San Francisco International Wine Competition

From Sandra's Desk:

November 2018

Yay! The months of celebration are here!  November brought the end of the best harvest in years.  And most exciting…our first full harvest of the new vineyard.  EVERYONE at Silvestri Vineyards is excited for this new vineyard and the varietals we will be producing….Cabernet, Grenache, Malbec, Merlot, and Cab Franc and Pettie Verdot. Frank certainly has his work cut out for him but he is even more excited than we are for this new opportunity.
 
Our family just finished Thanksgiving in the vineyard and just like our new vines, our young grandchildren are thriving and loving their days spent in Carmel Valley.  We enjoyed a picnic on Turkey Day and it was one of those magical "sunshine and cloud" days that are part of life in the vineyard. All I could think of as I watched them run around and play in the fresh air was how fortunate we have been to have had this life.
 
The recent fires in California (one that destroyed our former neighborhood in Malibu) remind us of the fragility that we all live with in this world.  We send our prayers and support to the victims of the fire and pray for better answers and leadership as we move into the future. 
 
But for now….Enjoy the wonders of December!  There is still so much to be thankful for and this month, above all others, brings us together with family and friends.  We hope you find a moment to pick up a few bottles or cases of Silvestri wine.  There is something special about sharing wine from your land with others.  We hope you agree and look forward to sharing our wine with you soon!
 
Salute!
 
Sandra Silvestri

From The Winemaker:

Happy belated Thanksgiving everyone! We have finally gone to barrel with the last of the wines, the Barbera and Muscat, concluding 2 1/2 months of the making of the 2018 vintage. The vintage is going to be great, slow and steady was the ripening year, never really having had a major heat wave. The grapes came in with less raisining than an average year but the sugar content and flavors were spot on the mark. The wines are already tasting like finished wines, which to me, is always good news. Although the wines have gone through the primary fermentation we still have to complete the secondary fermentation, malolactic (converting malic acid to lactic acid) to essentially soften the palate. This usually takes about a month and requires keeping the wines warm and free of sulfites. Both cold temps and the addition of sulfites would shut down the fermentation, leaving an acidic note to the wines most people don't really appreciate in America. Currently we are also acidifying and deacidifying wines to a certain zone that makes the wine better protected in the barrel aging process as well as to where I want the wines to end up as finished wines, a tricky endeavor. All in all, I'm super excited about the vintage and really can't wait for the Bordeaux varietals, they are tasting so good,,,patience friends, patience... Cheers Frank