A 6-Bottle case of 2003 Silver Oak "Napa" Cabernet $590.00
The 2003 Silver Oak "Napa Valley" Cabernet will be released the first
week of February. On that frosty morning, scores of S-O fans will
line up at the gates of both the Napa and Sonoma facilities for their
opportunity to purchase their restricted allocation of six bottles of
this extremely collectable wine. (See photos of previous release days
at www.silveroak.com; I must admit that the participant's DO seem a
bit giddy as they huddle together to keep warm)
You on the other hand, being a comfort-conscious and erudite
individual, can accomplish the same thing simply by responding to this
E-alert!
One of America's most collectable Cabernets...
2003 marks the 32nd vintage of Silver Oak Cabernet (the 1972 Alexander
Valley was released in August of 1976 and made at Christian Brothers).
I have been both fortunate and humbled (within 4 locations) to have
been a reseller of the wines since the 1980 vintage, I believe this
allows me to attest that S-O is one of California's most consistent
producer of world-class Cabernet, in league with Beaulieu Georges de
Latour, Caymus, Beringer Reserve, Mondavi Reserve, Joe Phelps and
Stag's Leap. As a matter of fact, the Wine Spectator ranks Silver Oak
as #32 of the "Top 50 Napa Cabernets".
Oh Brother! (Where art thou?)
Silver Oak was established in 1972 by (then) Christian Brother Justin
Meyer (the order's winemaker at that time) and Ray Duncan (interesting
side note, actor Peter Boyle was also a Christian Brother during a
portion of Justin's 15 year service to his calling. Meyer agreed to
co-found S-O providing he be allowed to create a facility which would
elevate the quality of California winemaking to unprecedented levels.
Sadly, Justin passed away in August of 2002 while vacationing with his
wife near Lake Tahoe. Today, Silver Oak maintains Justin's vision and
dedication in producing delicious approachable AND age-able wines
which epitomize rich, supple fruit, fine balance and silky tannins
framed by signature coconut-infused oak.
Robert Parker rates Year 2003 "92" or "The Finest"...
*2003 was a challenging yet ultimately rewarding vintage for
California Cabernet producers who exercised patience and waited out a
September week of consecutive 100-plus degree temperatures. A second,
brief heat wave came in late September followed by a bolt of heat in
October. This schizophrenic behavior in the vineyards kept successful
Napa grape farmers on alert in their quest to achieve consistent
ripeness levels prior to harvest. Alison Doran (winemaker at John
Anthony Vineyards) noted that there were "lots of opportunities for
high-risk winemaking". (I snaked that quote from Jim Laube's 11/15/06
article on the 2003 vintage in the WS)
*Robert Parker rated the 2003 Silver Oak "Napa" on two occasions
(February and December of 2005, Advocates' #157 and #162), awarding
the wine "89-93" Points (or an average of "91"). I put both reviews
in the old "Vino-Prose Blendomatic" and turned the knob to "whirl".
Here is the homogenized result of my effort:
*2003 Silver Oak "Napa" Cabernet..."89, 90-93"..."The Napa Cabernet is
more limited in availability than the Alexander Valley. Production is
the largest yet for this wine which is a blend of 78% Cabernet
Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot which
possesses a sweet, jammy bouquet of black currants intermixed with
barbecue smoke, tobacco, espresso and herbs. It offers a sexy, fleshy
entry (and is) full-bodied, chewy and muscular with an inky dark
ruby/plum color and hints of wood smoke, tobacco, cinnamon, espresso
roast and herbs; this chewy, lavishly oaked wine should drink well for
10-12 years. (Release date, 2/2008)
Battle Stations! We are about to be Attacked (by wine)
*Silver Oak's Winemaker Daniel Baron describes his 2003 Napa in the
following paragraph: The wine displays a dark garnet color with a
deep purple edge and has aromas of blackberry jam, dark chocolate,
rose petal, black pepper and cedar. On the palate it offers a rich
attack of brown sugar and nutmeg, proceeding seamlessly to a long
finish of fruit and ripe tannins. Properly cellared, this wine should
give drinking pleasure until 2027.
We'll drive up to Silver Oak in a week or two (when they open the
doors to the trade during an evening tasting) and taste the 2003.
I'll be glad to provide my tasting notes afterwards.
*6-Bottle Case of 2003 Silver Oak "Napa" (the one with the painted
label) $590.00 Half case (3) $295.00
All Silver Oak ships after the first week in February.
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