Oakville, California ,or as more commonly known Oakville Crossing, is in the heart of NapaValley on the infamous Highway 29.Just east of the highway is Silver Oak Cellars, the “House that Cabernet built.”In the grand scheme of the wine business, it is considered a small winery, yet the philosophy and commitment to excellence of its founders, has placed Silver Oak Cellars firmly as a role model in modern day winemaking.

Founded in 1972 by Ray Duncan and the late Justin Meyer.Duncan, an Oil & Gas entrepreneur from Colorado, is clearly a visionary who saw opportunity and long term potential in the vineyards of NapaValley.Meyer, a former Winemaker at the Christian Brothers Winery (now Culinary Institute of America), brought to the partnership, experience and a tremendous knowledge of winemaking.History has proven though, more importantly, it was Meyer's desire to produce one wine, a single varietal, and do it in their own unique style that has played a significant role in the success of Silver Oak.

Silver Oak's commitment to quality begins with the core ingredient in making great wine, quality grapes.Four separate vineyards in AlexanderValley totaling nearly 200 acres and the Soda Canyon Vineyard in NapaValley consisting of 100 prime acres just south of the famed Stags Leap District form a solid foundation in fulfilling this need.The company is reaping the benefits of a well developed and managed expansion plan that began nearly twelve years ago.In addition to the wineries' own vineyards, Silver Oak began cultivating relationships with area growers many years ago.These relationships have produced long-term contracts with some of the premier vineyards in the region ensuring a consistent grape supply of the highest quality.

Justin Meyer's children have focused on other interests outside of the wine industry, so in January 2001, he sold his interest to the Duncan family.The growth of Silver Oak parallels the explosion of new wineries in California.In 1965, there were only 25 wineries in the entire state; now there are over 1100, which amount to almost half the wineries in the entire United States.

More than thirty years later, Silver Oak still only produces Cabernet Sauvignon, with separate bottling and labels for its Napa and AlexanderValley versions.Justin Meyer's commitment to excellence and legacy is continued in the hands of current winemaker Daniel Baron, who faces the daily challenge of creating outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon that lives up to the Silver Oak standards and reputation of his predecessor.Just a single taste of the 2000 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is overwhelming assurance that Silver Oak is still dedicated to producing one of the finest Cabernet Sauvignons in the world.As part of a formal expansion plan established years ago, Silver Oak is in the process of increasing its capacity in the years to come.The current production of approximately 47,000 cases of Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, with a suggested retail price of $60 a bottle, and approximately 18,000 cases of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, with a suggested retail of $100 a bottle, will possibly increase in the near future to 70,000 and 27,000 cases respectively.

The Duncan Family's love of winemaking brought forth the desire to expand beyond Cabernet Sauvignon.With their Soda Canyon Vineyard producing an abundance of high quality Merlot grapes, the progression seemed natural.The family's commitment to the founding philosophy of a winery producing just a single varietal and doing it well is evident in the founding of Twomey Cellars, a completely separate winery producing world class Merlot utilizing Old World methods.Twomey is Ray Duncan's mother's maiden name.

The Duncan Family's business entities are truly a family affair.In addition to the wineries and vineyards, the family has holdings in the oil and gas industry, a buffalo ranch, with each of Duncan's four sons playing significant roles in their operation.The oldest son, Mike, manages the buffalo ranch; Kevin plays a significant role in the family businesses centralized in Colorado; Tim is Vice-President of Sales at Silver Oak; and the youngest son, David, is General Manager of Silver Oak Cellars.

Whether you're a long time Thomas Arvid fan or are just newly discovering his work, it doesn't take long to realize that the “Flagship” of his portfolio is Silver Oak.The California winery's Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is featured on more of Arvid's work than any other wine. Convinced that Silver Oak must have commissioned all those paintings, I asked Thomas why Silver Oak was featured in so much of his work.Once you get to know Thomas Arvid, the reason for this is clearly evident, but I had just met him and I had to ask.Thomas described a close personal relationship that most people reserve for family, one that naturally evolved over the years.The driving force in the lives of both Arvid and Ray Duncan seems to be all about developing close personal relationships.So many times I have heard Thomas say “wine is about sharing and enjoying with friends.”A wonderful statement that truly defines the allure of wine and its enjoyment.Without a doubt, everyone at Silver Oak approaches each workday with the ongoing desire to produce the best Cabernet possible.A single winery can not possibly produce a product that every wine drinker would agree is the best.However, each and every bottle of their wine contains a little bit of the heart and soul of the people at Silver Oak, and that makes even a great Cabernet Sauvignon that much more enjoyable.

The relationships and commitment to family values continue beyond the vineyards, in the forming a partnership with a single cooperage to supply the wineries with the highest quality barrels made with American oak.The Missouri cooperage is able to ensure the quality of the barrels it provides and is like Silver Oak, a family-run business with their priority founded on producing the highest quality product possible.

Over the last thirty years, Silver Oak has consistently developed a loyal following of thousands of wine enthusiasts.During each of Silver Oak's release events held early February and late July each year, thousands of visitors from around the world converge on Oakville to be among the first to taste the new vintage.The close friendship between the Arvid and Duncan families gives Silver Oak's Release Days a festival-type atmosphere.These events give every wine lover the opportunity to be among the first to taste the new release.With food and live music, the event has become a tradition with many like Arvid, who wouldn't think of missing a single release day event.