Iconic winery’s Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ages slowly in American oak.
Celebrated Silver Oak releases only two wines each year, both primarily Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes for the Napa Valley wine, produced at the Oakville location, come from estate and other sources within the larger appellation. Fruit for the second wine comes from Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley. At tastings, you can ponder the idiosyncrasies of Silver Oak’s approach. The winery uses only American oak for its barrels, not French, unlike many of its counterparts, and after spending at least two years in barrel, the wine ages in bottle for more than a year. The 2021 Napa Valley Cabernet, which received scores in the mid-to-high 90s from leading critics, wasn’t released until February 2026.
Tastings
Silver Oak’s main hospitality space, constructed of stone from a 19th-century Kansas flour mill and completed in 2008, contains a glass-enclosed “library” of older vintages. The winery offers several tastings, starting with the Current Release Bar Tasting of the two current releases. During the Silver Oak Tasting, you can sample these two wines plus a library wine, and for a few dollars more, you can also tour the winery. A deeper dive, the Napa Valley Cabernet Vertical Tasting, includes a few older releases alongside the current one. The Chef’s Table at Silver Oak involves food pairings.
Silver Oak Trivia
Silver Oak’s name comes from its location near the Silverado Trail in Oakville.
How impressions (and prices) have changed since Silver Oak’s first review: “Unfortunately, Sliver Oak’s first vintage was 1972, one of the poorest Red wine vintages in the Napa Valley in the past decade. Even so, the ’72 Cabernet from Silver Oak is a very fine Claret, even if it is a bit overpriced at $6 per bottle.” The Napa Valley Cabernet’s current edition sells for nearly 30 times that price.
Silver Oak’s website has more information about the winery’s history and evolution.
Why go: celebrated winery; vertical tasting experience.
Stories
Silver Oak appears in 10 Foolproof Napa Valley Cabernet Tasting Experiences.
Info
915 Oakville Cross Rd., Oakville 94562
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This story originally appeared online in 2017; it was most recently updated in 2026.
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