SILVER OAK

‘When released, the first vintage, from mostly Alexander Valley grapes, sold for $6 a bottle – the first review called it “overpriced”’

At Silver Oak’s sleek new environmentally friendly and energy-efficient winery in Sonoma, floor-to-ceiling windows frame long views of green vineyards and rolling mountains. Looking out, I breathe in the filtered air and reflect on the virtues of sustainable building – the salvaged redwood siding from old wine tanks, the roof’s solar panels, the recycled water, the huge basalt rock in the circular wine library.

This modern, eco-conscious, barn-like Alexander Valley winery, which opened in 2018, is a step into the future for Silver Oak, a nearly 50-year-old California wine name dedicated to Cabernet Sauvignon, but with a surprising twist.

For decades, Silver Oak has been doing something unusual in northern California: making two parallel high-end Cabernets, one