When people gush about cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Sonoma County, there’s a pretty good chance they’re fans of Flowers Vineyards & Winery. For more than 30 years, the producer has been wowing wine lovers with elegant estate bottlings from the windblown western Sonoma Coast.

The story

Walt and Joan Flowers had already established a successful nursery business in Pennsylvania when a classified ad in Wine Spectator caught their eye. The 1989 listing advertised a property for sale on the Sonoma Coast: Camp Meeting Ridge. Though the region was unproven for viticulture at the time, the couple bought the rugged, 327-acre site just two miles from the Pacific Ocean and planted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. They launched Flowers Vineyards & Winery in 1991 and later acquired the Sea View Ridge vineyard site — this time, even closer to the ocean.

Shaped through the years by talented winemakers such as Steve Kistler, Hugh Chapelle and Ross Cobb, Flowers became a benchmark for cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the far reaches of the west Sonoma Coast. In 2009, Huneeus Vintners — the owners of Faust and Quintessa in Napa Valley, among other brands — purchased the winery and the Flowers retired from the operation.

The vibe

Flowers opened its striking Healdsburg tasting room, House of Flowers, in 2019 after a full renovation of the former VML winery space. Set among lush gardens and towering redwood groves, the 15-acre property includes a stylish hospitality house, a winemaking facility and leafy gardens dotted with cozy tasting cabanas. Open and spacious, the light-drenched tasting room combines natural driftwood hues with richly colored contemporary art pieces. (I believe this is what rich folk call “laid-back luxury,” and I’m here for it.) Wall-sized windows showcase impressive views of Mount Saint Helena. There’s not a bad seat in the house — or outside on the patio.

On the palate

Like the tasting room, Flowers wines have an air of reserved elegance. Chilly vineyard sites and winemaker Chantal Forthun’s subtle use of oak combine to create wines that are vibrant yet texturally lush. The 2023 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay ($55) is a beautifully balanced wine with green apple and lime-Mandarin citrus notes. The 2023 Sea View Ridge Pinot Noir ($100) is simply gorgeous, with earthy forest aromas, fresh acidity and red berry character. If you’re a fan of deeper, more complex Pinots, go for the 2023 Fort Ross-Seaview Pinot Noir ($75), a woodsy wine with blackberry and currant flavors.

Tastings range from $75 for a three-wine flight of Sonoma Coast bottlings paired with a crudité and snack board to $130 for an immersion tasting of Camp Meeting Ridge and Sea View Ridge wines paired with fancy bites from the winery’s in-house culinary team.

Beyond the bottle

Stop by the SingleThread Farm Store on the restaurant’s 24-acre farm for Michelin-star-worthy fresh produce and florals. You’ll also find Farm La-Yu and Ponzu sauces from the SingleThread kitchen, plus pantry staples, pottery and cookbooks. For a more immersive experience, you can book a farm tour, culinary workshop or falconry demonstration.

Flowers Vineyards & Winery is open Thursday through Monday by reservation. 4035 Westside Road, Healdsburg, 707-847-3661. flowerswinery.com

Tina Caputo is a wine, food, and travel journalist who contributes to Sonoma magazine, SevenFifty Daily, Visit California, Northern California Public Media, KQED, and more. Follow her on Bluesky at @winebroad.bsky.social, view her website at tinacaputo.com, and email her story ideas at tina@caputocontent.com.

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Thumbprint Cellars held its last wine tasting over the weekend at its Healdsburg Plaza tasting room, as first reported by The Healdsburg Tribune.

It is the latest in a string of recent tasting room closures in Wine Country — last week, two Napa Valley wineries shuttered their tasting rooms. Newton Vineyard in St. Helena and two of Silver Oak Cellars’ Twomey tasting rooms, in Calistoga and Philo, announced their closures.

However, this is not the end for Thumbprint Cellars, whose Plaza-facing tasting room enjoyed over 15 years of foot traffic on downtown Healdsburg’s Matheson Street. The north county winery will move all operations to its rural headquarters in Geyserville. In addition to the move, Thumbprint will also shift its business model to focus more on experiences for wine club members.

