| Region of production: | Sonoma Coast and Fort Ross-Seaview AVA |
| Winery Location: | Healdsburg |
| Year Established: | 1989 |
Vineyard Holdings
(Fort Ross-Seaview AVA)
- Camp Meeting Ridge Vineyard: 130 ha total (12 ha planted)
- Sea View Ridge: 132 ha total (17.5 ha planted)
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Camp Meeting Ridge Chardonnay (Fort Ross-Seaview AVA): 1994
- Camp Meeting Ridge ‘Moon Select’ Chardonnay (Fort Ross-Seaview AVA): 1997
- Sonoma Coast Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast AVA): 1997
Average Total Production
- 36,000 bottles
Summary
Flowers Winery was established in 1989 when Walt and Joan Flowers purchased 321 acres on the Northern Sonoma Coast. 29 acres of vines were planted in 1991. The winery, designed to operate by gravity flow, was completed in 1997. In 1998 another piece of land, Flowers Sea View Ridge, was purchased and 47 acres of Pinot Noir were planted. The winery was expanded to accommodate the additional fruit and completed in 2004. In 2009 Huneeus Vintners acquired a majority stake in Flowers Winery and the founders, Joan and Walt Flowers, retired from the project. David Keatley is currently Director of Winemaking.
Style & Vinification Techniques
The two estate vineyards of Flowers on the extreme west of the Sonoma coast are farmed employing a combination of organic, sustainable, and biodynamic practices. After hand harvesting and sorting, whole cluster Chardonnay (largely Hyde-Old Wente clone and some Dijon 95 clone) are pressed. The juice is fermented and raised in 1-3 year-old French Oak barrels. Malolactic fermentation is completed to a varying extent with each of the Chardonnay bottlings, and bâtonnage is limited throughout, if performed at all. Wines receive additional bottle aging prior to release.
Producer Website: Flowers