After more than 25 years of farming Pinot Noir and Chardonnay high above Timber Cove and Fort Ross on the rugged ridges of the Sonoma Coast, Flowers Vineyards & Winery has opened its first public tasting room.
Just south of downtown Healdsburg, the sprawling 15.5-acre property features a main hospitality house nestled into a grove of redwoods, an on-site winemaking facility, indoor and outdoor seating, gardens and a wood-fired oven.
The former VML Winery site at 4035 Westside Road is stunning, with natural and modern design elements in an open, inviting setting—framing expansive views of Mount Saint Helena.
Husband and wife duo Walt and Joan Flowers found a home for their vineyards on the extreme Sonoma Coast, first planting out their Camp Meeting Ridge vineyard in 1991 at an elevation of 1,450 feet. Their second vineyard, Sea View Ridge, was planted at an elevation of 1,872 feet seven years later. Both feature a mix of the the coastal terroir-driven Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs Flowers is best known for — produced by head winemaker Chantal Forthun with 100 percent native yeast and minimal intervention.
That aesthetic will be echoed at the new tasting room, through a culinary pairing program led by chef Jamil Peden (Campo Fina, Woodfour Brewing, Applewood Inn).
The tasting room will be open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a limited number of walk-in appointments available. Reservations are recommended. For more information, call 707-847-3661 or visit flowerswinery.com.
