The red wines of Burgundy are often cited as the Holy Grail for New World makers of Pinot Noir, but the results have almost invariably fallen short. So we were surprised to see wine guru Robert Parker recently laud a Pinot from New World upstart Flowers Winery as "evocative of a Domaine de la Romanee Conti Richebourg" -- a $300 bottling from one of Burgundy's top producers. And we were even more surprised to find a selection of Flowers wines available here in Tokyo.
Walt and Joan Flowers began their journey to winemaking in none other than the flower business, building up a landscaping and nursery empire on the East Coast of the United States. Looking to disprove the axiom that the best way to make a small fortune in the wine business is to start with a large one, they set out for California in 1981 in search of a vineyard.
Although Napa is considered the optimal region in California for growing Cabernet, and Dry Creek Valley the best for Zinfandel, they had their hearts set on the classic Burgundy varietals Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and decided that these regions were just too hot for the kind of grapes they wanted to grow.