Flowers Sea View Ridge Estate Pinot Noir 2021
(Sonoma Coast, California) - [JS 97] [WS 95] [JD 95] [WE 95] [TWI 95] [DM 94]

About the Winery:
Over 25 years ago, Flowers Vineyards and 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, to make exceptional wine that captures the wild beauty of the land and the spirit of the Sonoma Coast. 

Perched on top of soaring coastal ridges that border the nearby Pacific Ocean, the winery's estate vineyards, Camp Meeting Ridge and Sea View Ridge, rise to impressive elevations from 1,150 to 1,875 feet. 

About The Wine:
Pungent coastal aromas pinpoint the source of this Pinot Noir—high-elevation ridges juxtaposed with the mossy, rocky shoreline of the Pacific Ocean. Bright, salty notes on the nose conjure a fresh sea breeze, while cool loam and wild botanicals evoke the evergreen forest nearby. Red cherry and vivid wild strawberry pop on a singularly expressive palate, filling the mouth with firm but fine textures. A distinct vein of iron-rich minerality unspools under intriguing layers of orange peel and bergamot tea, all coming together in a vibrant, lingering finish.

Winemaker Notes

VINTAGE 
The winter of 2021 at Sea View Ridge was marked by extremely low rainfall. It was the second year in a row of drought conditions, cueing up a season of low yields and small berries with a high ratio of skin to juice. Through spring, temperatures fluctuated dramatically, sending mixed signals to the vines as they underwent bud break, flowering, and fruit set. That, combined with low soil moisture, slowed canopy growth. Through summer, as canopies caught up and clusters moved toward veraison, temperatures followed a mild arc, supporting slow, even flavor development in the fruit while keeping acid levels high and bright. In the end, we had the luxury of timing our pick for optimum balance.

WINEGROWING
On a remote coastal ridgeline edged by dense evergreen forests, Sea View Ridge delivers the energy of vineyards 1,400 to 1,800 feet above the Pacific Ocean, with sightlines down the rocky coast for miles. Powerful natural elements—piercing sunlight above the fog line, winds whipping off briny tidepools below, and shallow, rocky soils—combine to produce intensely aromatic, bright, and concentrated wines. With generous skin in relation to juice, berries yield firm, mountain-inflected tannins, tempered into elegant, fine-grained textures by fractured red rock soils. Coast and forest, cool and earthy at once, shape the character of Sea View Ridge Pinot Noir.

Ratings & Reviews:

97 Points, #53 Top 100 Wines USA 2022 - James Suckling:
"What an amazing nose of grilled dried seaweed, oyster shell, dried strawberry and iron. Full to medium body with linear tannins that give it drive and length. Iron shavings. Tight at the end. Superb. Drink after 2025." (Sep 2022)

95 Points - Wine Spectator:
"A tightly focused, long and pure expression of Pinot, with raspberry coulis and blood orange zest notes streaming along, laced liberally with sous-bois, red tea and savory accents. Reveals lots of underlying energy, with everything in lockstep through the mineral-edged finish." - JM (Sep 2023)

95 Points - Wine Enthusiast:
"Refreshing acidity and delicious, lively fruit flavors light up this elegant, well-balanced wine grown fewer than two miles from the chilly Pacific. Red cherries, raspberries and leafy, woodsy touches carry the palate, while medium tannins keep it fresh." - JG (Jul 2023)

95 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"A medium youthful ruby hue, the 2021 Pinot Noir Sea View Ridge Vineyard has a lifted perfume of red fruits, orange citrus oil, cranberry, pink peppercorn, and fresh red flowers. The palate is medium-bodied, with ripe, fine tannins and a bit of angular but pleasant feel that will round out with some time, although it has a great energy from its refreshing acidity. I love this wine, which opens up beautifully with time in the glass. Drink 2024-2034." (Jul 2023)

95 Points - The Wine Independent:
"The 2021 Flowers Sea View Ridge Pinot Noir is pale ruby-purple in color. It gallops out of the glass with bold notes of warm cranberries, black raspberries, and Morello cherries, with hints of bay leaves, cast-iron pan, and mossy tree bark. The medium-bodied palate is elegant and refreshing, with mineral-laced red and black fruit layers, supported by fine-grained tannins, finishing long and ferrous." - LPB (Jul 2023)

94 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"From the Sea View Ridge vineyard at 1,875 feet elevation, roughly 2.89 km from the Pacific Ocean as the crow flies. One of the loveliest Pinot Noirs from Flowers, it can be a bit austere after just popping the cork. But with some aeration comes a cavalcade of savoury aromas leading with clove, allspice, cedar, mint, dusty cherries and crushed pomegranate seeds. Full-flavoured, with a medium-bodied mouthfeel and present tannins washed over by pixelated acidity, bringing freshness and crunchy textures like biting into a juicy cherry. Unfolds in blood orange tones with a finish marked by wild herbs and sandalwood—a deeply flavorful and delicious Pinot Noir. (Drink between 2024-2034)" (Mar 2023)