Located on the historic Silverado Trail in Napa Valley’s Oak Knoll District, Black Stallion Estate Winery pays homage to the rich history of the 32-acre estate which was once home to the Silverado Equestrian Center. The property was purchased in 2010 by Delicato Family Vineyards, a fourth generation family-owned company founded in 1924. Sourcing from the most prestigious vineyards, the winery is committed to making only the most expressive wines.

The 2018 growing season started after the February rains, which were a good omen to the seven months of grape growing that followed. Mild spring weather made for an extended bloom and a later set, the conditions were perfect – more sunshine, mild temperatures, and no winds. Clusters saw little shatter, making for uniform set. The fruit ripened beautifully during the summer months and kept the vineyard team busy managing canopy growth. From June to early August, temperatures were steady and warm, with no heat spikes, creating the most ideal conditions for the final stretch. Veraison continued over an extended period, allowing for balanced fruit development while maintaining bright, fresh, clean fruit flavors.

Cabernet Sauvignon is the primary varietal used in this vintage. Our grapes are handpicked during the early morning hours at optimal ripeness. Upon arrival at the winery, we hand sort the Cabernet Sauvignon fruit before it is destemmed into small fermentation tanks. After a few days of cold soaking, the must is gently warmed, and yeast was added to initiate fermentation. We ‘pump-over’ many times during the 14-21-day fermentation, allowing for maximum extraction of fruit flavor, color and tannin from the skins. We then allowed the free run wine to gravity flow from the skins directly to barrel. The skins were gently pressed, the wine going to barrels to mature separately. The wines were allowed to mature for 18 months in barrel before being blended and prepared for bottling.