Silver Trident Winery

Silver Trident Winery opened a Tuscan styled tasting room/home in downtown Yountville in March 2015. In January of 2024, Silver Trident moved from their original tasting room to a two story space accessed off of a walk-in courtyard on the same block south of their previous location and on the other side of the street. Their new location was previously occupied by the wine collective, Heron House and is across the courtyard from the K.Laz Collection tasting room and within a very short walk of the Yountville Visitor Center and Thomas Keller’s RO Restaurant & Lounge. With parking sometimes tight along Main Street in Yountville, a parking lot to the rear of the tasting room is available for guests of Silver Trident Winery as well as other adjoining businesses.

The space contains several private tasting rooms including The Woodlands and Horse and Hounds. The interior design was overseen by Los Angeles based Trevor Howells Interior Design. It is remarkable what has been done with such a small space; they gained an extra 20 square feet with the move to their current location. The interior décor is impressive, elegant and sophisticated.

This space is a unique concept in Napa Valley; it combines wine tasting with a setting that is home to Ralph Lauren furniture, home décor and other accessories. Books and various pieces of artwork are also displayed (non-Ralph Lauren items) including various prints available through a partnership with the Trowbridge Gallery in London. Bob initially made the connection with Ralph Lauren when his company purchased several ships that needed interior and suite renovations and Ralph Lauren was contacted to provide the interior decorations.

This is the only Ralph Lauren outlet combined with a wine tasting room on the planet. And the items here are all one of a kind, not sold through Ralph Lauren retail shops or their website. Almost everything is for sale in the tasting room; during one of our visits, items for sale were as diverse and eclectic as a carbon fiber deck of playing cards and a large succulent plant display. Artisan coffee and olive oil are also sold here.

Both owners of Silver Trident have spent many years working in the hospitality and luxury markets. Bob Binder is co-founder of Oceania Cruises and Walter Jost has enjoyed a career as an executive in advertising and media.

Silver Trident’s first vintage was from 2009. Initially all their wine was made entirely for use on the Oceania Cruise ships. Excellent food and premium wines are an integral part of the Oceania cruising experience. Their Culinary Director is the famed French chef and television personality Jacques Pépin. Jacques worked with Julia Child on a popular culinary PBS series show called, Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home.

Silver Trident currently produces about 4,000 cases of wine annually. The wines are sold primarily direct from their tasting room or through their website and are still served on the Oceania Cruise ships.

Both Bob and Walter live part time just south of St. Helena where they own a three-acre vineyard planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Syrah; this vineyard provides the source of some of their grapes while other wines are sourced from select Napa Valley vineyards as well as in the Russian River appellation of neighboring Sonoma County.

The name Silver Trident has a specific meaning. Silver for the fact that when seas are calm, the waters looking to the horizon can appear silver in color. Trident refers to a three-pronged spear which historically has been used for spear fishing. In addition, the trident is the weapon of the god of the sea Poseidon, or Neptune, in classical mythology.

Each of their wines are also carefully named – some have names that (for obvious reasons) that are related to cruising or the ocean.

Tastings
A visit here is not a “traditional” tasting room experience. The space is inviting and elegantly decorated. Guests sit down to enjoy a flight of wines at their own pace with unscripted conversation with the host. Visits are both by walk-in if space available or by reservation

Silver Trident offers a tasting that they have become most known for, the The Potato Chip Extravaganza in which each of their wines is paired with a different artisanal-made potato chip.

And starting in August 2024, they introduced another unique tasting, Pizza & Wine, pairing five of their wines with Detroit style pizzettas. From personal experience, this is not a full lunch, but feels like it was one after finishing all the little pizza slices. And the pizzettas come in a variety of tasty flavors including during our visit, raclette with king trumpet mushroom (honoring Walter’s Swiss heritage), braised short rib with fennel and butternut squash with feta and hot honey. The pizzettas are lined with local and seasonal ingredients.

