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.