WCI back to share the memories of Napa…

We turned left off Silverado Trail onto the Oakville Crossroad, and just a few hundred yards down on the left was one of the iconic wineries in my mind, and many others, apparently.

Silver Oak Cellars, where “Life is a Cabernet,” and every wine would be red if it could… www.silveroak.com

My first glass of great wine was a glass of Silver Oak, care of Bob Kolberg, who managed the vineyards for Justin Meyer, the inimitable founder and icon of Silver Oak. It was then that I realized that wine really could be something pretty special. It had depth, fruit, character… all those words I’d read about (and I read a LOT!) but had never really tasted before.

We turned down the tree shaded lane, with the famous tower right there, just like on the label.

We parked, walked in, and I got my first “keeper” Silver Oak crystal Cabernet glass. (Yes, for a very reasonable tasting fee, you get to taste the wine, and you get to keep to the glass, too!)

We dwelled for what seemed like hours, and even got to chat to Justin himself. We tasted the current release (the famous 1994 Alexander Valley) and even got to taste the Meyer Family Port, a 100% Cabernet-based port style wine. I walked out of there with a 1/2 case of the ‘84, and another 1/2 case of the port, and I was even more committed to “America’s Favorite Cab.”

I also joined the wine club, which is a bit different than many others; Silver Oak only makes two wines a year, the Alexander Valley Cab (Silver label), and the Napa Valley Cab (black label), which are released at different times each year. Every year, I get my announcement and get to order my allotment, and it is one of the highlights of my wine year. I have even given extra bottles away as Christmas gifts, and I must say, they are some of the best-received gifts I have ever given.

I still have 1 bottle of the ‘94, kept for the past 14 years (well, 11 by me, as Silver Oak always spends three years in the barrel before release) for the perfect special occasion; likely my 10th anniversary, which is coming up in the next year or two.

After Silver Oak, we headed basically across the street to another fine, fine winery, Groth Cellars (www.grothwines.com) where we sampled some of their wonderful products, including their Reserve Cab, and a great Merlot, purchasing both, of course.

What a day, and we were barely at 1:30 p.m.!

What’s next? Hmmm… how about Opus One? Okay! See you tomorrow along the dusty wine roads!

Cheers,

WCI