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Welcome!
We appreciate your patronage and hope to keep you up to date on the latest news from the vineyard and the tasting room, (with an occasional bite from Alan's musical efforts).
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From Sandra's Desk:
Wallop!!!! That's the sound the rain made hitting our coast and valleys this month. From years of drought to an almost biblical deluge, we welcomed the rain but prayed that it left us with our land and lives intact. We hope that all our friends and neighbors are safe, too, and that you received only blessings from this incredible rainy season.
Alan and I took a walk this morning through the vineyard to check on how everything survived. Fortunately, the plants themselves have a very low profile this time of the year and our winery and outbuildings seem to have "weathered" the storm. A rainbow was over the vineyard which we took as a sign that things will be returning to normal soon. We know that the vines appreciate the deep watering they just received and we are looking forward to a little sun to begin the pruning and plowing under.
Before the recent spate of storms, we were experiencing an early spring. The fruit trees were in bloom and the birds that flock to our little pond were numerous and varied. We saw great herons, white egrets, coots, mallards and many other species that we did not identify but recognized. It's a magical place for so many reasons but the wildlife that we see is more breathtaking than ever.
We look forward to our next bottling in March and to the next release following soon after. It has been a hard couple of years with "Fire and Rain" (salute to James Taylor) but farming and making wine are a passion for those of us who choose to have this in our lives in one fashion or another…so bring it all on!
We also look forward to seeing you all around town as Alan begins work on the next Avenger movie, "Infinity Wars". Time to buckle down and get to work and there will be lots of it…both kinds…. music and wine.
Stay safe out there!
Salute!
Sandra
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With Keith's daughter Avery
From The Winemaker:
Holy Atmospheric River, wow, are we getting hammered. What a blessing, we have been in drought for so long we have forgotten what real storms look like. I will personally take responsibility for the pummeling because I have been doing a perpetual rain dance since 2006. The vines, like all our plant life here on the central coast, are just stoked. This rain has rejuvenated everything! The creeks are jamming, the Carmel River is actually that, a river, for the first time in a long time. Very exciting, if all goes well, we are set up to have a great year.
One negative to all this beautiful rain has been the damage done to our friends and families in Big Sur. After enduring the loss of many homes and the entire tourist season due to the catastrophic fires, they are now an island, trapped in all directions by landslides and a destroyed bridge and will be closed for business for the foreseeable future. If there is anyway to support the folks and businesses down there please give it a shot.
Wines: in early March we will be bottling the 2016 Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Rose of Pinot Noir, all tasting beautifully bright and screaming for a beach sunset,,, soon oh so soon this cold and wet winter will give way to our beautiful weather, I can't wait. We will also be bottling the 2015 big ol' reds. The Syrah, Red Ranger Syrah, and the fan favorite Barbera. The 2015 vintage is a great one and also a small one, so just like 2014, they will not be around for long. Cheers to all of you and as always we are very appreciative of your continued support.
Frank
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From The Tasting Room:
Springtime will be here before we know it, which means we're gearing up for our next wine club release. We have some exciting new releases coming your way, like the 2014 Rising Tide, Pinot Noir and 2015 Il Campione, Pinot Blanc (a Wine Club exclusive release). We are looking forward to sharing them with all of you.
A couple of the staff favorites right now in the tasting room are our Estate Syrah and Red Ranger Syrah, so we've decided to highlight the two: Syrah is a durable red wine grape with a style and flavor profile that is heavily influenced by climate. In cooler regions, wines made from this grape are medium to full-bodied, medium tannin structure, with ripe fruit flavors such as blackberry and boysenberry with more pronounced pepper notes. Hotter climate Syrah is more full-bodied, with jammy fruits and notes of licorice and earthy leather.
Here at Silvestri our two styles of Syrah are more influenced form clone variations than differences in temperature. With just under one acre of Syrah planted in the vineyard, Frank has been able to produce two distinct bottles of Syrah, each representing a different style of the grape. Our cooler climate style Syrah brings both black and red berries with a bit of pepper on the finish. The Red Ranger Syrah, coming from just five rows of vineyard, is made with a specific clone of Syrah. Here we get a much darker, more robust wine with jammy fruit compared to the estate.
Both are delicious, and both available in the tasting room or online.
Cheers, Dorothea, Keith, Olivia and Nicole
2014 Syrah, Red Ranger, Estate - $60
The 2014 Red Ranger is the third release of our signature Syrah that represents a part of the vineyard featuring the Bien Nacido clone, which is known for its richness and complexity. We use 75% new French oak and age it in the cellar for 16 months. The 2014 Red Ranger shows deep, dark and dense aromas of blackberry and blueberry with a dash of pepper. The full, round flavors in the mouth are never ending. Medium tannins complete the finish. We are designating our reserve Syrah "Red Ranger" after our son Joey, a mild mannered poet until you face him on the long board downhill racecourse.
2014 Syrah, Estate - $35
After harvest our Syrah is de-stemmed and placed into ¾ open top fermenters. Here, whole berry fermentation takes place to maximize the extraction of flavor and color. The juice is then racked to French oak barrels. Malolactic fermentation is initiated and will take place for about a month. We then rack the wine after 6 months, and age for another 12-18 months before bottling. The aromas fill the glass and keep you there long before you even want to taste the wine. Dense black and red berries like blueberry, blackberry and raspberries, with spice and chocolate. The mouthfeel is velvety, round, deep with smooth, medium tannins. A long lasting finish.
Current Tasting Menu:
2014 Chardonnay, Bella Sandra, Estate $38
2014 Pinot Noir, Piave, Estate $36
Red Blend, Eugenia, Estate $25
2014 Syrah, Estate $35
Available for sale:
2014 Chardonnay, Estate $27
2013 Chardonnay, Bella Sandra, Estate (magnum only) $75
2014 Late Harvest Chardonnay, Estate (375ml bottle) $45
2014 Barbera, Estate $55
2014 Syrah, Red Ranger, Estate $60
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