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Described as “a veritable Cabernet Sauvignon tour de force” by the Wine Spectator’s James Laube, the lush and concentrated 2019 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley lives up to the hype, revealing fresh aromatic fruit hinting of spiced vanilla and rustic herbs with supple, velvet tannins and a signature silky smooth finish, delivering Silver Oak’s consistently exceptional quality and sheer drinkability at a best on the market price.
Located just north of Healdsburg in Sonoma County’s warmest appellation, the Silver Oak Alexander Valley winery features a modern barn-inspired tasting room with floor to ceiling glass walls framing panoramic vineyard views, the surrounding 75 acres planted exclusively to Cabernet Sauvignon in the Alexander Valley AVA. Founded as a partnership in 1972 to produce a single wine from Cabernet Sauvignon, Silver Oak was established by Ray Duncan and Justin Meyers on a 258-acre dairy property on the Oakville Cross Road, the dairy barn’s location halfway between the Silverado Trail and Oakville inspiring its name. Brought in by Duncan to craft the wine, founder and former co-owner Justin Meyer was driven to create an American version of Chateau Latour, but instead using American oak to age the Cabernet Sauvignon in barrels first purchased from Beaulieu Vineyards. Now completely family-owned and run by Ray’s sons David and Tim Duncan, Silver Oak produced the 2019 Alexander Valley with 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, always a higher percentage than its Napa bottling, blending it from the Alexander Estate and the Miraval and Red Tail Vineyards at the southern end of the AVA close to the Russian River as well as Crazy Creek a few miles north of the winery, the diverse growing conditions and rocky volcanic soils adding rich complexity to the final blend. Sourced from “a brilliant vintage for Cabernet Sauvignon” according to Jeb Dunnuck, winemaker David Weiss, formerly at Patz and Hall and Antinori’s Antica Napa Valley, crafted the final blend of the 2019 Silver Oak Alexander Valley prior to aging, a signature of the harmonious Silver Oak style, transferring it to American oak barrels from Silver Oak’s own cooperage and aging it for 24 months, yielding a lush, concentrated Cab with well-integrated tannins that’s ready to drink upon release and built to cellar for decades.
Gaining “a legion of cult-like fans for nearly 40 years with a consistent, drinkable style” according to the Wine Spectator’s James Laube, Silver Oak collectors and lovers of smooth, age worthy California Cabs won’t need convincing to stock up on the smooth and satisfying 2019 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon, reflecting its 50 year quality legacy and promising pleasurable drinking at value pricing that makes it easy to pull the cork more often. |