by Michelle J. Baker
This is a big year at Flora Springs in St. Helena. The winery is celebrating its 30th anniversary (with a big bash planned for this summer), the renovation of their popular tasting room along Highway 29 in St. Helena, and the ascent of the founding family’s third generation to leadership roles at this esteemed winery. And if all that isn’t enough, Flora Springs is about to release perhaps its best vintage ever of Trilogy, the winery’s flagship red blend.
Flora Springs started producing wine in 1978, the same year founders Jerry and Flora Komes purchased from the Louis Martini estate this Rutherford Bench property, complete with an abandoned winery and vineyards. The couple planned to make the property their “retirement project,” but their son, John, had other ideas. John had been a home winemaker for some years, and when his parents purchased the estate, he convinced his sister Julie and her husband to help start a winery.
They named the winery after their mother, Flora, and the natural springs that flow on the west side of the estate property. In those first years, John and Julie took charge of making the wine, while Julie’s husband Pat Garvey, a novice at viticulture, learned on the job how to manage vineyards.
It didn’t take long for the winery to make award-winning wines. Flora Springs’ first release, the 1979 Chardonnay, won a gold medal at the Los Angeles County Fair, and the 1980 Cabernet Sauvignon won best of show at the American Wine Competition in New York. Flora Springs really garnered the wine world’s attention in 1994, when Wine Spectator named its 1991 Rutherford Hillside Estate Cabernet Sauvignon the #3 wine in the world that year.
Over time, Flora Springs acquired other vineyard properties in Napa Valley, Carneros and Pope Valley to support its growing case production. Today, the winery owns eight vineyards in all, and is one of few 50,000-case, family-owned wineries that can say all of its wines are estate grown.
Today, John Komes is still President of the winery and Pat Garvey runs the vineyard operations. And now the third generation of the family is stepping up to take on big responsibilities at the winery. John’s son Nat Komes is the winery’s Operations Director, overseeing wine production and the tasting room, as well as managing the winery’s California sales. Julie and Pat Garvey’s son Sean is Communications Director, and also manages the winery’s sales in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Sean Garvey is most excited these days about his family’s commitment to the environment. Sean says his grandmother Flora is “a strong believer in being both a good steward of the land, and a good neighbor.” To that end, Flora Springs recently converted their red wine production facility to solar power. The winery’s 650 acres of vineyard are 100% sustainably farmed, and 70% will be certified organic by next year. Pat and Sean are even looking at “green” solutions as cutting edge as converting their tractors to run on recycled vegetable oil.
One of the reasons for Flora Springs success and longevity is that winemaker Ken Deis, who joined the winery in 1980, has developed a style in each of the wines that remains consistent vintage after vintage. Soliloquy, a Sauvignon Blanc made from the winery’s proprietary Sauvignon Musque clone, has beautiful aromatics and a signature richness and complexity that comes from aging the wine on the lees in large oval casks. The barrel-fermented Chardonnay has luscious fruit flavors and is creamy without being heavy on oak or butter. The Merlot has bright fruit and spice, and is smooth enough to enjoy now (as Grandma Flora, who is 96 years old, still does daily). The Cabernet Sauvignon is elegant and approachable, but can also age for another five years or more.
And then there’s Trilogy, Flora Springs proprietary Bordeaux-style blend. The 2005 Trilogy, which the winery is pre-releasing to its wine club and winery visitors on February 2, already received a 93-point rating from Robert Parker. This is a wine built for longer-term aging, but is downright decadent in its youth.
Flora Springs also makes several wines that are much more limited in availability. The winery’s reserve Cabernet Sauvignons sell out quickly and go to wine club members first. The Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese and Poggio del Papa (a super-Tuscan style blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese) are only available at the winery, and in limited quantities.While the Flora Springs tasting room on Highway 29 undergoes renovations, visitors are in for a treat when they visit the magnificent estate, located at 1978 West Zinfandel Lane in St. Helena. This beautiful property has 95 acres of vineyards and a panoramic view across Napa Valley. To make an appointment for a tasting, call the winery’s hospitality department at (707) 967-6723.

Flora Springs Trilogy Pre-Release Party and Open House
Flora Springs Winery’s Annual Trilogy Pre-Release Party and Open House
February 2 from 11am until 2pm
1978 W. Zinfandel Lane in St. Helena.
The event will showcase the 2005 vintage of the winery’s flagship wine, Trilogy, a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. Guests will be have the opportunity to try the 2005 Trilogy before it’s released to the public, plus enjoy hors d’oeuvres, older vintages of Trilogy and live music while they stroll the winery’s beautiful grounds and caves. Guests will also have a unique opportunity to buy large-format bottles and limited Collector Editions.

For more information, call 707-967-6723.

Related Information

• Flora Springs Wine Co.