Silverado Carneros Chardonnay 2018
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Wilfred
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James
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Silverado Carneros Chardonnay exudes aromas and flavors of golden delicious apple, lemon curd and stone. Vibrant acidity is balanced by a soft, round texture and a lemon meringue pie finish.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Fermented in stainless steel (12%) and a mix of French and Hungarian oak (88%), this wine ages seven months in barrel. Tropical amomas of pineapple and gardenia continue on the palate, along with vanilla, jasmine, and salty cashew brittle. Creamy with vivacious acidity and a finish of lemon drop and cinnamon.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Silverado Vineyards Estate Grown Chardonnay is attractive and well-built. TASTING NOTES: This wine exhibits appealing dried earth and apple aromas and flavors. Pair it with a roast chicken salad in a bed of arugula. (Tasted: May 7, 2020, San Francisco, CA
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine was largely barrel fermented and aged in 22% new oak for seven months. It offers a mix of tropical and stone fruit, with underlying acidity that adds energy and verve to an otherwise rich, rounded experience.
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James Suckling
A medium-bodied white with layers of peach, cream, wet stones and lemon zest. Almonds, too. Crisp and creamy. Drink now.
Other Vintages
2019-
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James
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James
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Wilfred
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James
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Wine
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Nestled in the hills on the North West side of the Stags Leap District, Silverado Vineyards Winery has been a favorite wine country destination and home to some of the Napa Valley’s most-recognized wines for almost forty years. In 1981, Ron and Diane Disney Miller and her mother, Lillian Disney, established Silverado Vineyards to make wines from the historic sites of the estate the family owns. The winery was named in honor of the Silverado Vineyard, one of the first four in Stags Leap District to plant Cabernet in the 1960s. The vineyard pays homage to the abandoned mining town at the top of the Valley which also inspired the name of the famous Silverado Trail where Silverado Vineyards and other iconic wineries of the Stags Leap District are situated. Silverado Vineyards owns five other storied vineyards across Napa Valley’s top AVAs: Miller Ranch, Mt. George, Soda Creek Ranch (Borreo), Firetree, and Vineburg. All of Silverado’s wines are estate-grown, produced and bottled. Winemaker Jon Emmerich is only the second lead winemaker in the history of Silverado Vineyards and celebrated his 30th vintage with the winery in 2020. Jon has grown Silverado’s reputation for quality and consistency along with his colleague Elena Franceschi, who has been Silverado’s associate winemaker for nearly 25 years. When Diane Miller passed away in 2013, Ron Miller became president of the Board of Directors of The Walt Disney Family Museum, and chairman of Silverado Vineyards until his passing in 2019. Diane and Ron’s children and grandchildren proudly continue to carry their family’s legacy forward as the owners of Silverado Vineyards.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Known for elegant wines that combine power and finesse, Carneros is set in the rolling hills that straddle the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the abutting San Pablo Bay, combined with lots of midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing wines with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.
This cooler pocket of California lends itself to growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Carneros is an important source of sparkling wines made in the style of Champagne as well.