Wine: 2007 Flora Springs Trilogy
Region: California
Sokolin Price: $44.99/btl
Rating: 93 RP

Have you recently tried Napa Valley's version of a Bordeaux blend? If not, we have an awesome recommendation for you! A handful of Napa Valley producers are well known for their "Meritage wines" as their version of the Bordeaux blend is often called. In terms of red wines, the grapes that go into the blend are a combination of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and/or Malbec. In California, for a producer to label its wine as a specific varietal, the bottle has to include at least 75% of the stated varietal. A while back, some producers wished for more flexibility in their blend, and started to deviate from the varietal labeling and began experimenting with blending techniques, as is done in Bordeaux.

Founded in 1978, the Flora Springs Estate, located in the heart of Napa Valley within the Rutherford AVA, has received quite the recognition for its Trilogy wine, a Meritage wine that is a blend made of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. Although not the first Meritage wine made, Trilogy was one of the originals. 

We wanted to pop open the bottle and try it immediately - even before decanting. We can now authoritatively say...WOW...is this wine balanced. We expected a very "clawing" or "overpowering" wine, but instead it was silky and actually quite elegant. We paired it with grilled burgers topped with avocado slices and blue cheese, accompanied by a side of homemade fries with a dash of truffle oil and a dusting of parmesan cheese. The Trilogy has a lovely nose that reveals fresh cherries, dark fruit and cocoa. It is complex, balanced, graceful, and no doubt, softened to just the right amount by the Merlot. For the price of this wine, it's almost impossible to find a more elegant wine of this caliber. Plus keep in mind that this wine will continue to get even better over the next 10-15 years.  A few other well-known Meritage wines you may have had before are Opus One, Dominus, and Phelps Insignia, and they are all considerably more expensive than the Trilogy.

The Flora Springs Estate is now third generation run, and this wine is a creation of the Komes and Garvey families (the children of the founders). They have been producing the Trilogy since 1984. It is one of their signature wines, and they practice sustainable and organic farming techniques and hand select only the highest quality grapes to go into this fabulous juice. We have no doubt that the fruits of this family's labor (no pun intended) will leave you smiling after tasting this wine. It is a top quality wine produced by a passionate group of family winemakers.

Recommendation: What a fantastic Napa Valley "Bordeaux style" blend to try out! We encourage you to pick some up today. It is in stock and ready to ship with 93 points from Robert Parker.

Our Score as of today: 94+ points