Behind the Cork™ - Trujillo Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

2021 Trujillo Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($96)

Michael Trujillo arrived in Napa Valley in 1982 from his family’s farm in Colorado. He grew up helping his father year-round in the fields, and learned early on about how soil, climate, pests and critters affect living, growing plants.

After three decades of winemaking experience in all aspects of the business—from vineyard cultivation and irrigation digging, to cooperage selection and blending—Michael Trujillo is proud to offer his own namesake Cabernet Sauvignon.

This wine is a realization of his lifelong passion for crafting red wine, an expression of all that he’s learned and deeply values about winemaking in the Napa Valley.

This wine is produced from 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot, all of which are from the Napa Valley. It was aged 22 months in French Oak (82% new barrels).

Trujillo Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is deep, dark and dense in its color. On the nose it has dark fruit aromas of black cherry, currant, and a hint of plum, along with cedar and cigar box. On the palate, it starts bold and then yields a smooth richness with flavors of black cherry, currant, and dark chocolate that culminate in a lengthy finish. [ABV: 14.6%, TA: 5.6 g/L, pH: 3.71, RS: 0.4 g/L]. Cases Produced = 582

Trujillo Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa is truly amazing! And, a real treat for your palate. That makes it an easy selection as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week! Cheers!

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

Media Sample Provided by Trujillo Wines

Behind the Cork™ - Levendi Sweetwater Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

2018 Levendi Sweetwater Napa Cabernet Sauvignon ($60)

According to Lavendi Winery, “The Mediterranean cultures know how to celebrate. A good meal and a good wine seem reason enough to call together the people that matter most. And that's how the Levendi legacy began—around the family table with laughter and a wish to produce something special and unique. We think that spirit is reflected throughout the vineyards, winery and within each bottle—a testament to our family and founders.”

This Sweetwater Cabernet Sauvignon is deep ruby in color with very delicate dark fruit aromas. This wine is full-bodied with rich dark fruit flavors, medium oak flavors, firm tannin and a rich finish that is long-lasting.

Levendi states “We live in the vineyards. We know our vines. We hand-harvest our grapes. And we're committed to producing intriguing wines from using primarily French oak barrels.”

This Levendi Sweetwater Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is a great find. It’s available directly from Levendi Winery and can also be found at Total Wine. At this price for a Napa Cab, it’s a super fit as the Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

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

Sample Provided by Levendi Winery

Behind the Cork™ - Wines of Silvia Cellars

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!

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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

Behind the Cork™ - St. Supéry Estate Sauvignon Blanc

St. Supéry Estate Sauvignon Blanc ($22)

St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery is a 100% Estate Grown, sustainably farmed winery located in the renowned Rutherford growing region in the heart of Napa Valley. Committed to producing the highest quality estate wines without compromise, they focus on sustainable winery and farming operations to protect the land and environment for future generations.

This wine from St. Supéry is 100% Sauvignon Blanc. After achieving the desired flavors on the vine, the Sauvignon Blanc was harvested in the cool morning hours in an effort to preserve the delicate flavors. The fruit was received in the cellar, where the grapes were pressed to tank and immediately chilled and settled prior to fermentation. All fermentation was completed in stainless steel tanks at cool temperatures to maintain and enhance the natural flavors. The final blend was completed soon thereafter to capture the lovely fresh qualities and intensity of flavor of the Sauvignon Blanc.

The St. Supéry Sauvignon Blanc is pale straw in color and has the expected aromas of grapefruit and lime. What was unexpected was the richness and smoothness of this Sauvignon Blanc. While it has nice acidity it’s more delicate than other Sauvignon Blanc wines. I found this one to be very elegant and refined.

This is truly an amazing Sauvignon Blanc and worthy of being featured as a Behind the Cork™ Exceptional Wine. If you like Sauvignon Blanc, I think you’ll love this one! Cheers!

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

Samples Provided by St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery

Ever Wonder - Are the Wines Really Difference Between Napa and Sonoma Valley?

The wines of Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley are some of the best in California, the United States and the world. They are both in northern California and located right next to each other. So, you might ask “Is there really a difference between these two wine regions?” In a word, yes.

Napa is world famous for its wines and excels in Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Merlot just to name a few. Napa is the smaller of the two valleys, is typically more expensive and gets more traffic and congestion. Napa is located more inland than Sonoma so they don’t get the same cool ocean breezes. Some of the major AVAs in Napa Valley include, Oak Knoll District, Rutherford, St. Helena, Stags Leap District and Yountville.

Sonoma is certainly more expansive being nearly double the size of Napa. So, it’s more spread out, has more small and family-owned wineries and seems to have a more casual feeling. In general, you’ll find more reasonably priced wines in Sonoma. Sonoma grows so many grapes it’s hard to list them all, but they excel in Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Syrah, and Sparkling Wines. What Sonoma has that Napa does not is the ocean. The western part of Sonoma sits right along the Pacific coast which means that they get cooler ocean breezes that help in the growing of certain grapes, such as Pinot Noir. Some of the major AVAs in Sonoma are Alexander Valley, Russian River, Dry Creek, and the Sonoma Coast.

It’s really hard to compare and contrast these two amazing wine districts and their incredible wines in a couple of paragraphs. So my advice it try them both! Cheers!