Silverado Vineyards was established in 1981 by Ron and Diane Miller, and they haves been producing estate grown wines that are excellent in quality. Over time, the Miller family has put together a diverse variety of six family-owned sustainably farmed vineyards, each selected for its ability to contribute nuance and character to the wines.
The 2010 Silverado Sauvignon Blanc is produced using 95% Sauvignon Blanc with 5% Semillon grape varieties. The Semillon helps to smooth out the characteristics of the Sauvignon Blanc. On the nose this wine displayed aromas of citrus, melon, and herbaceousness. The flavor profile brought out soft hints of grapefruit, with honeydew melon, figs, and a noteworthy herbaceousness. This was a nice Sauvignon Blanc with good acidity, a medium finish, and I paired this wine with grilled shrimp.

Jon

The continual renaissance of Spain’s wine industry is something that all wine lovers should be grateful for. The many wines coming out of Spain today are of good quality, and yet they continue to remain affordable. I was given a bottle of the 2010 Capítulo 8 Aňada Garnacha from the La Mancha wine region, and this was a delightful wine for those of us who had the opportunity to sample it. This wine had a nice ruby red color in the glass, and the aromas were of cherries, red berries, spice, leather, and an earthiness. The flavors that followed were of tart cherries, boysenberries, raspberries, tobacco leaves, black olives, leather, cloves, and the taste of dirt as you travel down a dirt road. This was a somewhat complex wine, with layers of flavors that just kept coming out the more that we drank it. This Garnacha was medium bodied, with approachable tannins, and a long finish. This is a wine to find and enjoy.

Jon

I am not the biggest fan of Chardonnay’s, that is the oaked version, not the unoaked version which I really enjoy. In saying that, I still enjoy sampling Chardonnay’s, and recently I had the opportunity to sample the 2011 Darkhorse Chardonnay. The nose of this wine had aromas of apples, pears, tropical fruit, and oak. On the palate the flavors of this wine were not as up front as what was on the nose, but the flavors were of apples, pears, a hint of pineapple, oak, and it had a finish of butter. This wine has a retail price of under $10, and for the price point it was not a bad wine, if you enjoy an inexpensive oaked Chardonnay. Give this wine a try, and see what you think.

Jon

It had been a number of years  since I had the opportunity of sampling any of the wines from Covey Run Winery from Columbia Valley, Washington. I was recently given a bottle of their 2010 Merlot, and to say the least, I was truly disappointed with the wine. It was bland, and had an off-aromas and flavors that did not appeal to me at all. Since I had not been feeling well recently, I asked my wife for her impressions of the wine, and she did not care for it either. I hate to say it, but the quality of the 2010 Merlot was very disappointing from what I remembered a few years ago when I carried it in my wine bar. But then again, maybe my expectations were to high for this inexpensive Merlot. This is a wine that I would not recommend at all.

Jon