Silver Palm: Cabernet’s lighter side

Most of the time, the Oenophile topic “About Our Winemaker” is a quickly discussed sidebar before moving on with a tour or tasting.  But every year it seems that more and more new faces are getting into the art of wine.  So it comes as no surprise that many of us now look at wineries with new young ideas as a big plus.

With a strong background in winemaking that goes back to the early 90’s, Silver Palm winery’s Matt Smith is an innovative artisan who knows what it takes to produce great wines in Northern California.  In fact, he actually spends most of his time at Kendall Jackson where he continues to produce great wine.

But as the ongoing slow sales situation with many in the industry continues, having lots of inventory leads to bending the rules a bit with winemakers often managing multiple brands to support winery business relationships.  This is just the situation with the ties between Kendall Jackson and Silver Palm.

And luckily for us who just like good wine, the Phoenix Area’s AJs continues to stock Silver Palm.  So here we have a 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon created by a people who are very experienced in the craft available at AJs for $20.99.  Who knows, this may be an excellent opportunity to pick up a wine that in booming economic times, would have been a closely guarded “cult wine” costing $75 when ordered off a wine list.

In tasting, Silver Palm’s bouquet starts off quite elegantly with cherries, hints of plumb, cinnamon, and a tad of wet stones.  As it gets a little air, it becomes more earthy, making it interesting.  The body is soft like a Merlot with soft tannins, fruit, and balanced Old World acidity.  As a Cabernet, the body is probably what pulls down the price, but it’s still a good value.  But if you like the lighter side, typical of Sonoma Cabs, this one is for you.

Serve at near room temperature with a slight chill, 65 degrees.  Thanks Matt.

Article by Tom Peiffer, Phoenix Wine Shopping Examiner at Examiner.com

View more of Tom’s articles on Examiner.com by visiting his writer’s page.