Kelly Fleming Winery

My husband and I visited Kelly Fleming wines while visiting Napa Valley recently. This very low-​key winery makes some excellent Sav Blanc and Cab Sav wines. I liked the Big Pour blend the best. Kelly, herself, dropped by to say hello and and she was very gracious and hospitable. Bailey Curran was our host for our tasting and tour and she was also very helpful with giving us ideas about places to visit in Sonoma. The winery is small-​ish, so be sure to make an appointment. It is worth it.

One on one tour Great grounds and cave Our host and wines are Outstanding !!!

Great Sauv Blanc and the 2002 Cab was amazing. Beautiful property and facility, Lili who did our tasting was so friendly and made it a wonderful experience.

Private, by appointment — and worth it! The winery is cozy, with a beautiful aesthetic. Kelly Fleming herself conducted our tour and tasting, which was quite a treat. The wines are incredible, the grounds stunning. Amazing!

This is my favorite red wine. It’s GREAT! We enjoyed a personal tour by the wine maker on the estate. Phone first, if she picks up beg for a tour, it’s worth it. I can’t wait for the next trip…

Kelly Fleming Wines produces only two wines but both are fantastic, a Sauvignon Blanc and a Cabernet Sauvignon. The Sauvignon Blanc is now my favorite Napa Valley SB and the Cab is of the best in Napa Valley, which is to say among the finest in the world. Situated in a lovely new winery with wine caves, Kelly Fleming Wines also offers an ideal setting in which to enjoy your tastings. As with other small, family wineries, reservations are needed but easily obtained by phone or over the Internet. A tour and tasting with Kelly or her daughter, Colleen, is $ 30 and well worth it.
The winery is 5,000 square feet with a stone façade designed by Taylor Lombardo Architects that opened to the public in 2010. 7,000 square feet of limestone caves reach 220 feet into the hillside. The inside walls of the cave are left without any paint or coating, giving it a very natural appearance.
The first wine we sampled was their 2010 Sauvignon Blanc that retails for $ 30. What one notices immediately about this SB is that all of the components come together beautifully to make a wine that is simply delicious. It has good acid balanced with fruit and is dry without being austere or unbalanced. It has a touch of vanilla but it is subtle. The fruit is not the grapefruit bomb of some Napa Valley SBs but more tropical. It has a pleasant mouth feel that is complex, layered, even graceful. I get some melon and guava on the nose, that is not overly done, with an incredibly integrated and well-​balanced mid palate that has layers of citrus and tropical fruits perfectly intertwined with the briskness and acids of a really good SB. Very little grassiness. Some minerality. But it all comes together. You might think it is rounder or softer than other SBs but it is simply better coordinated, more integrated, a miraculous interweaving of components. If that is not enough, it also has a long lovely finish with a little vanilla (oak) and a hint of banana and papaya. I can recall no other SB having this nice a finish. It seems to have all the best of the French with a touch of New Zealand tropical fruits. Celia Welch must be some sort of magician to make a Napa Valley SB that tastes this good. This is most definitely not a «poor man’s chardonnay,» as Sauvignon Blancs are sometimes described as being. I’d visit Kelly Fleming Wines just to taste this one wine. This is the best U.S. Sauvignon Blanc I’ve ever tasted.
But, would you believe, the Cabs are just as wonderful? We tasted the 2008 and the 2005 Cabs. The 2008 is dark ruby in color with a great aroma of ripe cherries. The 2008 was more fruit forward than the 2005. Although it is soft and balanced, it does have good structure and substance, with a nice mouth feel. This is certainly not a thin wine nor really a fruit forward wine, despite its having great fruit and being very easy to drink. I would characterize is as being subtle, extremely well balanced, with fairly soft tannins but plenty of complexity and great fruit. It also has a nice finish. This wine is great to drink right now and should cellar well for a few years, but is not one of those wines you want to avoid now and only try again in another ten or twenty years.
The 2005 was had bigger tannins and more body than the 2008. It had great structure with good grip and an excellent mouth feel and is highly drinkable now. With a decent cherry nose, this wine has well integrated tannins that make it especially appealing. I wouldn’t call it a big Cab because it is not overdone in any one dimension, but it is substantial and full-​bodied. As with all the wines at this winery, it is extremely well balanced and multidimensional. It ends up being a complex, layered, interesting wine that fascinates while delighting the senses. Current release Cabs are $ 90 and library or older releases are $ 120.
If you love great Cabs, want to try a wonderful Sauvignon Blanc, or if you would like to visit a gorgeous winery with wine caves, then you will certainly want to visit Kelly Fleming Wines. It is perfect example of a small, family winery that is making some of the best wines in the world. It is a wonderful place to visit, and we definitely plan to return. For photos you may go to:
2÷24÷12 Addendum: A group of us had a steak dinner at a friend’s house and compared the 2005 and 2007 Kelly Fleming Cabs. The 2005 paired beautifully with the food, and is a wonderful wine, but the 2007 was an unbelievable delicious, elegant wine. I’ve been tasting wines since 1968 and the 2007 Kelly Fleming Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the greatest wines I’ve ever tasted. It is an incredible wine!

Hidden gem! First tried their wine at the French Laundry. One of my favorite wine experiences in Napa Valley. Great family operated winery in Calistoga with exceptional Cabernet. Be sure to check out their wine caves!
I believe they’re appointment only.

Wow! Incredible experience at this charming, intimate family-​owned winery. If you’re looking for a unique, boutique experience in Napa this is the place. Talk about beautiful! I felt like I was in a vineyard in France. Incredible wines made by Celia Welch (Scarecrow). The charming owner, Kelly, farms organically in Calistoga. This is the wine to keep your eyes on. A must see and taste for any true wine connoisseur.

Beautiful Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernets. Excelllent matches to a surf and turf at a classic steakhouse and refined enough to show up at the French Laundry. Celia Masyczek is up there with Heidi Barrett in stature as queens of Napa Valley wine

I am such a sucker for a Good Sauvignon Blanc. For white wine it’s at the top of my list. So few of them made here in California can really say that they are a pure expression Sauvignon Blanc.
I have said once and I will say it again. Women rule the wine world. They have a knack for making wines have that pure scent expression for every varietal of grape. I have been tracking the career of Celia Masyczek now. She is becoming one of the most famous Winemakers in California. Her Cabernet Sauvignon’s are very sought after but a little out of my price comfort zone in these tough economic times. So on a suggestion from my good friends at Mission Wines.

Dave explained to me that she was Winemaker for Kelly Fleming Wines. Sauvignon Blanc, one of my favorites!!!
Kelly Fleming Wine company is a small family owned winery. I believe they are fully biodynamic. They incorporate honeybee hives to pollinate the vineyard cover crops and promote native plant reseeding.
As for the wine, it has notes of rain water, lemon zest, and melon. Flavors are Sauvignon Blanc all the way, with lemon zest, green apple, melon, pear and perfect minerality. The wine has a beautiful crisp feel in the mouth. I paired the wine with prosciutto wrapped Scallops sauteed in butter, a bit of the wine and tarragon. A little pasta salad in a light vinaigrette as well. Perfect. I love to cook!!!
The wine was priced at $ 29.00. It may seem high but there are very few wines out there of this quality that I would buy. This is one of them. 350 cases made! Which means better buy it now. Mission Wines.
Cheers!