Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Pinot Noir lovers always ask the question? Is this wine pure or has there been an addition of Syrah, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel or some other dark grape to give the wine some added color and body. The 2013 Flowers Sonoma Coast is not only pure, it is beautiful and as refined as a wine can be. Yes, I may even be inclined to take this one to a desert island. No, that would carrying this too far. Nevertheless, this wine is so appealing, shows bright and active red fruit flavors, more on the riper side than cranberry and perhaps this side of blueberry. On the palate, there is plenty of juiciness that lasts nicely to the end. Quite delicious now. (Tasted: July 1, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine Enthusiast
Shy and reserved, this cool-climate wine opens coyly with a burst of spearmint on the nose, evolving into layers of flavor steeped in rhubarb, black cherry and tea. Soft and lilting, the wine’s finish conjures thoughts of strawberry cream.
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Wine & Spirits
Fragrant with scents of rose petal and pinecone, this is clean and brisk. Lifted rather than layered or complex, it’s ready to decant for herb-stuffed trout baked in parchment.
The Sonoma Coast AVA is large in area but, not counting overlapping regions like Russian River Valley, only has a few thousand acres of grapevines—and it’s no wonder. Much of the region is rugged and not easily accessible. Its proximity to the Pacific Ocean’s fog and cool breezes limits the varieties that can be cultivated, but it proves to be an ideal environment for high quality Pinot Noir.
Since fog is a frequent fact of life here, as are heavy marine layers that sometimes bring rain, the best vineyards are wisely planted above the fog line, on picturesque ridges that capture enough sun to provide even ripening. That, with the overnight drop in temperature that reliably preserves acidity, results in fine expressions of Pinot Noir that often receive tremendous critic and consumer praise alike, and are often in high demand.