2014 Silver Oak Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley (6 L) 6000 ml

New Allocation and Q&A with a Next-Generation Duncan of Silver Oak

After a day-long visit with Matt Duncan at his family’s Silver Oak property in Alexander Valley, we returned to Wine Access HQ with a recording of our interview with Matt, and a newly-minted allocation of the 2014 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

A handful of cases to the fastest among you. First, hit “buy,” and then enjoy our interview with Matt, the grandson of the co-founder, Ray Duncan. If you want to know what makes Alexander Valley Silver Oak so special, read what Matt Duncan has to say.

Wine Access: Describe Silver Oak Cabernet grown in Alexander Valley versus your Napa Valley bottling. How do they differ?

Matt Duncan: I guess the main differences are driven by climate: the Alexander Valley is cooler in general. You get a different aesthetic that results from those wines so I always think the Alexander Valley aesthetic is prettier, brighter, more aromatic and absolutely over time that's what comes out in these bottles. The Napa Valley, at least for Silver Oak, is always a little darker, it's always a little plusher. Alexander Valley will always give you something very precise on your palate. Great tannic structure from grapes, so less new American oak

WA: Talk about how Alexander Valley plays into the history of Silver Oak.

MD: The first property my grandfather bought was here in Alexander Valley. And being out here, starting a farm and selling grapes—not necessarily to make wine—he met Justin Meyer, and that was right around the time he purchased the original Oakville property, which was a dairy farm at the time. Justin ended up helping him plant it. And it was Justin who came up with the idea of Silver Oak and started making wines. But it all started thanks to the started thanks to our Alexander Valley vineyards, and a chance meeting with Justin.

WA: Who came up with the name Silver Oak?

MD: Ray, was still living in Colorado when Justin and his wife Bonny called him up one day to say they had a name for the winery. ‘We want to call the wine Silver Oak,’  they told him. And my grandad gave this long pause. ‘I thought we were using our names!’ he replied. And in fact, that was the plan. We still have originally mocked up labels that call the winery Duncan-Meyer! But anyway, my grandad was adamant and asked, ‘What is Silver Oak?’ And Justin explained it that it was a combination of the location of the winery (off the Silverado Trail) and it's in Oakville. After another long pause, Ray said, ‘If we call it Silver Oak nobody's gonna drink our wine. Nobody knows what Silver Oak is!’ Then, Justin’s wife Bonny grabbed the phone and said, ‘Listen, Ray, if you have a better idea for us, you call us back in an hour.’ Ray didn’t call back. The rest is history.

WA: Thinking about this 2014 release, what would you say is the sweet spot for the Alexander Valley Cabernet? Especially for those who have bottles in the cellar?

MD: At 20 years it is just a beautiful time for the Alexander Valley Cabernet—no matter whether it's a warm vintage, cool vintage, wet vintage, dry vintage, you're really assured to get those aromas that I think are so attractive.They’ll keep 20 to 30 years if stored properly. Two years ago, we tasted the 1973 out of magnum, our second vintage, and for that to still be drinking 45 years later...it was beautiful!

WA: What would you say is uniquely Silver Oak?

MD: Silver Oak is pretty rare in only using American oak, we are absolutely rare in making all those barrels ourselves. Our decision to stick with American Oak is owed to Justin who simply liked the flavors that they imparted to the wine better than all the different kinds of barrels he used while at Christian Brothers—you know, making 30 different wines for 15 years! The softness of those tannins was what really drew him to American Oak and then all the vanilla notes and broad, expansive textures and flavor implications you get from those barrels.

WA: Why do you wait to release your wines?

MD: That goes back to Justin, who was convinced the wines weren’t ready to drink young, and needed time in the bottle. Today, about four years is perfect for the Alexander Valley Cabernet, which is why the 2014 Alexander Valley is our current release. We know not everyone has the patience or physical space to age wines, so we’ve done the work for you.

WA: Was it a given that you’d work for the family business?  

Six months after graduating from college it dawned on me that I wanted to learn the family business. I came home and I wrote a cover letter and handed my dad a resumé, saying I’d like to come to join the wine business. So, my uncle and dad, feeling it was important to learn all the key roles within the winery, offered me a spot on the bottling line, bottling the 2010 vintage back in 2013. So for 10 weeks, I prepared the bottles for the bottling line and I stacked pallets, and I checked the glue machine for the labels—got burned only once!