It’s good to have good neighbors. Our neighbors helped us get through the COVID-19 pandemic, by joining with us in our front yards for socially distanced happy hours, and sharing the bounty of backyard gardens. It’s even better, though, to have good neighbors who work at a winery, especially when that winery is one of Napa’s internationally recognized producers!
We have that neighbor, and he works at Silverado Vineyards. So naturally, when Adam and his wife Kim attend our socially distanced happy hours, there’s always some Silverado wine. In addition, Adam is always appreciative when we bring his family tomatoes, peaches, peach cobbler, peach pie (yes, we have two prolific peach trees in our backyard), and lemons, lemon bars, and lemon pound cake. (Yup, a high-yielding lemon tree, too.) So appreciative is he, that when we deliver the goods, Adam invariably and generously reciprocates with a bottle of…you guessed it…Silverado Vineyerds wine. During a recent exchange, we came home with a bottle of Silverado Vineyards Vineburg Chardonnay 2019.
Silverado Vineyards is a family-owned winery, established in 1981 by Ron and Diane Miller, and Diane’s mother, Lillian Disney. Yes, that Disney. Walt Disney was Diane’s father. As one might expect, Silverado Vineyards is located on the Silverado Trail, on the eastern side of the Napa Valley, in the Stags Leap District. For years before founding the winery, the family had sold their grapes to other wineries in the area. As the winery grew in production and reputation, the family acquired additional vineyards, including the Vineburg Vineyard in 2000.
We are pretty particular with Chardonnay. We are not fans of the big, butterball, in-your-face oaky style. We prefer unoaked or lightly oaked Chardonnay. Silverado Vineyards Vineburg Chardonnay is just that, lightly oaked, and the 2019 vintage is outstanding. It’s a Chardonnay for the ABC (Anything but Chardonnay) crowd, and just the thing to pair with roasted lemon-garlic chicken!
Pale straw color. The nose is subtle, with pear, yellow apple. and citrus. On the palate, Bartlett pear, apple, lemon lime, and hints of tropical fruit. Medium body and acidity, with fresh tree fruit and just a hint of toast on the finish.
Thank you, Adam!
What was your wine of the week?
Cheers!
- By Kent Reynolds and Robyn Raphael-Reynolds
- Photo cred: Robyn Raphael-Reynolds
Appetite for Wine 