We feature estate grown, produced and bottled wines from our vineyard in Carmel Valley, California. We invite you to come visit our beautifully appointed tasting room to try our Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris varietals.

The vineyard is located approximately 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean up Carmel Valley. This location is the key element in the terroir of this unique site. During the growing season the cool marine influence on one side and the much warmer inland mountains on the other side subject this spot to daily afternoon winds bringing dramatic temperature drops even on the sunniest days. The tight constriction of the valley at this point creates even greater wind velocities here. The vineyards are on benchlands and hillsides several hundred feet above the valley floor further exposing them to the marine onshore flow. Only cooler climate varieties can be expected to ripen here.

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The Vineyard

Silvestri Vineyards is located approximately 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean up Carmel Valley. This location is the key element in the terroir of this unique site. During the growing season the cool marine influence on one side and the much warmer inland mountains on the other side subject this spot to daily afternoon winds bringing dramatic temperature drops even on the sunniest days. The tight constriction of the valley at this point creates even greater wind velocities here. The vineyards are on benchlands and hillsides several hundred feet above the valley floor further exposing them to the marine onshore flow. Only cooler climate varieties can be expected to ripen here.

The very rocky soils are based on a soft shale locally referred to as "chalk rock". Devigorating rootstocks were selected to advance the harvest date and match differing soil conditions within the vineyard. Varieties were also matched to different soil conditions, sun and wind exposures. All varieties are a mix of three to five different clones originally selected at research stations in France. This was done to take advantage of the earlier ripening characteristics of these selections and to provide a palette of flavors from which to create elegant and complex wines. Soil surveys and planning of the vineyard started in late 1998 and continued through 1999. The first blocks of all three varieties totaling about four and a quarter acres were planted in Spring of 2000. The following year the remaining six and one half acres were planted.

The first harvest was in Fall of 2003, with all blocks producing by the harvest of 2004. Maximum yield for all varieties is approximately 3 tons per acre with the younger and less vigorous vines carrying substantially less fruit. The Chardonnay and Pinot Noir typically are harvested in late September or early October and the Syrah in late October. Bud break is usually three to four weeks behind the nearby Salinas Valley appellations reflecting the influence of the nearby mountains.