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Flowers Camp Meeting Ridge Chardonnay 2018

ID No: 447947
Organic:Yes
Vintage:2018
Bottle Size:750 ml
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Product Description

Flowers Camp Meeting Ridge Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.

With mild temperatures leading to a long growing season and a surprise-free harvest, the 2018 vintage can only be described as idyllic. Alternating spells of cool and warm weather during bloom led to varying berry sizes, perfect for developing complexity in Pinot Noir & Chardonnay. Morning fog, afternoon sunshine and a lack of heat spikes throughout the summer allowed for a long ripening period that developed fruit with excellent natural acidity and beautiful flavors.

Mouth-filling citrus, orange blossom and lemon flavors highlight the 2018 season with a textural mineral note gliding across the finish. This is a year marked by brilliant natural acidity, so don’t be afraid of laying some 2018 Chardonnay down for the future.

With age comes maturity and beauty. Our Camp Meeting Ridge Estate vineyards are nearly 30 years old and among the longest standing in the area. Their robust root systems give them a depth and resilience that allow the vines to flourish in raw conditions. They express the unique traits of the setting where they grow. In 2018, our vineyards gave us everything we could have hoped for, and we did our best not to get in the way. The Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from this vintage are profoundly complex wines that convey the nuances of a specific time and place.

Sourced entirely from our organic and biodynamically farmed Camp Meeting Ridge Vineyard. Planted in 1991, these “older” vines are producing our most exciting and interesting Chardonnays to date. Given the extremes of this site, each small block ripens at its own pace. Picked by hand in the foggy frigidness of the early morning, fruit integrity and temperature were ensured for a whole cluster pressing by sunrise.


Review:

Coming from the Fort Ross-Seaview appellation, the 2018 Chardonnay Camp Meeting Ridge is more mineral-laced, with a touch of marine-like iodine in its orchard and citrus fruits. Nicely textured and medium to full-bodied, with bright acidity, it's going to benefit from a year (or two) in bottle and should keep for a solid 7-8 years or more.

-Jeb Dunnuck 94+ Points


Winery: Flowers

Nearly 30 years ago, Flowers Vineyards & 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 — make exceptional wine that captures the wild beauty of the land and the spirit of the Sonoma Coast. This passion drives everything we do — farming responsibly, harvesting by hand, using 100% native fermentation, and crafting wine with minimal intervention. Our unwavering commitment to creating distinctive wines that capture the spirit of the Sonoma Coast has been the bedrock of our success, and will continue to guide us for years to come.


EARLY 1980’S Our story begins in the early 1980s with Joan and Walt Flowers, owners of a nursery in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. On their biannual trips to California to buy seeds and learn about west-coast plants, they would always carve out time to pursue their budding interest in wine. Before long, their passion grew into a dream of owning a vineyard and using their immense agricultural and farming knowledge to grow exceptional wine.

1989 In 1989, Joan and Walt came across a brief advertisement in the back of a wine publication for a mountaintop piece of land on the first ridgeline of the Sonoma Coast. This was uncharted territory for farming grapes, and despite being warned of the risks, they visited the property. The drive there took them along the scenic Highway 1, down miles of narrow switchbacks with breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean.

THE ROAD TO FLOWERS They turned on to a narrow road and started the steep trek up the first ridgeline of the Sonoma Coast. Around 1100 feet up, they broke through the thick cloud layer and were welcomed with abundant sunshine. At this moment they knew farming this land was possible. The site for the vineyard was a large piece of rugged, untouched land that had once been used as a trading ground between the Pomo Indian Tribe and the Russian fur traders. After extensive, meticulous research on the property’s soil, history, and climate, it was time to plant their vineyard.

1991 By 1991, Camp Meeting Ridge had been planted with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and was beginning to bear fruit of exceptional quality. Rocky soils, hillside exposures, fog-filled mornings, warm sunny days, and cool nights — the perfect combination of elements to produce distinctive and expressive wines.

1998 In a rugged, unforgiving landscape where others could only see obstacles, Joan and Walt Flowers had the vision and courage to chart new territory and see the potential of the land. Flowers Vineyards & Winery was formed, and a nearby untouched mountaintop property, Sea View Ridge, was acquired and planted.

TODAY Nearly 30 years after Joan and Walt first stepped onto the Camp Meeting Ridge property our commitment to making Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that express the true character of the land has not changed. In those thirty years we’ve perfected our farming, pushed the boundaries of our winemaking, and connected with lovers of cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay around the world. As we look to the future we can’t wait to continue our journey as stewards of the lands and pioneers of balanced and terroir-driven wines.

SUSTAINABLE FARMING Using a blend of organic and sustainable farming practices, we harness the true potential of our extreme vineyard sites. The grapes benefit from the influence of the nearby Pacific Ocean, which provides cool daytime breezes to ensure proper ripening and evening fog to guarantee lively acidity for freshness in the finished wines.

MINIMAL INTERVENTION IN THE CELLAR Every winemaker has the opportunity intervene in the natural winemaking process to impact the color, flavor, aroma and texture of their wine – but at Flowers we do not. We want our wine to be a pure expression of our unique coastal terroir and the vintage.

100% NATIVE YEAST FERMENTATION Yeast is the magic in the winemaking process, as it is the catalyst for fermentation. And although there is natural yeast all around us, most wineries will purchase yeast strains from the store and use them to control the fermentation process. At Flowers, we use 100% native yeast in all our wines, thus relying on the wild yeast that gets carried in on the grapes from the vineyard for fermentation. We believe our yeast strain gives our wine a unique identity and in 2015 we began sending out samples for DNA fingerprinting.