In an email Wednesday, Thumbprint founder Scott Lindstrom-Dake stated the team has “begun the move from our downtown Healdsburg tasting room we have lovingly referred to as ‘The Lounge’ over the past 20 years. The location is now closed for tasting and sales.”

Lindstrom-Dake stated they are in the process of consolidating the business and “creating a new venue for tasting and sales at our Geyserville location,” the details of which will be announced soon.

The winery’s first event at its Geyserville location, a club member pickup party, is tentatively slated for April, according to the Healdsburg Tribune article. Thumbprint also plans to hold more public events and wine tastings by early summer.

Since Thumbprint’s first release in 1995, founders Scott and Erica Lindstrom-Dake have been busy building the reputation of their boutique winery. They opened their first tasting room in 2004 in downtown Healdsburg, which they later relocated in 2009 to its popular Matheson Street home. In 2020, the founders’ son, Carter Lindstrom-Dake, helped remodel the tasting room.

Thumbprint wines have achieved plenty of success in recent years. In the 2021 North Coast Wine Challenge in April, three of the winery’s reds earned gold medals — the 2017 Ramazzotti Vineyard Cabernet Franc (94 points), 2020 Teldeschi Vineyard Dan’s Block Valdiguie (90 points) and 2016 Climax Red Blend (90 points). Seven months later, in the 2021 San Francisco International Wine Competition in November, Thumbprint’s 2017 Alexander Valley Premium Bordeaux Blend scored a near-perfect 99 points, earning it a Double Gold medal.

Other notable wineries in the area, such as Scribe Winery in Sonoma, have opted to offer member-exclusive tasting experiences and pickup parties. Thumbprint Cellars appears optimistic for the change of focus.

“We are excited for the next Thumbprint Cellars adventure!” Scott Lindstrom-Dake stated.

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Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are Sonoma County’s claims to fame, but with the region’s vast acreage and diverse microclimates, it’s also a terrific place to grow dozens of other wine grapes. At Unti Vineyards in Dry Creek Valley, visitors can explore wines made from a multitude of interesting varieties more commonly found in Italy and southern France.

The story

When George Unti purchased land in Dry Creek Valley in the early ‘90s, he didn’t intend to start a winery. The property did include some Syrah and Zinfandel vines, though, and George’s son Mick happened to work as a national sales manager for Kendall-Jackson.

The father-son duo started making wine together for fun, and after a few vintages as home winemakers, they launched Unti Vineyards in 1997.

The following year, the Untis bought a new property just north of the original Healdsburg site and started planting. As avid fans of wines from Italy and southern France, they opted for varieties not commonly found in Dry Creek Valley — grapes like Grenache Noir, Dolcetto and Picpoul.

Today, the Unti estate hosts 16 grape varieties, including experimental blocks of Falanghina and Biancolella.

The vibe

Unti is strictly a stand-at-the-bar affair, as in Ye Olde 1990s, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a welcoming place to visit.

The tasting room is small and intimate, yet it feels spacious thanks to a vaulted ceiling and windows that face out onto the vineyard and let in plenty of sunlight.

Step up to one of the tasting counters, select six wines you’d like to sample from a dozen or so options, and the fun begins.

If you need help choosing among unfamiliar varieties — and there are lots of them — not to worry. The unpretentious Unti staff is great at explaining the styles and flavor profiles of the wines, and they enjoy sharing the stories behind them.

On the palate

Exploration is the name of the game at Unti. Be sure to try the 2023 Cuvée Blanc ($38), a blend of Vermentino, Grenache Blanc, and Picpoul. The wine is floral and citrusy, with a rich mouthfeel. The 2022 Barbera ($35) is deep and dark, with enough acidity to save it a seat at the dinner table. The 2023 Rosé ($65 for a beautifully packaged magnum) is an Unti classic, made from Grenache Noir and Mourvedre. Also be on the lookout for a new vintage of the sold-out Sangiovese, due for release in late January, and a spring Fiano. Tastings cost $25, waived with any bottle purchase.

Beyond the bottle

Dry Creek General Store is a mere two-minute drive from Unti, so it’s practically mandatory to stop in for excellent sandwiches, prepared salads and other gourmet goodies. The local historic landmark now features new parking spaces, and yes, the funky adjoining bar has reopened — saddle barstools and all.

