February Club Shipment Wine Stats

2005 Silverado Vineyards Heritage Clone Cabernet Sauvignon

Tasting Notes: Crafted almost entirely from our Heritage Clone #30 Cabernet Sauvignon with just a bit of Merlot (1%), this amazing wine illustrates why U.C. Davis researchers consider this clone to be so significant. Swirl the glass and you’ll pick up bright aromas of ripe red cassis and tart blueberry. Take a sip, and your palate will be engulfed with fresh berry flavors and a lively acidity. Twenty months spent in French oak barrels served to soften this wine, adding to its complexity.

Alcohol, 14.7%; titratable acidity, 5.28 grams per liter; pH, 3.68; residual sugar, dry

Food pairing: With its noticeable tannins, Cabernet Sauvignon is a natural partner for beef, especially steaks such as New York, filet mignon and the like. Try serving our Heritage Clone Cabernet with a grilled steak topped with a rich béarnaise sauce or creamy truffled mushrooms. Herbs such as rosemary and thyme pair well with Cabernet, so another good match would be sirloin beef kebabs marinated in a mixture of garlic, rosemary, thyme, olive oil and a dry red wine. If you’re a mushroom lover, try oven roasting a whole Portobello stuffed with Gorgonzola cheese, shallots, crumbled sausage, bread crumbs and your favorite herbs.

2006 Silverado Vineyards Vineburg Chardonnay

Tasting Notes: Refreshing acidity and a medium body make this delicious Chardonnay a perfect companion to late winter and early spring meals. Pour a little into your glass and take note of the delicate, pale yellow color. Swirl the wine, and you’ll pick up tantalizing citrus aromas along with fresh floral notes and hints of tropical fruit. Take a sip, and you’ll notice flavors of bright lemon and honeysuckle along with crisp mineral and flint notes, a silky texture and a long, lingering finish. All in all, a wonderful example of a Carneros Chardonnay

Alcohol, 14.5%; Titratable acidity, 5.05 grams per liter; pH, 3.76; residual sugar, dry

Food pairing: Choose foods that will be enhanced by the delicate citrus aromas and crisp mineral flavors of the wine: lemon roasted chicken, Dungeness crab cakes with lemon aioli, broiled lobster with melted butter and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice or creamy risotto. This wine is also wonderful served as a refreshing aperitif before dinner.

2005 Silverado Vineyards Napa Valley Fantasia

Tasting Notes: A tempting blend of Sangiovese (54%), Cabernet Sauvignon (28%) and Merlot (18%) from our Soda Creek, Mt. George and Stags Leap District vineyards, our 2005 Fantasia is our very own Super Tuscan style wine. Boasting a deep red color, Fantasia offers wonderful earthy aromas of tobacco and leather complemented by notes of black cherry and hints of toasty oak. Its bright fruit flavors make this wine eminently enjoyable now, but our 2005 Fantasia is so well-structured that it will also improve with cellaring.

Alcohol, 14.3%; titratable acidity, 5.93 grams per liter; pH, 3.53; residual sugar, dry

Food pairing: This is the wine to serve with hearty fare – savory beef stew, slowly braised Swiss steak and short ribs, rosemary roasted lamb shanks and the like. Not surprisingly, Sangiovese blends are also a wonderful partner for flavorful Italian fare, so keep this wine in mind when preparing your favorite recipes for lasagna, beef braciole, baked ziti or spaghetti with meatballs.