The Silverado Trail in Napa Valley has been flourishing for years now. However it’s not nearly as populated as Highway 29, and on a busy day it’s still a safe bet for easier travelling. But it’s no longer the secret it may once have been. Savvy wine lovers know that there are excellent wineries of every size and scope throughout Napa Valley, Silverado Trail is a microcosm of that with both small family owned wineries and larger producers dotting its landscape. Black Stallion Winery sits towards the very southern end of the trail. Today I’ll take a look at their current release of Chardonnay.
The Black Stallion Estate Winery 2010 Napa Valley Chardonnay was produced from fruit sourced in several Napa sub-appellations including Carneros, Green Island and Rutherford. This wine is 100% Chardonnay. All of the fruit was hand harvested and gently crushed into stainless steel tanks where fermentation began by adding select yeasts. After the yeast was introduced the juice was moved to French oak. 85% of the wine underwent Malolactic Fermentation. The total time in oak was 7 months. 9,000 cases of this Chardonnay were produced and it has a suggested retail price of $19.99.
Fresh orchard fruit aromas are joined by lemon curd on the welcoming nose of this 2010 Chardonnay. Pineapple and mango are a couple of the tropical fruits that light up the gorgeous palate of this wine along with orchard fruits such as apple and pear. A burst of baker’s spice is present as well. Minerals, continued fruit and a final tingly conglomeration of spices are all present on the finish which has good length.
Black Stallion’s 2010 Napa Valley Chardonnay is a very solid value for its category. This is a well made wine showing off good varietal character. With 9,000 cases produced it should be easy enough to locate. If your taste in Chardonnay runs towards the style that showcases fruit which has been gently enhanced by oak this might just be the wine for you.