The recipe for these pizzas originated at Buddy’s Rendezvous in 1946 in Detroit. This restaurant began creatively using thick metal pans originally intended to be used as drip pans or for holding small automotive parts within automobile factories. Silver Trident works with Chef Clinton Huntsman and his wife Ashley, proprietors of Napa based G Street Kitchen. Silver Trident was first introduced to their food at an industry party they were catering at nearby Goosecross Cellars.

Select Wines
Sauvignon Blanc
The 2023 Silver Trident Sauvignon Blanc, Symphony No. 9 Napa Valley is 100% varietal with 74% Clone one and 26% the Musque clone. This wine is medium gold in color; the delicate bouquet offers aromas of honeycomb, pineapple, orange blossom, a variety of orchard fruits, mango and papaya. It needs time in the glass to fully express its aromatic character. Bright, elegant and flavorful, this wine is saddled perfectly between being herbal and tropical. On the plate there are flavors of red delicious apple, honeydew melon and lemon drop candies with perception of a light and lingering sweetness similar to tarragon on the finish. And the texture presents a rounded almost saline character, complemented with a lively acidity. Mouth watering and refreshing, the finish immediately requests another sip. Pair with grilled halibut. It was aged in stainless steel, and neutral French oak and one acacia barrel for 5 months with battonage.

The 2021 Silver Trident Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc is named “Symphony no. 9” – focusing on the choral aspects of this particular piece by Beethoven. This wine is 97% Sauvignon Blanc – Clone 1 and 3% Semillon and was fermented in 75% stainless steel and 25% neutral French oak barrels. It is pale to medium yellow in the glass; the bouquet is expressive and highly aromatic offering notes of white flowers including jasmine and honeysuckle, melon, white peach, lychee and hints of mint/wintergreen showing deeper in the aromatics. Superbly balanced across the palate this wine shows a light creamy texture and offers flavors of green apple, gooseberry and lemon. This finish lingers with plenty of brightness but is not tart; this is a very nice example of a Napa Valley Sauvignon which is neither green nor grassy nor overly tropical in its stylistic approach.

The 2014 Silver Trident Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc is a “chorus” if you will that changes rather dramatically as it breathes. Initially there is a pleasing note of candied caramel or brown sugar, then tropical nuances develop (yellow pineapple) – and finally reveals more citrus aromas. It is neat to observe these changes as the wine opens. On the palate it shows notes of pineapple and lingering flavors of lemon and lime. This is a clean and very balanced wine.

Rosé
The 2023 Silver Trident Apollo’s Folly Rosé Pinot Noir is from Carneros; the vineyard source changed from Russian River Valley to Carneros starting with the 2022 vintage. The grapes spent about 90 mins on the skins before being pressed off; this wine is medium copper in color. The minerally and bright bouquet reveals scents of lime zest, a hint of citrus blossom, not fully ripe raspberries and ruby grapefruit. The aromas unlike the palate lean in the direction of being citrus influenced. Balanced, lively and highly flavored, the palate reveals flavors of rhubarb, raspberry, wild strawberry, red cherries and cranberry. This wine’s texture is a hallmark characteristic; no light and wimpy mouth feel here. Rather its silken, supple and creamy – its weight is complemented perfectly with the zippy acidity. Beautifully done. Pair with shellfish, raw oysters will do very well with this bottling.

The 2014 Silver Trident Apollo’s Folly Rosé was sourced from Dutton Ranch in the Russian River Valley appellation from Pinot Noir vines that were planted specifically to produce a rosé wine, which in our experience is rarely the case in Napa Valley or Sonoma County. The wine was made in the Provençal style and was picked somewhat early, and barrel fermented in both new and used oak. This was about the year we began to see a trend towards this style of rosé from select producers in Napa Valley (either from Napa or Sonoma grapes). Silver Trident takes the Provençal style one step further; they use the same style of bottle as one would find used for a rosé in Provence. This wine is salmon colored in the glass and reveals aromas of white wild strawberry – a Jolly Rancher candied component to the bouquet along with raspberry. This wine is gentle on the palate; it shows some weight but without viscosity. It is easy to drink, balanced and shows a finish of fruit (strawberry, watermelon) that lingers delicately without any notes of alcohol (this rosé is over 14% alcohol).

