Special Wines for Special Occasions...Silver Oak

Tom Walsh, VIP Tour Program Director, explaining Silver Oak's fruit and processes

The last day of our 4 day wine tour, Taste of Wine and Food (TOWAF), was able to visit Silver Oak Napa Valley and were in the great hands of Tom Walsh, VIP Tour Program Manager. Tom is a wealth of knowledge and knows everything about Silver Oak. He mentioned that Silver Oak is special wine for special occasions and I could not agree more. Their Cabernet Sauvignons made them legendary.  The 2013 (current) vintage comes from either Alexander Valley or Napa Valley. Both are aged for 2 years in the barrel. Silver Oak is fairly unique in that they blend the wine and then age in American Oak only with pumping every 3 months, whereas, most wineries age in French Oak and then blend. Keep up the great work Nate Weis (the 3rd wine maker in Silver Oak's 42 year history). Their two Cab Savs 2013, Alexander Valley ($75) 15 months in the bottle and Napa Valley ($125) 24 months in the bottle, both benefit from Silver Oak's berry sensory analysis that includes 8 tests - TOWAF sampled both. Of note is Silver Oak's commitment to the environment. They are rated a Platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the 1st in the world. Throughout the property one saw solar panels and learned about how they conserve water to be good stewards of the environment. In addition to the 2013 Cab Savs, Tom spoiled us with a library 2007 Napa Valley Cab Sav. Tom noted that Silver Oak's goal is to achieve 14% or less alcohol so that the wines are smooth when released, but equally good if not better when laid down. 
Great visit and wines!

Thank you Tom for your time and hospitality.  
#tasteofwineandfood#ricotowaf #franktowaf #silveroak