Flora Springs Red Wine 2013
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Wilfred
Wong
Product Details
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Winemaker Notes
This wine would be ideal paired with duck or wild game as well as a hearty stew.
Blend: Varietals: 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 17% Syrah, 8% Petite Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Red wine blends can be some of the most confusing wines on the planet. When I tasted the 2013 Flora Springs Red Wine, I was lost at first. I knew that the winery grew plenty of Bordeaux varieties, but in the final analysis, it didn't really matter. What matters is: does the wine taste good? This one does! The wine's red fruit and light mineral touch have sold me on its quality: this is good stuff. Drinking well now. (Tasted: June 30, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
It all began over 20 years ago, when Jerry and Flora Komes bought the first vineyard - a vineyard with lots of history, great soils and two ghost wineries. Their retirement project became a lifetime passion for son John Komes and daughter Julie Garvey and their families. John quickly talked the family (including another brother Mike Komes) into making wine. Julie worked side by side with John as the first two years they made the wines. Julie’s husband Pat Garvey took over the vineyard side of things. In 1980, Ken Deis was hired as winemaker and he has been part of the family ever since.
Winemaker Ken Deis makes use of every tool at his disposal. First of all, he trusts his senses: The feel of the berry in his fingers, the taste of the fruit and then the wine, the smells during fermentation. A winemaker needs to understand the source of his fruit and Ken has worked closely with vineyard manager Pat Garvey for more than 20 years so that they can anticipate the challenges that each vintage brings. Ken has also adopted the same curiosity that the entire Komes-Garvey family has and it has paid off royally in the quality of his wines.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.