Pinot Noir
The 2022 Silver Trident Benevolent Dictator Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Dutton Ranch; the bouquet is a pretty and elegant union of both floral, fruit and herbs. These scents include rose petals, raspberry, red cherry, red licorice, white pepper, library book, tomato leaf, dried thyme, dried bay leaf and a hint of clove. Diverse and layered bouquets always trigger a plethora of aromatic verbiage in our tasting notes. On the palate there are flavors of cherry, currant, cranberry, red plum, raspberry, licorice, menthol and a note of wintergreen. Its texture is supple, rounded and is complemented by a balanced but bright acidity. Lingers with notes of dried herbs on the finish including smoked sage and a nuance of white pepper. We would love to pair this with lightly spiced dry-rub baby back pork ribs.

The 2013 Silver Trident Pinot Noir was sourced from the Russian River Valley in neighboring Sonoma County. It was named the “Benevolent Dictator” by Walter – revealing his sense of humor and a contrast between two words. A dictator is someone who lays down the law, often with an “iron fist”. Walter is the benevolent dictator in that he dictated the style of Pinot Noir he wanted made, yet it is crafted to be user-friendly and approachable styled wine. The bouquet is complex and initially shows some darker spice notes including white pepper accompanied by raspberry and red cherry. An earthy component also shows along with nuances of cedar. Silver Trident recommends pairing this wine with mushroom-based dishes and or salmon.

Red Blend
The 2021 Silver Trident Playing with Fire is 65% Malbec, 25% Syrah and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is deep ruby and opaque in the glass; it features more of a dark fruited bouquet than a red fruited one, and reveals layers of black plum, dark cherry, boysenberry, Pakistani mulberry, dark chocolate and a hint of mocha which becomes more expressive as the bouquet evolves in the glass. Smelling this wine made us want to reach for a cigar a dimly lit room, a deep leather back chair and the desire to clear our mind of nothing else except the present moment. The palate offers dark fruited flavors including of blackberry, boysenberry, dark cherry and Satsuma plum with an accompanying light and lingering woodsy spice, a dusty character, chocolate and a light note of caramel. The ripe tannins are remarkably resolved and rounded three years post vintage at the time of our tasting. Drinks very well by itself.

The varietal percentages for the Playing with Fire proprietary red blend changes each year. The 2019 Silver Trident Playing with Fire, Napa Valley Red Blend is dark ruby in color; the bouquet is immediately wide open and full of blackberries, dark raspberry, bright dark cherry, blueberries, some mint and secondary aromatics including cardamom, clove and molasses. The palate is lifted nicely by its bright and mouthwatering acidity accompanied by flavors of red cherry, pomegranate, red currant and tea leaf. This bottling lingers somewhat dusty with a subtle hint of dried tobacco leaf deep on the finish; the tannins are well-integrated. Feminine, balanced and seamless, this wine delivers everything one wants in an approachable and food-friendly bottling.

The 2012 Silver Trident Playing with Fire is a unique wine blend; the grapes for this wine were sourced entirely from Bob and Walter’s vineyard in St. Helena. It is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Malbec and 20% Syrah. Perhaps the name is a reference to the heavier toast levels on some of the oak used during the aging or simply the fact one doesn’t find these three varieties in a blend from a Napa Valley producer. The wine is dark purple in the glass; it shows mostly black fruit on the bouquet including sweet black licorice aromas along with an underlying spice note – perhaps cardamom. It is also somewhat floral offering aromas of dried rose petals. The palate features primarily darker fruits including blackberry and other dark berry fruits, complemented by delicate balanced tannins anchoring a smooth very palatable finish.

Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2021 Silver Trident Twenty Seven Fathoms is 100% varietal with 70% of the wine sourced from Oakville and the other 30% from Rutherford. This wine is deep ruby in color; the bouquet is clearly focused on its fruit core with oak a complementary character. In its youth it needs some time in the glass to fully express its aromatic core. It offers aromas of cinnamon, clove, blood orange, red plum, red cherries and dark raspberries. On the palate there ripe and sweet fruited flavors of plum, cherry, dark raspberry and mulberry. And some darker spice characteristics including of toasted oak and dried herbs. The tannins sport a lightly gravelly and almost creamy character, lingering in tandem with fruit on the extended finish. A persistent dusty character outlasts the fruit. This is highly approachable in its youth especially considering this vintage in Napa Valley produced wines which in general needed time in the bottle to fully integrate.

