Carmel Magazine

Composer Hits The Right Notes With Vineyard BY LARRY HARLAND 158 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 5 wine notes Grammy-winning composer Alan Silvestri's family came from Piedmont, Italy with heritage wines. He now grows several varietals in Carmel Valley, producing a gold winner Rising Tide Pinot Noir in 2012. His Carmel tasting room also features Chardonnays, Syrahs and others. Photo: Kelli Uldall M usic has long been Alan Silvestri's vehicle for expression, and his peers have rewarded him with two Emmys, four Grammys and two Oscar nominations. But with family roots reaching back to the famed Italian viticulture region of Piedmont—where his grandparents Joseph and Eugenia Silvestri first fell in love—the composer shares a deep devotion to wine. When Joseph and Eugenia immigrated to New York, family gather- ings included a bounty of comfort food and bottles of their home- made wine. So it wasn't surprising when a fledgling composer left Los Angeles for Carmel with his wife Sandra in 1989. The couple bought a house and found the motif for their future: a double window and arch, representing the fulfillment of a journey that began in Italy. That image is now part of the Silvestri Vineyards logo that appears on bottles of estate wines from fertile Carmel Valley. Silvestri bottles Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Pinot Blanc, Rosé, Pinot Gris and Barbera with new varietals coming in the near future. The vineyard is 15 miles from the ocean; the cool marine influence provides a counterbalance to the warmer inland mountains. Silvestri's flagship wine, Rising Tide Pinot Noir, demonstrates the quality of the fruit grown on those hillsides. The 2012 vintage, with 170 cases pro- duced, won gold at the World Wine Competition. Like other boutique wineries, Silvestri relies on a tasting room to help sell and market their label. Celebrating its second year in downtown Carmel, Silvestri pours daily from noon to 7pm. "There's something about the elemental side of winemaking that appeals to me," says Silvestri. "Both music making and wine making involve the blending of art and science. Just as each note brings its own voice to the melody, each vine brings its own unique personality to the wine." Telling the story of the vines and wines keeps the Silvestris rooted in the Valley. And although Joseph and Eugenia never got to walk through the vineyards, the family knows the dream lives on in every bottle. Silvestri Tasting Room is located on 7th Avenue between Dolores and San Carlos, Carmel. 831/625-0111 or www.silvestrivineyards.com.

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