Winemaker Notes
Crafted entirely from grapes grown on Silverado's Stags Leap Vineyard surrounding the winery, SOLO has one driving philosophy: location. One of the first three vineyards planted to Cabernet in the appellation, Silverado's Stags Leap vineyard helped establish the reputation of the District. Specific clone selection, (Silverado's on Heritage Clone, UCD 30), micro block fermentation, a restrained approach to oak aging: everything Silverado does with SOLO is tailored to honor the purity of fruit which expresses this special site in the heart of Napa Valley.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has amazing depth and texture to it. Aromas of raspberries, minerals, and currants. Very intense. Full body, with ultra-fine tannins. Goes on for a minute or two on the finish. I really like the polish to this. I think of Leoville-Las-Cases when you taste this.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The prodigious 2007 Solo has a saturated dense purple color to the rim, a wonderfully sweet nose of blue and black fruits intermixed with charcoal, incense, floral notes, a hint of espresso, and subtle wood. It is fabulously rich and full-bodied, yet at the same time, the elegance is very apparent, and the wine well-focused and pure. This is a brilliant wine, the best Cabernet Sauvignon I have ever tasted from Silverado. It should evolve for 25-30 or more years.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Legend has it that quick and nimble stags would escape the indigenous hunters of southern Napa Valley through the landmark palisades that sit just northeast of the current city of Napa. As a result, the area was given the name, Stags Leap. While its grape-growing history dates back to the mid-1800s, winemaking didn’t really take off until the mid-1970s after a small but pivotal blind tasting called the Judgement of Paris.
When a 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon won first place against its high-profile Bordeaux contenders, like Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Chateau Haut-Brion, international attention to the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley escalated rapidly.
The vineyards in this one-of-a-kind wine growing region receive hot afternoon air reflecting off of its eastern palisade formation. In combination with the cool evening breezes from the San Pablo Bay just south, this becomes an optimal environment for grape growing. While many varieties could thrive here, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot dominate with virtually no others, save for a spot or two of Syrah.
Stags Leap soils—eroded volcanic and old river sediments—encourage well established root systems and result in complex, terroir-driven wines. Stags Leap District reds have a distinct sour cherry and black berry character with baking spice and dried earth aromas, and supple tannins.