
Ray Twomey Duncan, a Colorado entrepreneur who began investing in California vineyards in the late 1960s, and Justin Meyer, a Christian Brothers-trained winemaker, co-founded Silver Oak out of a Napa Valley dairy barn in 1972, producing only 1,000 cases of their inaugural vintage.
Silver Oak began over a handshake between two friends with a bold vision: focus on one varietal, Cabernet Sauvignon, aged exclusively in American oak and worthy of cellaring for decades to come.
In 2006, a fire destroyed our historic Oakville winery. While rebuilding was a difficult and emotional event; the opportunity to design a new, state-of-the-art winery from the ground up has resulted in better Napa Valley Cabernets and minimized our eco footprint.
Ten years after the fire, Silver Oak Napa Valley was designated the world’s first LEED Platinum winery for existing buildings, operations and maintenance (EBOM) by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
Next, when it came time to reimagine the Silver Oak Alexander Valley winery, we applied the lessons learned from our Oakville winery and set an even higher bar. With a goal of net-zero water and energy as our north star, the new Sonoma county winery has since become the world’s first winery to achieve LEED Platinum for building, design and construction (BD+C).
“We have yet to make our best bottle of wine,” or the idea that our best wines are still ahead of us, is a founding philosophy that still guides us to this day.
We farm more than 400 acres of vines in Napa Valley and Alexander Valley with a leading-edge approach toward farming and viticulture, and the softest possible impact on natural resources and the environment.
Since 2014, Napa Valley native Nate Weis has overseen all grapegrowing and winemaking operations at Silver Oak. Nate worked side-by-side with his predecessor Daniel Baron, just as Daniel worked with Justin Meyer before his retirement. These overlapping tenures ensure consistency and quality control, as well as the inherent wisdom that our best wines are still ahead of us.
Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 95.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2.5% Cabernet Franc, 1.9% Merlot, 0.4% Petit Verdot
The Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 has notes of red cherry, raspberry, blackberry, iris, vanilla and clove. Ruby in color, this elegant wine has great acidity and lift on the mid-palate. Black currant and warm baking spices linger with a deep and fruity finish. It will provide drinking pleasure through 2047 given proper cellaring.
Review:
The 2021 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon from Alexander Valley was harvested between 4 September and 8 October. The blend comprises 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot and 1% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. After blending, it was barrel-aged for 24 months in American oak, 50% of which was new, followed by 14 months of bottle ageing prior to release. The wine is beautifully layered and highly fragrant, with remarkable precision and focus in this vintage. Medium- to full-bodied, it integrates the hallmark Silver Oak American spice character through cedarwood aromatics, elegant whispers of vanilla bean, and nuances of fresh fennel (from more refined American oak barrels crafted after precision trials of both seasoning and toasting from the American oak cooperage they own in Higbee, Missouri). Supple dark-cherry and blackberry fruit are framed by graphite minerality, violets and clove, building in richness and complexity across the palate. Suave and silken, the dark-berry fruit is wrapped in a tapestry of velvety tannins, gliding to a focused finish of brown baking spices and crisp, clean acidity.
-Decanter 96 Points
Silver Oak Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 81.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.8% Merlot, 1.8% Petit Verdot, 1.4% Cabernet Franc, 0.4% Malbec.
Ruby in color, the 2020 Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a harmony of black and blue fruit notes that dance delicately on the palate. Plum and blueberry intertwine with whispers of baking spices, creating a tapestry of flavors that unfold in layers of complexity. On the palate, it is a study in elegance—smooth and effortlessly refined. Silky tannins provide structure without imposing, ensuring a seamless journey from the first sip to the last.
Review:
A super creamy, delicious and detailed red with oodles of red fruit, silky tannins and a full body. It tastes pure, fresh, almost delicate, offering raspberries, cherry cream, blueberries, cafe au lait and subtle oak toast on the palate. A gentle, layered, pretty wine that seems not at all affected by the wildfire smoke that year.
