2007 Silverado Zinfandel & Ombra Ristorante in Studio City, CA

Steve and I visited Silverado Vineyards during our trip to Napa when our film Take Me Home was in the festival. The tasting room had amazing views of the Valley and the server was very nice and accommodating.

When we got home, we realized we had visited Silverado on our first trip to Napa with our friends Brandon and Sarah Trenz. Here are some photos from that first trip:

While at Silverado the second time, we decide to buy their Zinfandel. And recently we took the bottle to a local Studio City restaurant Ombra Ristorante. Ombra is a new Italian restaurant in town. It has a simple decor with cream-colored walls, dark-brown furniture, and Christmas lights strung around the room.

We loved what they served us. We had a lovely lentil salad with fresh burrata, Pasta Fagioli soup, tri-colore salad, and wild boar meatballs. Steve even ordered sparkling water and lo and behold the bottle was designed by famous car designer Pininfarina (he designed for Ferrari, Maserati, Rolls Royce, and even Cadillac). If you don’t know yet, Steve is a huge car geek. He races our Miata in Autocross and if we are on vacation and I can’t find him, he’s usually off photographing cars or motorcycles. We did grow up in Detroit after all and I have to admit I love cars myself.

A big yum goes out to Ombra and Silverado!

Jane Says:

Zinfandels tend to be BIG reds. If you like a wine that fills your mouth and gives you a lot to think about, try a Zin. They can be overly jammy and sweet or be a lovely full experience. I enjoy a great Zin. I’m not a fan of jammy and sweet so I am drawn to a subtler Zin, like the Silverado Zin. It has a slight jamminess to it but leans enough away from the over-the-top sweet to be my kind of Zin. It’s full-bodied and tastes of plum and currant. It has long legs and high alcohol – watch out! There’s even a slight taste of anise – surprising. Overall, I liked it.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

 

Steve Says:

To me this is a medium-bodied Zinfandel, a bit lighter bodied than I’m used to, with an amazing inky color. It’s a nice break from the all too present jammy, fruit bomb Zinfandels that tend to be popular. There is a hint of blackberry and currant on the nose, with a slight dryness on the finish. This is really a unique Zinfandel, for some reason, I want to say it really feels more Italian than your typical Napa Zin. It also exhibits a bit of astringent. You’d have to be dead to not notice the serious heat on the back of your throat from the big alcohol-16.2 percent. Overall I find it really well balanced and drinkable, its got a great and unique personality.

4 out of 5 stars

Just the Facts Ma’am

2007 Soda Creek Ranch Zinfandel, Napa Valley, Estate Grown

16.2% alcohol

96% Zinfandel, 4% Sangiovese

12 months in French Oak

$27.00/750ml bottle

Available at the Silverado Vineyard Tasting Room, Napa, CA.