We’re sipping more white wine than usual this time of year and Flora Springs has us covered with several recent releases that hit the spot. And Merlot is always a welcome red wine even in summer. We received these wines as tasting samples.
Flora Springs is a name that is familiar to most wine enthusiasts who are at all familiar with Napa Valley wineries. We’ve told the story of Flora Springs and the Gomes and Garvey family, who have made the winery what it is today, in a previous post. We’ve also had the pleasure of tasting Flora Springs wines on several occasions and we always find the wines to be well made and attractively priced. This recent group is no exception.
2018 Flora Springs Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley — pale yellow in the glass with aromas of cut hay and tropical fruit. Flavors follow with citrus, dried hay and cut grass supported by juicy acidity and a medium finish. 14.2% abv. SRP $30
This Sauvignon Blanc is lean but flavorful with plenty of acidity in a relatively light body. Racy is a fair description.
2019 Flora Springs Soliloquy, Napa Valley — pale yellow in the glass with generous aromas of ripe melon, white flowers, tart gooseberries and oat hay. Flavors lead with ripe melon, citrus and oat hay, then floral and herbal notes all supported by juicy acidity. The body is a bit round and the finish is medium in length. 14.2% abv. 500 cases made. SRP $50
Soliloquy features Flora Springs’ proprietary Sauvignon Blanc clone, of the same name, blended with Chardonnay and Malvasia. Aging takes place in stainless steel barrel, concrete egg and French oak barrels for seven months.
2018 Flora Springs Family Select Chardonnay, Napa Valley — medium yellow in the glass with aromas of stone fruit, toast and vanilla. Melon flavors lead along with cedar, toast and vanilla. Juicy acidity and a bit of roundness make the wine luxurious in the mouth with a finish that is medium+ in length. 14.2% abv. 1275 cases made. SRP $36
Chardonnay is sourced from Oak Knoll District and Carneros AVAs. The wine is fermented and aged in 96% French and 4% American oak with twice weekly lees stirring. It is aged for 7 months.
2017 Flora Springs Merlot, Napa Valley — medium ruby in the glass with aromas of dark berries, plums, dried earth and cedar. Flavors of raspberries, blackberries, dusty earth, cedar and dried herbs are supported by nice acidity in a medium body. The finish is medium+ in length. 14.2% abv. 3400 cases made. SRP $35
The aromas will draw you in and the flavors don’t disappoint. This gorgeous 100% Merlot is a red wine for any season and it will pair with everything from grilled chicken to steaks. It was aged for 20 months in small French oak barrels.
We enjoyed this selection of Flora Springs wine with one of our favorite dishes that combines hummus and lamb sausage. We are fans of Chef Paul Prudhomme’s spicy style of cooking and have many of his cookbooks. This chickpea spread is from his Fiery Foods That I Love cookbook and uses a combination of seasonings that includes cayenne, coriander, ground fennel seeds, garlic and onion powder, turmeric, ground cumin, black pepper, white pepper and salt. Olive oil, tamari, white balsamic vinegar, honey and lemon juice are blended with cooked chickpeas and the seasoning mix to create this flavorful hummus. The recipe makes quite a large amount so I freeze part of it small containers so we have some for later too. It freezes well and makes a delicious appetizer without the lamb sausage.
The lamb sausage is a modification of this Merguez Lamb Sausage recipe and the two together are dynamite regardless of the season. All of the Flora Springs wines worked perfectly with this combination.
Cheers!