UNIQUE & PURE We have been shocked to learn that we had a common strain of yeast throughout all of our wines that is carried in through our vineyards – and this strain is 100% unique to Flowers, meaning there is no genetic relationship to any commercial yeast on the market. Although using native yeast is uncommon, we believe that it is necessary to showcase the purity of our fruit and power of our vineyards.

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WINEMAKING AND AGING:

Manual harvest early October with selection of the best bunches.
Drying: natural drying in fruit cellar for 3/4 months with a sharp drop in weight of around 30%.
Vinification: soft crushing of destemmed grapes in the months of January and February.
Fermentation: at a controlled temperature of 18/21°C. Fermentation time: about 30 days
Aging:· 80% in oak barrels for 30 months of which 2/3 in American and French barriques, half of which are used for the second and third time, 1/3 in large


THE TERRITORY:
Geographical location: Tenuta di Mezzane, Tenuta di Cazzano di Tramigna
Height: 350/400 meters asl
Exposure: south
Soil type: limestone
Vineyard training system: guyot and pergola
Vine planting year: from 1972 to 2009
Vine density: 4,000 to 5,400 vines per hectare Vineyard management: sustainable agriculture and great attention to natural
cycles

Pairs well with grilled and roasted meats, as well as cheese.

Timeless Notes:

Dark cherry in color, firm on the palate with a vibrant acidity underbelly.  Thought lush on the palate the flavors are complex and elegant from entry to mid-palate with hints of currant and wild berries. The finish brings in a touch of tobacco and leather notes ,classic examples of this region, with more ripe fruit flavors that linger on long strain tannin finish.   Complex with depth and elegance on the palate.  This one is drinking now, but can handle more time in the cellar with ease. An excellent value in the Riserva category.






Alain Jaume Domaine du Clos de Sixte Lirac 2019

Alain Jaume Domaine du Clos de Sixte Lirac is made from 50% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 15% Mourvedre

An intense red garnet color. On the nose, aromas of red and black ripe fruit (kirsch and wild blackberry). The mouth is full, with aromas of blackcurrant liqueur and spice. Tannins are both harmonious and elegant thanks to the fleshiness of the wine. Hints of licorice and vanilla on the finish, which gives the wine length and complexity.

Soil type LIRAC vineyard is facing Chateauneuf du Pape, opposite side of the Rhône river. As showed by the picture and following geologist George Truc, soils are almost similar in both side. They are marked by the violence wrought by the Rhone river. It consists of a layer of marine molasses of the Miocene period covered by alpine alluvium. The presence of a great number of rounded stones known as "galets" in the earth is evidence of the time when the Rhone, then a torrent, tore fragments of rock from the Alps and deposited them on the plain. LIRAC is one of the up-coming best area from the southern Rhône valley, as it delivers outstanding wines. Winemaking & ageing Traditional wine-making in stainless still vats. Hand sorted bunches, crushed and destemmed grapes. Fermentation temperature : 30°C. 18 days of vatting with pigeages.

 

Review:

"Deep, dusky, expressive, and decisively luxurious, with rich, ripe notes of blackberry, espresso, and dark chocolate layered atop a suede texture that caresses and satisfies."

- The Tasting Panel Magazine (July 2023), 94 pts



 94 Points
Rombauer Vineyards Proprietor Selection Chardonnay 2021

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Proprietor Selection is a reserve Chardonnay produced only in exceptional vintages by blending the best barrels from the finest lots. The 2020 represents the 14th vintage in 41 years. Like all of our Chardonnays, this wine comes from Carneros where the cool climate and clay soils offer ideal growing conditions for the varietal.

This wine comes from elite vineyards in the Carneros region owned by the Rombauer family and select growers including the Sangiacomo family, long-term grower partners who have farmed this land for three generations

A beautiful pale yellow, there are multifaceted layers of aromas including caramelized pineapple, lemon rind, baked green apple, toast, and vanilla. The densely concentrated palate features notes of powerful stone fruit, floral honey, baking spice, and vanilla, all building, with a fresh, mouthwatering acidity, to a long and lingering finish.

Thomas Sancerre Rose 2021

Thomas Sancerre Rose is made from 100% Pinot Noir.

Vines are 20-55 years old.
Terroir (soil type) is a blend of "Caillottes" and "Terre Blanche".
Everything is machine harvested (which means it is 100% destemmed).
50% Direct press + 50% Saignée (bled) with 12-24 hours of skin contact maceration.
The alcoholic fermentation is done in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks.
Right before bottling, the wine is fined with Bentonite (very light filtration with oenologic clay).

Tasting Notes:
Light, bright pink. Redcurrant, strawberry and chalk on the nose, with a touch of singed orange gaining strength with air. Dusty red fruit and citrus flavors are braced by tangy minerality, which adds lift and cut. Uncompromising in the best way, finishing with excellent clarity and echoes of lemon and orange zest.

Food pairings:
This is a very versatile wine. You can have it on its own in the summer time as an apéritif. But it is also excellent with Hors d'Oeuvres and terrines. It will compliment any white meat dish and poultry. You can also enjoy it with salmon or exotic food (slightly spicy sushi).

Review:


"Pink color. Aromas of strawberry fields, eucalyptus, and fresh ferns with a fat body and a very long watermelon, persimmons, lime zest, and sea salt finish. An energetic, lively Rose with exotic flavors that are sure to tantalize."


- Beverage Testing Institute (May 2022), 95 points


 95 Points
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