Eric Flanagan founded Flanagan Wines in 1999 after purchasing 40 acres in Sonoma County. He planted the first vines with his daughter Riley in 2001. Their first wine—a single barrel of Cabernet—was made in 2004. Today, Flanagan produces 4,500 cases annually from top Sonoma County vineyards, including Ritchie and Bacigalupi.
In 2017, Riley launched her own label, Riley’s Rows, focused on high-integrity wines at accessible prices, now featured at leading restaurants and country clubs nationwide.
Eric also manages Russian River Partners, a vineyard investment fund with 300 acres under vine across the North Coast. Eric is an avid surfer, devoted father, and children’s book author outside of wine. He lives in Healdsburg with his wife Kit and their daughters Riley, Lola, and Ruby.
Flanagan’s winery sits on a historic 20-acre property on West Dry Creek Road, offering tastings with panoramic views of Dry Creek Valley.
Media Inquiries: Eric@FlanaganWines.com | https://flanaganwines.com/
What’s the ONE THING most unique, authentic, & memorable about your brand?
You’ve probably noticed that many wineries claim to be unique because they’re multi-generation grape growers, tech entrepreneurs with flashy estates, or simply passionate about wine. But let’s be honest—none of that is truly unique in today’s wine world.
I’m not claiming to be one-of-a-kind, but here’s what I consistently hear from sommeliers, critics, restaurateurs, and wine lovers alike: We never make a “B” wine.
Each year, I produce over 20 different wines, each sourced from a site I believe is ideal for that grape. They’re all varietally correct, well-made, clean, and balanced—with no flaws, no residual sugar (unless it’s a dessert wine), and nothing overripe or over-extracted.
When professionals taste through my lineup, they often say: Most wineries have a focus—great Pinot but forgettable Cab, or a standout Chardonnay and filler wines to round out the portfolio. But every one of your wines tastes like it’s your focus wine. That’s the greatest compliment I could receive.
Visitors to our winery echo this: you might prefer a different style, and that’s fine—but you’ll never find a wine here that isn’t a strong, honest expression of its variety. That’s what sets us apart.
Describe how and what you’d do with your winemaking career or winery business if you were not constrained.
If the sky was the limit, in addition to my Sonoma County winery I would have a small winery in Barolo, one in Burgundy, and one in Hawkes Bay or Waiheke Island NZ that did Bordeaux varieties. And I would only sell the Sonoma wines in CA and not have to deal with distribution.
What is the One Wine most emblematic of your brand and/or winemaking style? Tell us its story.
I would select the Flanagan Cabernet Estate from my Dry Creek Valley winery. I purchased the property in 2016 and moved my operation of from my winery in Bennett Valley which I sold. The previous owners of my new winery had gone bankrupt, and the vineyards had gone feral. There were 7+ acres of virused Syrah and Zinfandel that hadn’t been properly tended for at least 2 years. I tore everything out and left the land fallow for two years to recharge. I planted beneficial cover crops that both restored the soil and suppressed nematodes.
In 2018, I replanted the site to clean, high-quality Cabernet. I selected 420A and 110R as the rootstocks, as I had used both to good effect on hillside sites. We bought dormant bench-grafted Uber vines with clone 7 and clone 15 as the scions. It is a lovely east-facing hillside site with excellent drainage, great airflow, and soils that are perfect for high-quality Cabernet. This vineyard is producing great fruit. Our first vintage was 2021. Read this Cab Sauv Wine Review here.
Bonus Question: What’s the One Thing that people would be surprised to learn about you?
That I owned and ran my own Fixed Income Arbitrage Fund and traded bonds for 27 years.
That I wrote several children’s books when my three daughters were little.
That I raised my 3 girls by myself for two years and that their mom died in 2010 after a battle with substances.
That I am an avid surfer.
That I speak French.
That I have written and recorded a lot of music, professionally produced and on Spotify and all other streaming channels under Eric Flanagan.
That I was in a series of Toyota commercials in 2023.
That all three of my daughters are STEM girls. Riley graduated Cal Poly SLO in 2021 with a Chemistry Major and a Physics Minor (and also worked about 20 hours a week for me). Lola graduated in 2023 from CU with a Double Major in Neuroscience and Econ and a Minor in Info Science and a Certificate in Cog Sci. She has a great job at Epic in Madison WI. Ruby will be a senior at Wake Forest and is a Double Major in Math and Computer Science.
That I made a movie during the COVID episode called “Larry’s Dead Uncle: The Movie” which is available to rent on Amazon Prime.
I just noticed it said, “The one thing”. Sorry about that!