Join the Virtual Parade at Flambeaux Wine

The good times roll at Dry Creek Valley winery’s online tastings.

Leave it to Flambeaux Wine, a Sonoma County winery with deep New Orleans roots, to turn shelter-in-place virtual tastings into actual parties, complete with Mardi Gras beads. Flambeaux’s Instagram Live events take place every other Thursday at 5 pm PDT. Earlier virtual tastings have featured chef Joaquin Rodas of Bacchanal Wine and The Elysian Bar in New Orleans, who did a cooking display, pairing his plate with a Flambeaux wine. On May 14th, I’ll be chatting with vintner Art Murray about the wines, winery, and Flambeaux’s estate vineyard in the Dry Creek Valley.

Mardi Gras Trio

I recommend the easy-to-order Mardi Gras Trio of Rosé, Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, and (lead photo) the fabulous estate 2017 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel. Chef Rodas paired his dish with the 2015 Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, the recipient of high praise and high scores from the West Coast to Louisiana. You have to be a club member to purchase this library wine, but the 2016 vintage, itself a winner (see tasting notes below) is available to all. I’ll be discussing it with Art on the 14th.

Grapes for the winery’s estate Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel and Cabernet grow on an east-facing Healdsburg hillside with views of Geyser Peak.

Hillside Estate

Both the Zin and the Cab come from the estate Flambeaux Vineyard, up a hillside 4 miles northwest of Healdsburg. Ryan Prichard, whose day job is at Sonoma’s prestigious Three Sticks Wines, has been crafting the Flambeaux lineup since the winery’s inception. When Sonoma County isn’t on lockdown, Flambeaux conducts tastings at Grand Cru Custom Crush, the co-op production facility where Prichard assembles the wines. Hopefully, “IRL” tastings will resume before too long, but in the meantime I’m happy to join the virtual parade online.

Winemaker Ryan Prichard holds the 2016 Flambeaux Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon at Grand Cru Custom Crush, where he makes the wines.

Tasting Notes

At three tastings since November, I’ve sipped through most of the current releases. Below are a few observations about the Mardi Gras Trio, followed by thoughts about the 2016 Cabernet.

2018 Flambeaux Sonoma County Rosé: Packing the punch one might expect of a blend of hillside Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel, this rosé that smells just like summer is clean, crisp, and surprisingly light on its feet. The wine’s acidity makes it work but doesn’t call attention to itself.

2017 Flambeaux Sonoma Coast Chardonnay: Grapes from two vineyards owned by the Sangiacomo family, longtime Sonoma County growers, go into this Chardonnay noteworthy for its balance and grace.

The grapes for Flambeaux’s 2017 Chardonnay come from two well-known vineyards, Roberts Road and Kiser, farmed by Sonoma County’s Sangiacomo family.

2017 Flambeaux Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel: The acidity, darker-fruit notes, and wisp of cocoa rank high among this fabulous Zin’s many charms. Prichard makes several Pinot Noirs for Three Sticks. From this wine’s color, it looks as though it might be a Pinot guy’s Zin, but this one is robust, sexy, and true to its varietal.

2016 Flambeaux Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: Much of what makes Flambeaux’s Zinfandel so appealing applies equally well to this Cabernet from the same vineyard, though its iron-laden soils assert themselves more in the Cab than the Zin. The complexity impresses, as do the slightly spicy tannins.

Tastings

Physical (post sheltering in place): Grand Cru Custom Crush, 1200 American Way, Windsor 95492
Virtual: Instagram Live