Unti Vineyards, 4202 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg. Open every day by appointment. untivineyards.com

Tina Caputo is a wine, food and travel writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including SevenFifty Daily, Visit California, HuffPost and Sonoma magazine. Follow Tina on Twitter @winebroad, view her website at tinacaputo.com and email her story ideas at tina@caputocontent.com.

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One of the great things about Sonoma Wine Country is that there’s an experience for every intention. Sometimes, I’m in the mood to feel rich and pampered at a beautiful venue, drinking in the views as much as the wine. On other days, I want humbler surroundings at a place where it’s all about what’s inside the bottle. With its industrial setting and array of fascinating wines from across California, Arnot-Roberts is just the place to go low-key.

The story

Childhood friends Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Lee Roberts grew up together in the Napa Valley with close ties to the wine industry. Meyers’ dad, a local attorney, was good friends with legendary Clos du Val winery cofounder Bernard Portet. Roberts is the grandson of Margrit Biever Mondavi — it’s her botanical artwork that graces Arnot-Roberts wine labels — and his father cofounded a California-based cooperage. Like his dad, Roberts is a master cooper, and he began his wine industry career making barrels. The friends made their first wine together in 2001, and they cofounded Arnot-Roberts in Healdsburg a decade later.

The vibe

If you’re craving an Instagram-ready atmosphere with gorgeous vineyard views, you won’t find that at Arnot-Roberts. The winery is hidden along an industrial stretch of Healdsburg Avenue, just across the road from Memorial Beach Market and next to The Healdsburg School. Drive around back until you spot the Arnot-Roberts sign. Head toward the crush pad and you’ll see a rustic tasting bar set up on a small, shaded deck next to a lone fermentation tank. Glamorous? Nope. But the winery’s appeal lies in its authenticity. This is where sommeliers and other winemakers come to taste.

On the palate

Growing up in Napa Valley with exposure to “old Napa” wine cellars, Meyers and Roberts came to appreciate the reserved style of wines from the region’s earlier days — before points-chasing wineries adopted a “bigger is better” approach characterized by ultra-ripe flavors and high levels of alcohol.

Hailing from cool, maritime-influenced sites all over the state — including Roberts’ own Que Syrah vineyard in the Sonoma Coast appellation — Arnot-Roberts wines are about restrained elegance. Because Meyers and Roberts love to showcase uncommon varieties and interesting vineyards, they typically make a couple dozen small-lot wines each year, taking a low-intervention approach.

For $45, visitors can taste a different selection each week consisting of five to six wines. I immediately fell for the 2023 Trousseau ($35), a lighter-bodied red wine with perfumed aromas of red fruits and a silky texture. The 2023 Falanghina from Las Cimas vineyard in Russian River Valley ($32) is another charmer. With peachy aromas, this mouthwatering, Italian-style white is fresh and clean, with plenty of acidity. On the more traditional side, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon from Clajeux Vineyard in Chalk Hill ($125) is pure elegance. The wine has notes of black cherry and spice, and enough acidity to carry it into the next decade. Bonus: All of the Arnot-Roberts wines are in the lower-alcohol range of 11%-13% ABV.

Beyond the bottles

Downtown Healdsburg offers a plethora of upscale dining destinations, but sometimes all you want are some great, cheap tacos and a palate-cleansing Modelo. That’s when you head for Taqueria Guadalajara. Set in a strip mall on Healdsburg Avenue, this spot is a go-to for locals and vineyard workers — and a staff favorite at Arnot-Roberts. Definitely try the tomatillo salsa.

Arnot-Roberts, 33 Healdsburg Ave., Unit I, Healdsburg, 707-433-2400. Open Fridays and Saturdays by appointment. arnotroberts.com

Tina Caputo is a wine, food, and travel writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including SevenFifty Daily, Visit California, HuffPost, and Sonoma magazine. Follow Tina on Twitter @winebroad, view her website at tinacaputo.com, and email her story ideas at tina@caputocontent.com.

