Winemaker Notes
The 2021 Chardonnay is memorably balanced between gravitas and grace, its bright acidity (conjuring coastal Camp Meeting Ridge itself) belying rich textures and galvanizing the palate with dynamic tension. Following a fresh seaside breeze, the vineyard’s signature crushed-rock minerality and preserved lemon emerge, lifted with sweet, pungent herb aromas—mint, wild fennel, and warm, dry grasses. Satisfying weight carries across the palate, complex but focused, with an array of citrus giving way to hints of white stone fruit and the mouth-watering sweet-bitter balance of lemon confit. This is a Chardonnay that will reward with depth and evolving beauty, given a few years in the cellar.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Vibrant fruit flavors fill out a creamy texture in this super well-balanced wine, offering toast, pineapple and butter aromas, then poached pear, lemon zest and almond croissant flavors on the palate. The combination of lively acidity and generous flavors is quite compelling. Best 2025–2032. Cellar Selection
-
Decanter
This Chardonnay comes from the winery's estate, Camp Meeting Ridge vineyard, around 457 metres, approximately 3.21 km from the Pacific Ocean. Recommended decanting to get the most out of this tight-knit, beautifully structured Chardonnay. Leads with pops of salty-fresh sea spray, white flowers, grapefruit zest, lemon peel and lime zest capped off by fragrant herbs. Medium-bodied with an unctuous palate feel, refreshing zesty crunchy minerals abound, overtaken by green apple and pear, then turning to lemon-apricot, all framed by a deep mid-palate salinity of crushed seashells, with a long, satisfying finish marked by white flowers and almonds. A dazzling white capable of long-term cellaring.
-
Wine Spectator
Shows wonderful transparency and concentration, with Meyer lemon, fresh-cut Fuji apple and Asian pear, plus a touch of tangerine at the core. Pretty accents of matcha, white flowers and crunchy sea salt join firm acidity to give this a refreshing backbone and help the flavors linger, with a note of tarragon on the finish.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Chardonnay Camp Meeting Ridge comes from vines planted between 1,150 and 1,400 feet of elevation a couple miles from the Pacific Ocean. Initial flinty tones give way to white peach, quince, honeycomb and citrus blossoms. The light-bodied palate offers expansive, salty flavors. Firm, focused acidity drives its concentrated flavors, and it has a long, ethereal finish.
-
Wine & Spirits
Balanced in its sweet ripeness, this golden-toned chardonnay has some Mandarin orange richness to the fruit and firm, lasting spice. “It’s brassy,” said NYC sommelier Chris Dooley, “as if Ethel Merman were a wine.”
Over 25 years ago, Flowers Vineyards and Winery pioneered the growing of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on the rugged coastal ridges of the extreme Sonoma Coast. Joan and Walt Flowers had a simple goal, to make exceptional wine that captures the wild beauty of the land and the spirit of the Sonoma Coast. This idea continues to drive everything we do - farming responsibly, harvesting by hand, using 100% native fermentation, and making wine with minimal intervention. Our unwavering commitment to crafting distinctive wines that capture the spirit of the Sonoma Coast has been the bedrock of our success, and it will continue to drive us forward for years to come.
Perched on top of soaring coastal ridges that border the nearby Pacific Ocean, our estate vineyards, Camp Meeting Ridge and Sea View Ridge, rise to impressive elevations from 1,150 to 1,875 feet. Flowers resides in the Fort Ross-Seaview American Viticulture Area (AVA), which was established in 2012 and located on the extreme western edge of the Sonoma Coast Appellation. Defined by elevation, rugged terrain and proximity to the Pacific Ocean, vineyard plantings are limited to 920-1,800+ft above sea level and are only 2% of the total AVA acreage.
The Pacific Ocean is less than two miles from the vineyards, generating cooling sea breezes and coastal fog while the soaring elevations ensure abundant sunshine for a long, slow growing season. Together they create an ideal environment for elegant and nuanced Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
A vast appellation covering Sonoma County’s Pacific coastline, the Sonoma Coast AVA runs all the way from the Mendocino County border, south to the San Pablo Bay. The region can actually be divided into two sections—the actual coastal vineyards, marked by marine soils, cool temperatures and saline ocean breezes—and the warmer, drier vineyards further inland, which are still heavily influenced by the Pacific but not quite with same intensity.
Contained within the appellation are the much smaller Fort Ross-Seaview and Petaluma Gap AVAs.
The Sonoma Coast is highly regarded for elegant Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and, increasingly, cool-climate Syrah. The wines have high acidity, moderate alcohol, firm tannin, and balanced ripeness.