-James Suckling 95 Points
When the founding fathers of the Napa Valley carved out new sub-AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) in the 1980s, Soda Canyon Ranch was not yet on anyone’s map. The vineyard is neighbored to the northwest and west by the winegrowing districts of Stags Leap District and Oak Knoll District, respectively, which were among the early pioneers of California Cabernet Sauvignon to attain global fame. To the northeast and southeast—and further off the beaten path—were Atlas Peak and Coombsville, thought to be the next frontiers for the emerging wine-producing region.
This opulent wine has a broad and balanced mid-palate, notes of vanilla and blueberry, a dried floral character and chalky tannins. Anise and cherry lift the palate to a beautiful, lingering finish. In both aromatics and palate, this is an elegant vintage worthy of cellaring for years to come.
The winter of 2019 was marked by cold, foggy days in Napa Valley. Well-drained soils of Soda Canyon Ranch and steady, purposeful farming decisions mitigated the rainy and wet conditions as they persisted into spring. After months of ever-shifting weather, the vines were greeted by a consistent, warm and dry summer plus a mild harvest season, resulting in bright and ethereal fruit. Once blended, the 2019 vintage rested in French oak barrels for 16 months.
J Lohr Signature Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 80% Cabernet Sauvignon 6% Cabernet Franc 6% Saint Macaire 4% Petit Verdot 4% Malbec.
J. Lohr Signature Cabernet Sauvignon was first produced to honor the 80th birthday of founder Jerry Lohr. This limited release was specially selected and blended from the exceptional 2016 vintage in Paso Robles. It is both a tribute to Jerry's pioneering efforts in the region and our red wine portfolio's ultimate expression of Cabernet Sauvignon. VINEYARDS & CELLAR Beck Vineyard, in the Creston District of Paso Robles, is a unique, high elevation site that sits at 1,700 feet above the early morning fog line. Its calcareous soils and cooling afternoon winds are perfect for growing Cabernet Sauvignon. The Cabernet from this vineyard ripens early with excellent color, purity of fruit, and phenolic maturity. Incorporation of Cabernet Franc brings freshness to the blend, while the rare Bordeaux variety, Saint Macaire, brings density and a savory character. Petit Verdot and Malbec add structure, color, and a component of bright fruit. The hand-harvested grapes were held separate at harvest and berry-sorted into six-ton open top tanks for fermentation. Maceration took place on the skins for five days, before early pressing to achieve ideal tannin extraction. Aged 19 months in 100% new French oak from coopers Nadalie and Sylvain.
Review:
Almost opaque in the glass, this luxury bottling entices with intense aromas of black currant and blackberry sauce on the nose, with savory hints of dark olive and caramel spice. It's quite dry on the palate, where licorice, violet and cassis flavors linger amidst the polished tannins
-Wine Enthusiast 95 Points
Mordoree Tavel Rose Reine des Bois is made from 60% Grenache, 15% Clairette, 10% Syrah, 10% Cinsault, 5% Bourboulenc (biodynamically farmed on a rocky/sandy plateau over clay).
This wine comes from a parcel planted on a pebbled soil covered with stones, whose geology is typical of the grands crus from the Rhone Valley (a base made of marine molasse from the Miocene period covered with an alpine diluvium from the Villafranchian period). 100 % destemming, cold maceration during 48 h., pneumatic pressing, fermentation at 18° C.
To pair with: roasted and or spicy chicken, duck, goose, fish soup, white meat, seafood and a lot of fishes (tuna, John Dorry, red mulet, etc...).Quite all Asian cuisine. Dishes with garlic, dishes with tomatoes.
In the glass the wine is deeply colored pink, almost orange/salmon. Complex aromas of white flowers, raspberry, pomegranate, strawberry, minerals, and citrus rise from the glass. Palate is full-bodied and voluptuous yet retains elegance while delivering great fruit intensity balanced by minerals and citrus. Light tannins appear mid-palate and carry through to the finish, giving it serious structure. Fresh, complex, and very long on the finish. Overall, powerful, textured, and food-driven — a “serious” Tavel that can age 1–5 years. Best enjoyed from June/July 2026 onward.