Silvia Cellars is a small family-owned winery whose mission is to produce a small number of high-quality California wines from some of California's best vineyards. And, matching vineyard to varietal is the key to their process for producing outstanding wines. In each case, vineyard practices are carried out under the guidance and instruction of Silvia Cellars winemakers and owners, all to ensure that quality standards are maintained from start to finish. They produce approachable, full-bodied, well balanced wines at affordable prices. Antonio Silvia has carried on his Grandfather’s legacy by starting Silvia Cellars with the same values found on their family’s vineyard in Sicily that began in 1885.

Silvia Cellars’ affordable and attainable wines makes them the perfect fit to once again be featured as the Behind the Cork™ Wines of the Week.

2018 Silvia Cellars North Coast Pinot Noir ($35)

This is Silvia Cellars’ first production of Pinot Noir. All the grape of this 100% Pinot Noir were hand-picked from Mendocino County & Anderson Valley. They were cold soaked for six days and spent 16 days on the skins before being double racked to all French oak for 12 months in neutral barrel.

This Pinot Noir is pale ruby in color with aromas of cherry and the classic cranberry and raspberry flavors with just a hint of strawberry on the palate. This is a wonderfully balanced light Pinot Noir with soft tannin, nice acidity and a light finish. A wine that one could drink all day!

2018 Silvia Cellars North Coast Zinfandel ($30)

The 2018 Silvia Cellars Zinfandel continues their production of Italian-style Zinfandel with a blend of growing regions and their wine-making style. The grapes were all harvested from Dry Creek Valley and Mendocino County. They blended the Zinfandel with 8% Syrah. After fermentation the wine was aged for eight months in American and Hungarian oak, 10% of which was new.

This Zinfandel is light purple in color with delicate aromas of spice and dark fruits. On the palate it has wonderful spicy and peppery flavors, moderate tannin, balanced acidity and a lingering finish. This is a very food-friendly wine that paired perfectly with pasta and sausages.

2018 Silvia Cellars Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($85)

The grapes for this Cabernet Sauvignon combine old world wine-making techniques and modern
technology to make a wine that reflect the unique style of Silvia Cellars Italian heritage. The grapes were harvested from a variety of small vineyards spanning the Napa Valley and includes 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot. It was aged for 16 months in 30% new French oak barrels, then stored for 14 months in the bottle before release.

This is a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa that is deep ruby in color with rich, dark fruit aromas and some earthiness. On the palate you immediately get those dark, rich complex fruit flavors, extremely soft tannin for such a young Cab and delicious vanilla and caramel from its oak aging. This one is indeed a gem!

The wines of Silvia Cellars are well worth seeking out. Visit Silvia Cellars Tasting Bar in San Carlos at The Wine Gallery (890 Laurel Street, San Carlos, CA) every Saturday and Sunday afternoon or purchase their wines directly on the Silvia Cellars website. These are tremendously well made Italian-style wines produced with grapes from California’s best regions. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received these samples at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Samples Provided by Silvia Cellars