Flora Springs, located in Napa Valley’s St. Helena, has been a family operation since its founding in 1978. Jerry and Flora Komes purchased an abandoned property at foot of the Mayacamas Mountains at the western end of Zinfandel Lane in 1977. The historic winery, built in the previous century, had been destroyed by fire and the whole property was in dire need of rehabilitation. The Komes’ plan was to grow grapes, sell them to wineries and settle in to retirement.
The Komes’ adult children and their spouses had another plan though – they wanted to establish a winery as well. So, John and Carrie Komes and Julie and Pat Garvey established Flora Springs Winery with their parents and named it for their mother and a natural spring on the property.
We have shared the detailed history of the family and the winery in previous posts and although Flora Springs has seen some changes, it continues to be run by multiple generations of the Komes and Garvey family. Today we are sipping their two flagship wines, which were sent to us as tasting samples.
2021 Flora Springs Soliloquy, Napa Valley — light yellow with tart aromas of guava, cut grass and lime. Flavors include guava, citrus, cut grass and dried hay with juicy, mouth-watering acidity. The body is a bit round and the finish is very long. 14.2% abv. SRP $60
Soliloquy takes its name from Flora Springs’ proprietary Sauvignon Blanc clone of the same name that is always a major component of this blend. Chardonnay and Malvasia round out the blending partners. The 2021 vintage is a blend of 73% Sauvignon Blanc, 12% Chardonnay and 13% Malvasia aged for seven months in French oak barrels.
This wine is very refreshing with good weight in the mouth. It epitomizes summertime sipping and would be the perfect accompaniment to pesto pasta or citrusy grilled chicken with friends on the patio.
2020 Flora Springs Soliloquy, Napa Valley — medium yellow with aromas of dried hay, pineapple guava, Meyer lemon, and delicate citrus blossoms. Flavors are lemony with oat hay and barely ripe pears. Once again, acidity is mouth watering and the body is a bit round. 14.2% abv. SRP $50 upon release. No longer available on the winery website.
This blend of Soliloquy Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Malvasia was aged for seven months in a combination of concrete eggs and French oak barrels. This wine has aged beautifully. It is now less herbaceous but still exhibits that refreshing acidity and a complex flavor profile.
2019 Flora Springs Trilogy, Napa Valley — inky dark ruby with generous aromas of ripe boysenberries, blackberries and blueberries along with crushed flower stems and vanilla in the background. Bold flavors of ripe boysenberries, currants, blueberries combine with lingering flavors of vanilla. Tannins are firm and grippy in a medium body with a long finish. 14.2% abv. SRP $85
For years we tasted wine most Thursday evenings at a local wine shop. One of the other regular tasters would have described this wine as tasting optional – meaning the aromas are so appealing you might not get to tasting it. That said, the flavors are just as appealing as the aromas. This wine has many years good years ahead of it. Pair this gorgeous blend with a grilled rib eye and baked potato with sour cream and chives.
75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 7% Malbec is aged for 18 months in French (80%) and American Oak.
Visit the Flora Springs website to purchase these wines, explore tasting options at the St. Helena tasting room or arrange curbside pickup.
Cheers!
I remember your post article about the Cathiard family purchase and was glad to hear the Komes and Garvey family were holding onto these two iconic wines. And I’m holding onto the poster I purchased at the old tasting room some time ago!