The 2018 Silver Trident Twenty Seven Fathoms is 98.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1.5% Malbec. This wine is deep ruby in color; the elegant aromatics offer a light note of bottle bouquet at 6 years post vintage at the time of our tasting. Sweetly fruited, the scents of are blackberry jam, boysenberry preserves, black plum, blueberry, and coral cherries at the peak of their ripeness. And there are some baking spice influences at play here as well including of cinnamon stick, clove and a hint of nutmeg. Ripe like the bouquet and pushing the boundaries of being overripe, the palate is a bowlful of berry flavored fruits including heaps of blackberry, boysenberry, dark cherry, black plum and dark licorice. The tannins are ripe, rounded and fully resolved at this age. Their gentle and almost creamy texture lingers with notes of dark chocolate, mocha and espresso. Finishes ripe and fruity.

The 2010 Silver Trident Twenty Seven Fathoms Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from three sub appellations within Napa Valley including Yountville, Rutherford and Atlas Peak. The name was chosen to represent the average depth of the Panama Canal and its importance in global marine transportation. The name is also a reference to the connection or a bridge between old world and new world wines. This wine shows ripe and lively aromas in the glass along with a diversity of other aromatics including wet rock after a rainfall, toasted oak and hints of chocolate. These are all the aromatic pieces supporting the primary fruit-driven aromas. On the palate the entry is luscious, juicy and shows mouthwatering acidity. The tannins are very well managed, integrated and delicately linger on the finish.

The 2019 Silver Trident Friends & Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon includes one barrel from Walter and Bob’s vineyard in St. Helena. This wine is 100% varietal; it is deep ruby in color. The bouquet is elegant and refined, offering scents of plum, dark cherry, Pakistani mulberry, chocolate, boysenberry and blackberry. Well layered with plenty of depth in terms of flavor, the palate reveals ripe flavors of plum, raspberry jam and black cherry. This wine takes the textural level up a notch from their Twenty Seven Fathoms Cabernet Sauvignon bottlings. The tannins are grainy, gravelly and broadly coat the palate. Still it is important to note that they are rounded and do not overly dominate the finish. Both tannins and flavor parallel each other with neither dropping off before the other. For reference, we tried bottle 140 of 1,776. And 100% new Darnajou oak is exclusively used for the aging for two years. This wine was not produced in 2017 because of a freak hailstorm and none was made in 2020 due to the Glass Fire.

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Several levels of wine club memberships are available as part of The Flagship Club. Membership provides additional benefits including discounts on purchases, complimentary tastings and invites and opportunities to attend member-only special events and release parties. Silver Trident has also entered into partnerships with several hotels and resorts in Napa Valley with discounts given to visitors who reference special Silver Trident codes or otherwise call the properties to mention the Silver Trident special.

For more information, to purchase wine or to schedule a tasting, visit: www.silvertridentwinery.com

Original Tasting Room
We keep our notes here for historical reference. This modern tasting ‘home’ was located from March 2015 through January 2024 on site of what was formerly a private residence. Later it was home to Clocks Unlimited from the late 1970s until the early 1980s located inside the home which at one point was used by former railroad stationmaster, and for many years, was a showroom for Barker’s Yat-ta Hay Indian Trading Post. In early January 1973, someone driving a vehicle swerved after hitting someone riding a horse owned by Lissa Doumani (co-owner of Restaurant Terra in Yountville for 30 years) and crashed into the side of the home.

This tasting room was located on part of the same property as the Hotel Villagio at The Estate Yountville; parking was either on Washington Street or a parking lot adjoining. Like most everything in Yountville, the tasting room was easily within walking distance of local shops, restaurants and several premium hotel properties.