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“It was serendipitous,” says Sam Bilbro of the first time he met David Drummond back in 2018. Drummond, the retired chief legal officer of Google and a former football wide receiver at Santa Clara University, had recently realized a lifelong dream by purchasing a 550-acre ranch in Sonoma. But there was a problem.

“It was 2019 and the grape glut had set in,” says Drummond. “I didn’t have any long-term contracts, so it was a very lean year for me.”

Bilbro, who specializes in Italian-style winemaking, convinced Drummond to take a leap into the Italian wines they both loved. They regrafted the entire vineyard over to 46 different types of Italian grapes, many of which are quite rare in California. Six years later, and the vines are thriving. Now, the two partners are diving headlong into a new venture called Overshine Wine Co., showcasing a trio of distinct brands.

In June, Drummond purchased Idlewild from Bilbro, who has stayed on as managing partner and winemaker. Drummond also bought Armida Winery, reimagining it as Overshine, a name inspired by the hip-hop band Onyx, and their newest label, Comunità, recently made its debut.

If wine brands were musical bands

“Overshine might be Sly and the Family Stone, maybe updated with a hip-hop beat,” says Drummond, whose brother Ray Drummond is a well-known jazz drummer. “And Comunità would be more of a blend of what formed me musically, something like Robert Glasper, a jazz guy who leans heavily on soul and hip-hop.”
At the other end of the spectrum, “Idlewild would be the Clash,” says Bilbro.

Everybody under the tent

“The ethos of Overshine as a company is about openness, diversity and welcoming folks,” Drummond says. “Fine wine is sometimes exalted in a way that makes it seem not accessible to lots of people. So, we talk about doing that differently, using cultural signposts, whether it’s music, or the way we talk about wine, or the way we talk about our place, to make it clear that everybody is welcome…We’ll talk about how it feels to drink the wine, how it feels to be out there on the patio on a sunny day, listening to Grover Washington Jr.”

Introducing Overshine

“In reworking the tasting room, and fully remodeling the interior, we want it to be a spot where you want to come and spend your afternoon,” Bilbro says. “You’re not here for a transactional experience, standing at the bar, and then you get out of here. It’s more about: you come sit on the couch and lounge and enjoy your time and listen to some music, and have some great wines, and really enjoy that slice of the good life.”

2201 Westside Road, Healdsburg, 707-433-2222, overshinewines.com

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Julie Rothberg launched Odyssey Wine Academy at Healdsburg’s Bacchus Landing in 2021 to provide classes with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, or WSET, an internationally recognized certification pursued by many industry professionals. As president of Medlock Ames winery, Rothberg knows that the formal study of wine makes good business sense — not only for those who work in tasting rooms and other hospitality roles, but also for those who work in the vineyard.

Medlock Ames co-founder Ames Morison agrees. “Our vineyard team has such incredible site knowledge. They understand every idiosyncrasy of the vineyard and how that influences the fruit,” Morison said. “But they didn’t have a lot of knowledge about wine itself. I wanted to help them understand how their hard work was contributing to the final wine through the WSET’s universally recognized training.”

But finding a local WSET teacher fluent in Spanish was difficult. So Morison, who is fluent in Spanish, decided to become a WSET-certified instructor. And in August 2023, Morison taught his first course to a group of Medlock Ames vineyard employees.

Agustin Santiago is a vineyard manager who has worked at Medlock Ames for 24 years. He was one of the first to complete the six-hour program.

“The class helped me learn how to taste wine and understand the flavors,” said Santiago. “It also helped me understand the aromas in the wine and what techniques I can use in the vineyard to improve those aromas. It will help me in my career because it improved my understanding of wine and opened my mind to new opportunities.”

The class experience was enlightening, but there were also some obstacles.

“One of the challenges I didn’t anticipate is that many of the students had never taken a formal exam,” said Rothberg.

With WSET’s standardized curriculum and mandatory 30-question exam, there was little Rothberg could do to modify the course for nontraditional learners.

Rothberg and Morison are now partnering with Sonoma County Winegrowers to develop a new, customized course targeted specifically to local vineyard workers, with Morison as the instructor. They hope to launch the partner program within the next year.

