It was fortuitous that I was invited to a dinner at Spago with Russ Weis, the General Manager of Silverado Vineyards. Here we explored some of the current releases of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. ...

Though young, the 2013 GEO from Silverado Vineyards drinks beautifully right now, yet is sure to cellar well for decades more to come. (I had the chance to try one of Jon’s older Cabs a while back, a 2001 if I recall offhand, and I can attest to how beautifully it had aged.) This is a superb wine, and I recommend it very highly. ...

Fruit for this wine is from a single eponymous vineyard that surrounds their estate winery in the Stag’s Leap District of Napa Valley. It is 100% UCD FPS 30, the Disney Silverado Heritage Clone. It was aged 18 months in about half new French oak. ...

2012 Silverado Vineyards Mt. George Merlot ($37) A medium-bodied red wine, the 2012 Silverado Vineyards Mt. George Merlot has aromas of rosemary, mint, blackberry and spice, which pair well with chicken or lightly spiced dark meats and fish. ...

It wasn’t until my fifth or sixth visit to the Napa Valley that Sonja and I stopped at Silverado Vineyards, but its a visit we haven’t stopped talking about since that time. Tonight, we got to share it over dinner with my parents, in town expecting to meet their first granddaughter. They enjoyed this wine along with us, and listened to our stories about the terrific winery we’re now thoroughly in love with. It took a long time for us to visit Silverado Vineyards, but in the end there could be no doubt that it had been worth the wait, and that we would indeed be back again. ...

A neighbor stopped by, and together we were reminded what the birds sound like as we shared a bottle of wine that I’d been wanting to try, a Sangiovese Rosato from Silverado Vineyards in the Napa Valley. ...