My partner saw me dragging this bottle into the kitchen and said "whoa, what is that, forty bucks?" I don't know how much it cost - I'll have to look at that up at the end of the review - but yes, the bottle does look fairly impressive in a conservative Napa Cab kind of way, right down to its twenty-fifth anniversary capsule.
In the glass, my first thought was nah, maybe thirty bucks? It smells like good, clean, lovely Napa cabernet. More specifically, it smells heavy, dense, mostly fruity, with a fair bit of French oak coming through as well. The color is, however, not as dense as I've come to expect, which bodes well. On the palate, it's brighter than I would have expected, with good supporting acidity and a lovely, fresh taste of ripe fruit (not overripe!), cassis, blackcurrant, and butterscotch, with minimal tannins on the finish... no, wait, there they are; they just take a minute or so to assert themselves. It's all very California by way of Bordeaux and frankly pretty damned good.
Silverado Vineyards
In the glass, my first thought was nah, maybe thirty bucks? It smells like good, clean, lovely Napa cabernet. More specifically, it smells heavy, dense, mostly fruity, with a fair bit of French oak coming through as well. The color is, however, not as dense as I've come to expect, which bodes well. On the palate, it's brighter than I would have expected, with good supporting acidity and a lovely, fresh taste of ripe fruit (not overripe!), cassis, blackcurrant, and butterscotch, with minimal tannins on the finish... no, wait, there they are; they just take a minute or so to assert themselves. It's all very California by way of Bordeaux and frankly pretty damned good.
Silverado Vineyards
Price: US $35
Closure: Cork
Date tasted: January 2008
That sounds like a delicious Cabernet! What a shame more US wines aren't available here at decent prices.