Thursday night wine

I am drinking two fine wines tonight that pair excellently with my wild Scottish salmon. YUM YUM 

Sequana is part of the Hess Collection of wine. The pinot noir is produced from grapes in the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County and the Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey, CA. This is a more full bodied pinot and paired perfectly with my salmon.

Secondly, I opened the Chafen Family Vineyards Rose. This wine is made by Dutch Henry in Calistoga, CA. This rose is usually a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. Only 69 cases of the 2010 vintage were produced. Great rose! 

Silverado Vineyards

 I recently returned from spending time in California this summer. I visited 63 wineries total and have some of my favorites that I'm going to share with you. I visited Silverado Vineyards on my first full day in wine country. The winery is located up a small hill off the Silverado Trail. The driveway up the hill leads to the view of the building in the picture above. The tasting room is located inside.


“The beginning of vine planting is like the beginning of mining for precious metals: the winegrower also ‘prospects’.” 

- Robert Louis Stevenson, 
The Silverado Squatters, 1880

This quote is found on Silverado's website, and I think it's a great winemaking quote. It's from Stevenson's travel memoir that he wrote while on his honeymoon trip to Napa Valley. I am going to have to read this book. Most people don't realize that people were making wine in wine country way before prohibition. I'm currently reading Last Call: The Rise and Fall of prohibition by Daniel Okrent. I will write a few posts on the crazy history behind that movement. Silverado Vineyards was founded a century after Robert Louis Stevenson's visit. 

Behind the tasting bar

Other side of tasting room

 The tasting room is very open with the tasting bar facing a wall of wine and the views on the other side. You can step outside the tasting room for a gorgeous view of the surrounding valley. There are outside tables for visitors to sit and sip their favorite vintage.

My mom and I shared the premier tasting for $25. This was a nice tasting. I really enjoyed the Square One Claret as it had a nice blend. The grapes for this wine are mostly from Mt. George Vineyard. Mt. George was Napa Valley's first area for grape plantings in the 19th century.

2003 SOLO Cabernet

 We didn't have any of the SOLO on this trip as it wasn't on the tasting menu. I did get to try the SOLO at Bern's Winefest in Tampa last spring.

I would highly recommend stopping by this winery for a tasting. Make sure to take your tastings outside and enjoy them with the gorgeous view. It's silly to stand inside facing a wall.