and big in the mouth. Long. Young. — 10 years ago

Amy Hill

8.9

Deep red color. Nice fingers. Big bold flavors. Smoky with a nice mouth feel and lingering finish. — 11 years ago

Uli Klumpp

9.0

Got a tremendous deal on this one. Nice expression of a CA Zin, look elsewhere for subtlety. Not the late harvest style, it's mostly dry despite its ripeness. 16.4% ABV allegedly, didn't taste as much heat though.

Winemaker's comment: Rich bouquet. Big, bright, ripe complex fruity flavors. Mouth filling. Balanced fruit and acid. — 11 years ago

Gary Vorsanger

9.7

2012 Buccella Merlot. Simply amazing. Big wine, fills the mouth with blackberry; mid palate has lots of slate. Tannins well balanced. A Merlot that drinks like a Cab Sauv. . — 11 years ago

Robert Love

9.3

Dark inky purple. Black currant, fresh earth, and baking spice on the nose. A rich & powerful style. Tannins are nice and integrated in the mouth, leading to a medium-long finish redolent of dark fruit and mocha. This seems big and overripe on the nose but could be mistaken for top-growth Pauillac in the mouth. Not my style yet I love this wine. Decanted. #Napa #Cabernet — 12 years ago

John Riddick

9.8

Love this wine! Great aromatic characteristics, big body, sweet tannins that coat your entire mouth on the finish! Giampaolo Tabarrini is an amazing winemaker. — 12 years ago

Travis Stansbury

10

Big, bold, very spicy, a naughty party in your mouth — 12 years ago

with Ans

Mike Saviage

9.3

Murky ruby. Transparent. Gamey nose. Notes of plum, earth, white pepper, herbs. Big and masculine in the mouth, but mellowed with air time. Very CdP-ish showing the full power of Rhone varietals. — 9 years ago

Douglas Braun

8.9

Drinking nicely deep black fruit currants and big blackberry fruit in the mouth — 9 years ago

Shawn R

9.3

Real deal Holyfield...@Eric S thank you Sir for sharing this bottle with me. My first time but not the last. I get this big rush of smoked meats and dried strawberries on the nose with secondary hint of alcohol that blows off. Rich and lush on entry; no sign on tannins, integrated well. Mouth coating flavors yet light and bright. This stud has none of green herbaceous element. Hot charcoal, coulis and currant paste fill the palate. Ends with slight cigar box and dusty road. Wonderful. @Eric S thanks again! — 9 years ago

David Refuerzo

9.2

Nice cedar nose, dense and mouth coating. Very good aged Bordeaux style wine. Not as big as we thought it might. Excellent choice for our 25th anniversary wine. — 10 years ago

Matthew Davis

9.0

Really tasty Zinfandel. Pretty big in the mouth, not too tannic, some smoky tastes as well as grilled stone fruit or stewed cherries and a little oakiness. Overall really well balanced. — 10 years ago

garret plocher

9.2

Opaque brick color maybe like rusty rose. Big dark fruit and a little leathery on the nose. Also a savory component mixed with dried fruit. First taste is bright acidity followed up with a rich mouth feel. Lasting finish. It is a little hot but loves food. The more I drank it the more dried cherry came through. — 11 years ago

Ira Schwartz

9.1

Aromas of of oak , chocolate and plum.
Big Fruit in he mouth just short of being overripe. The only disappointment was the relatively short finish and a hint of alcohol. — 11 years ago

Kyle Groombridge

9.1

Big boy haut medoc. At the outset it's dark, inky, and has a ton of oaky tannin. Give it time though and she'll sing. Within a couple hours, violets and purple fruits hum from the glass, with sweet black cherry and a now-resolved tannin rounding out the mouth. Oak still present but just accenting the purple plummy fruits. This'll last for days. Well made. — 11 years ago

David Rosen

9.0

Though it's called Petite Petit, there's nothing little about this wine. It's big, it's bold, and it's bursting out of the bottle. Both the nose and the mouth are dense with dark berries and vanilla with just the faintest hint of graphite. Very good, but not for the timid. — 12 years ago

Joseph Ngo

9.7

Full flamboyant big wine. Luscious mouth feel yet with acid and tight mineral finish. Just a showy mineral driven wine. Not a hint of heavy fruit. — 12 years ago

Drew Damskey

9.3

Medium plus intensity in the color. Very elegant! Great acid, fruit balance. Red currant, blueberry, dried strawberry, anise, violet, sandal shop, gripping mouth and big — 13 years ago