“These classes will be really geared toward native Spanish-speakers who live in the community and may or may not work in wine,” said Rothberg. “For those who do work in wine, these classes can help them communicate with other Spanish speakers who may understand things better in their native tongue. We talk a lot about diversity and inclusion in the wine industry, but there are few resources for Spanish speakers.”

In addition to the customized course, Rothberg and Morison would like to continue to offer the WSET Level 1 class in Spanish as an option for those interested in formal certification. For Francisco López, co-owner of Bacchus Landing and Aldina Vineyards in Healdsburg, these options fill a critical niche in the community.

“It’s important we create these types of programs to educate people who have been historically overlooked — especially in our community where many Spanish speakers work behind the scenes in the wine industry,” said López. “Hopefully, these classes can help foster a more equitable and inclusive environment where people of all backgrounds can thrive.”

Rothberg is looking forward to this next chapter. “I do this because I feel strongly about wine education and creating access for our community,” said Rothberg. “The more people know about wine, the better. It’s really a labor of love.”

odysseywineacademy.com

This article is a shortened version of a Press Democrat story. Read the full story here.

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The everyday roar of life can be deafening. Even in relative quiet, phones chime, dogs bark, the refrigerator hums and meetings beckon. Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery, deep in the Dry Creek Valley, is a place to reclaim that inner quiet with a series of Sunday brunches running through October.

The Italian-inspired winery estate, Villa Fiore, is encircled by exquisite gardens, including an enclosed meditative garden with a footbridge and chef’s garden, as well as a spectacular fountain that splashes in the background.

Through October, you can enjoy a delicious brunch and wine tasting on the patio with just a handful of other guests. It’s a lovely affair that includes dishes like Prosciutto Benedict with estate eggs, Hollandaise sauce and Italian prosciutto; a Brunch Pizza with Journeyman bacon or the delicious Porchetta Sandwich with herbed pork, truffle aioli and pecorino cheese on a ciabatta.

Seatings from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Reservations are required. $85 per person ($68 for wine club members). 8761 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg. Details at ferrari-carano.com

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Breathless Wines in Healdsburg, known for its refreshing sparkling wines, has been named “Winery of the Year” in LuxeSF’s Rising Wine Star Awards for 2020.

The awards are given annually by LuxeSF, formerly known as The Luxury Marketing Council of San Francisco, with the help of a panel of industry leaders.

The “Winery of the Year” award was established in 2017 and is given to an industry leader that is innovating and experimenting with new trends and generating excitement in the industry, according to a press release.

Breathless Wines is a female-led winery that specializes in sparkling wines created in the traditional French method. The winery was started by three sisters, Sharon Cohn, Cynthia Faust and Rebecca Faust, as a tribute to their mother. Winemaker Penny Gadd-Coster is the fourth “sister,” who brings with her years of wine experience and expertise.

“We are humbled by this tremendous recognition,” said Sharon Cohn, co-founder of Breathless Wines, in a press release. “In what has been a very tumultuous year, we are so grateful for our loyal, inspiriting supporters and are honored to be the recipients of this award.”

Breathless Wines is now offering tastings on its outdoor patio and garden by reservation only. For more information, visit its website here.

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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.

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After more than a decade of producing small-batch California wines without setting down roots, the team behind LIOCO Wine Company has opened its first tasting room in downtown Healdsburg, just around the corner from the town’s iconic square.

Operated by husband and wife duo Matt and Sara Licklider, the winery’s first tasting room at 125 Matheson Street is housed in a sleek and surprisingly cozy 1,300-square-foot space renovated by New York and Los Angeles-based design firm, Paige Pierce Design.

LIOCO wines, which draw fruit from vineyards in Sonoma, Mendocino and Santa Cruz counties, are produced in a Santa Rosa winemaking cooperative. Their focus is on chardonnay, pinot noir, carignan and the occasional coastal syrah or mid-century planting of valdiguie.

The chic tasting space currently has two flight options, as well as a seasonal menu of wines by the glass — and soon will offer a curated list of small plates, featuring local ingredients.

The Lickliders also plan to host a rotating list of events, including industry nights, guest chef pop-ups, live music and more.

LIOCO’s Healdsburg outpost is open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Reservations, including access to private tastings, are available here.

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