Winemaker Notes
Ruby in color, the 2018 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon has notes of cassis, caramel, juniper, and pomegranate. Lifted and vibrant on the nose, this wine is fresh on the palate with a juice, fruit-forward core. Its silky mouthfeel will provide drinking pleasure through 2044 given proper cellaring conditions.
Blend:94.8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4.2% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc
About the vintage: Like a sigh of relief, 2018 was a welcome change to previous vintages. Cooler spring temperatures and a light dusting of snow in the mountains around the winery set the theme for a near-perfect growing season: cooperative and slower-paced. By May, the soils were at capacity from winter and spring rains, and conditions were perfect for a long and even bloom. A generous fruit set—both in terms of cluster count and size—followed, and the ripening season was blessed with “natural air conditioning” in the form of the Pacific fog layer in the evenings. is phase concluded with glorious warm and dry weather that allowed the grapes to achieve slow and synchronized physiological and aromatic maturity. With the abundant amount of fruit, harvest commenced in Alexander Valley on September 14—about two weeks later than the previous vintages. 2018 was truly a stand-out vintage that’s accessible, young and commands great aging potential.
About Silver Oak
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. 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. Over the next two decades, Silver Oak grew in popularity. Our Napa Valley and Alexander Valley Cabernets sold quickly upon their release from the winery and became a highly sought-after staple on restaurant wine lists nationwide. After selecting Daniel Baron to succeed him as winemaker in 1994, Justin retired, selling his share of Silver Oak to the Duncan family in 2001. Ray’s sons, David and Tim Duncan, own and operate the winery to this day.
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).
