Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/580744
{ SOMMjournal.com } 85 A Historic Meeting of Like Minds: Debuting the 2012 Vintage Today we are meeting some of the top sommeliers in the Bay Area to taste the new 2012 vintages over lunch. On one end of table we have Silverado's President and CEO, Russ Weis, telling great stories about the history of Silverado, and on the other end, Winemaker Jon Emmerich is carefully explaining how he makes these beautiful wines. Clint Wilsey, who is an old friend, is the passionate Vice President of Sales and has arranged an incredible lunch from Meadowood to accompany the wines. The Silverado Vineyards 2012 Mt. George Merlot is the first wine presented, and immediately the conver- sation turns to the popularity of Merlot in the market. Michelle Fano from Bottega says it pairs well with an array of dishes and Morimoto's Eduardo Dingler has a Merlot by the glass for "closet Merlot drinkers." Richard Matuszczak of Grand Award winner La Toque in Napa Valley has a Merlot as a pairing wine, and Vincent Morrow from Gary Danko calls the Merlot a "distinctly elegant wine with a sense of character." Silverado Vineyards' newest creation, the 2012 GEO Cabernet Sauvignon, the winery's on-premise exclusive offering from the Coombsville appellation, was the focal point of the get-together. The fruit comes from two blocks on Mt. George and the flavor profile is about great style and structure. Notes of iron-spun soil, grilled meat, graphite and plum-cherrywood make up just some of the flavor components. Its dusty, chocolate finish speaks to the volcanic soil. Cabernet Sauvignon grapes off the Stags Leap Vineyard on Silverado Vineyards' estate. The 2012 Estate Cab finds fruit off of their estate vineyards in Oakville and Coombsville as well. Dark chocolate and sweet mint are the backdrop for this angu- lar, edgy red (81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot) with tobacco undertones and blackberry charm. "This is a wine that shows discipline," says Richard Matuszczak, Wine Director for La Toque in Napa. "This is the style of wine that I personally like to drink." Michele Fano and Laura Koffer of Bottega Napa Valley, Eduardo Dingler of Morimoto in Napa and Silverado Vineyards Winemaker Jon Emmerich. Winemaker Jon Emmerich with The SOMM Journal's Meridith May and Silverado Vineyards' VP/Sales, Clint Wilsey.