Flora Springs Winery & Vineyards Tasting Room “The Room” Review
Address: 677 St. Helena Highway South St. Helena,California 94574.
Phone Number: 707-963-8032
Tasting Hours: 10:00-5:00
Region: Napa Valley AVA, St. Helena AVA, California
Reviewer: Elizabeth Smith
Review Date: 8/22/2015
Reviewer: Elizabeth Smith
Rating: 5
The Review
When you drive into the parking lot at Flora Springs The Room just south of downtown Saint Helena, you are immediately taken in by the building’s unique structure. This isnt just a regular tasting room; its designed to look and feel as if you are tasting in an estate cave, but a beautifully decorated one. Behind the tasting room, there is an open outdoor space, the Vineyard Courtyard, where event gatherings are held and one can catch a glimpse of vineyards and beautiful sunsets later in the afternoon and evening. Above the tasting room, there is a roof-covered, open-air event space called the Rooftop Lounge, which is where I have enjoyed one of their movie nights.
No appointments are required at The Room for casual, walk-in tastings. However, there are a few semi-private and private tasting areas the Great Tastes Club Cave Room, the Heritage Cave Room, and the VIP Cave Lounge available for sit-down tasting appointments. The Room offers a variety of tasting options, including wine tasting flights, wine by the glass, and sometimes food pairings. The current tasting experiences include the Great Tastes Signature Tasting ($20), the Preferred Palates Flagship Tasting ($35), the Trilogy Experience ($50$80, by appointment, which includes Trilogy, a library wine, and selections of their Bordeaux-style, varietal wines), and the Paint Your Palate Tasting ($75, by appointment, a combination of wine and painting, Wednesdays through Sundays only). The variety of wines offered for tasting at The Room is unparalleled, as they have access to most, if not all, of Flora Springs Napa Valley, Signature, single-vineyard, winery-only, and holiday wines.
My most recent visit to The Room featured a special tasting of their Halloween-themed wines and candy. The four pairings included NV Chards Not Dead and Butterfinger, 2012 Harvest Witch (proprietary red blend) and M&Ms, 2013 All Hallows Eve (100% cabernet franc) and Milk Duds, and 2013 Ghost Winery Malbec and Heath Bar. While I am typically not a fan of wine and candy pairings, I had to admit that the Chards Not Dead and Butterfinger pairing really worked. The California-style chardonnay, with a hint of residual sugar and its oak-influenced flavors of caramel and buttered popcorn complemented the peanut-buttery, chocolate Butterfinger, resulting in a Halloween lovers guilty pleasure. The other pairing that worked for me was the malbec and Heath Bar. However, the truth is that the malbec is outstanding on its own, with its heady, floral aromas and interplay of black fruits, mocha, and baking spices on the palate.
The Room is on my way home from work, so I stop by about once every couple of months for their special events. I am always pleased with the friendly and educational interaction between tasting hosts and visitors. As soon as my friends and I walk in the door, the hosts immediately greet us, ready to give us a great tasting experience. They seem genuinely happy to be there and that happiness is contagious. When I think of Flora Springs The Room, I immediately think that the F in Flora must also stand for fantastic, favorite, and most of all, fun!