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Open: By Appointment
Appt required? Yes
Last barlinwine.com visit: 2014
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Tasting:
On Labor Day 2013 I had Fleury’s BDX for the first time, thanks to the generosity of our friends Derek and Becky Olson (http://www.livingnapacabulous.com). The next day I made an appointment to go visit the winery.
We had heard from our friends that the tasting experience at Fleury was a bit odd, so we knew we were in for something different when we arrived. After finding a shady spot for the car, we entered the large barnlike structure that served as winery, cellar, and tasting room. A small 4-person tasting bar stood straight ahead, a checkout station to the left, and the barrels stacked to the ceiling filled most of the rest of the room. We were greeted and led around the small tasting setup to find two bizarre tasting spots. In one, low couches with pillows formed a 'U' shape around a low-profile center table; in the other, a large boardroom-style table was flanked by six plush red leather chairs on rollers. For both spots, fabric was draped from a center point over the tables to create a Middle Eastern-style canopy over the table. A large group occupied the "sofa" tent, and so our meager group of 2 took seats around the boardroom table in our separate canopy. We hung out for a few minutes until our host (none other than owner Brian Fleury) finished his conversation with the large group in the adjacent canopy.
Brian came by to say hi, asked how we knew about Fleury (at which point I told him, honestly, that BDX was the best wine I’d had this year), and he got us started on the tasting with the 2011 Chardonnay. I thought this was a solid offering, until Brian came by a short time later and poured their 2012 Viognier. Although we drink red wine 95% of the time, I suspected a bottle of this complex white would be finding its way home with us.
I should pause at this point to note that another small group came in, and Brian decided he’d handle that tasting as well, even though he was mostly consumed by the large group next to us. This spread him even more thinly throughout the room, and so the tasting felt more like a casual trip to a Middle Eastern-themed bar (with really great wine) than an interactive tasting. Brian would pour the wine, tell us what it was, ask a single question or make one quip, and then sprint away to one of the other groups. He was a gregarious, interesting guy – I would have liked the chance to pick his brain a bit more.
That aside, the good news is that the wines continued to be excellent. We transitioned to reds with a great fruit-forward 2010 Pinot Noir that I’d enjoy just popping and drinking on its own. We then tried 3 big reds: the 2009 “F in Red”, 2007 Lauren Bryce Cabernet, and the 2009 Rocket Juice. All were solid, with the Lauren Bryce Cab emerging as my favorite (with the Rocket Juice close behind). That closed out the “Featured Wine Tasting” portion of the menu, but we weren’t anywhere close to being done.
I commented to Brian that we needed to come back and see him when he wasn’t stretched so thin. I laughed while I said it, but I think he felt bad. He noted (accurately) that we could probably hear most of what he was saying next door, and said he’d make it up to us. He grabbed a bottle of the 2009 BDX – the aforementioned delicious Bordeaux blend named for the 3-letter airport code for Bordeaux, France. Brian mentioned that the bottle had been opened the previous morning but thought it was still tasting good, and he poured me a healthy sample. We enjoyed that for a bit, and then he came by with more wines. The 2009 Passione Reserve Blend followed the BDX, and it was excellent. I told him I thought I liked it even better than the BDX, which prompted him to open a new bottle of BDX so I could confirm if that was still the case after it hadn’t been open 24 hours (it was, but barely). He closed out our marathon with our 10th wine, the Fleury 2009 Howell Mountain Cabernet which was also great.
The big reserve wines here were all amazing, but they weren’t cheap, ranging from $150 for the Passione up to $210 for the BDX. Having tasted a lot of big, expensive Napa reds on my most recent trip, I think the prices were in-line with the quality. Top to bottom, the wines we tried were GREAT. My only knock on the experience has to do with Brian spreading himself too thin (there were other employees there that likely could have conducted parts of the tasting, but I think Brian likes to make sure he does them himself), and I’d definitely like to find a time to revisit when they’re not so busy. Overall, these were some of the better wines I’ve had in the valley and definitely worth a visit.
We had heard from our friends that the tasting experience at Fleury was a bit odd, so we knew we were in for something different when we arrived. After finding a shady spot for the car, we entered the large barnlike structure that served as winery, cellar, and tasting room. A small 4-person tasting bar stood straight ahead, a checkout station to the left, and the barrels stacked to the ceiling filled most of the rest of the room. We were greeted and led around the small tasting setup to find two bizarre tasting spots. In one, low couches with pillows formed a 'U' shape around a low-profile center table; in the other, a large boardroom-style table was flanked by six plush red leather chairs on rollers. For both spots, fabric was draped from a center point over the tables to create a Middle Eastern-style canopy over the table. A large group occupied the "sofa" tent, and so our meager group of 2 took seats around the boardroom table in our separate canopy. We hung out for a few minutes until our host (none other than owner Brian Fleury) finished his conversation with the large group in the adjacent canopy.
I should pause at this point to note that another small group came in, and Brian decided he’d handle that tasting as well, even though he was mostly consumed by the large group next to us. This spread him even more thinly throughout the room, and so the tasting felt more like a casual trip to a Middle Eastern-themed bar (with really great wine) than an interactive tasting. Brian would pour the wine, tell us what it was, ask a single question or make one quip, and then sprint away to one of the other groups. He was a gregarious, interesting guy – I would have liked the chance to pick his brain a bit more.
I commented to Brian that we needed to come back and see him when he wasn’t stretched so thin. I laughed while I said it, but I think he felt bad. He noted (accurately) that we could probably hear most of what he was saying next door, and said he’d make it up to us. He grabbed a bottle of the 2009 BDX – the aforementioned delicious Bordeaux blend named for the 3-letter airport code for Bordeaux, France. Brian mentioned that the bottle had been opened the previous morning but thought it was still tasting good, and he poured me a healthy sample. We enjoyed that for a bit, and then he came by with more wines. The 2009 Passione Reserve Blend followed the BDX, and it was excellent. I told him I thought I liked it even better than the BDX, which prompted him to open a new bottle of BDX so I could confirm if that was still the case after it hadn’t been open 24 hours (it was, but barely). He closed out our marathon with our 10th wine, the Fleury 2009 Howell Mountain Cabernet which was also great.
Recommended wine: As mentioned, there wasn't a bad one in the bunch, which means it will come down to your preference and pocketbook. For me, the Passione was the standout. I liked it slightly more than the BDX, and at $60 less, it made that decision easier.
Ratings (out of 5):
 WINE | 5.00 |  TASTING ROOM | 4.25 |
 ATMOSPHERE | 4.50 |  VALUE | 4.00 |
 OVERALL | 4.44 | ||
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