Last night, after dinner, we sat out on the patio for the first time in a long time and enjoyed the feeling of the advent of spring. The pear trees are all budded out in white flowers, and the greening grass and gentle breezes remind us that the winters that threaten to drive us out of this region on an annual basis do not last forever. A neighbor stopped by, and together we were reminded what the birds sound like as we shared a bottle of wine that I’d been wanting to try, a Sangiovese Rosato from Silverado Vineyards in the Napa Valley.

Sonja and I had the pleasure of meeting Silverado Vineyards winemaker, Jon Emmerich, this past January. We got to chat with him and do some barrel tasting, and over the course of a brief afternoon we became big fans of Jon and his wines. His tenure at the winery spans nearly three decades, and if his excellent wines are any indication, then it has clearly been time well spent. Since that time, we’ve purchased several of his wines, both for ourselves and to give as gifts. This rose’ is one I’d been hoping to use in a flight I’m curating at a local establishment, so of course I needed to try it.
The first thing that jumped out at me about this rose’ was the color. There’s an undeniable orange hue that graces the otherwise bright ruby body of the wine when seen in the proper light. A subtle nose leads to a complex array of flavors that perform upon the palate, ranging from pomegranate and rose petals to cinnamon and orange rind, salted watermelon, strawberry, and milled spices. 100% varietal, the Sangiovese is sourced from Silverado’s Soda Creek Vineyard, an impressive property known for producing excellent and flavorful Sangiovese. It certainly did the trick here.

These days, I tend to get just as excited about the people I meet as I do about the wine they’re making. Jon Emmerich is one of those people, and he makes such excellent wines that my enthusiasm for who he is easily carries over to the extraordinary work he does at Silverado Vineyards. I absolutely recommend this rose’ as I do Silverado Vineyards and so many of Jon’s other wines. I’ll review more of them in the coming days. Until then, enjoy this one on your patio, and consider joining me at Nosh in Omaha, to taste this wine and others, as part of the flight I’m curating in June.

Cheers,