Impressive and Delicious: 2017 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Napa Cabernet. Is there any U.S. wine more universally prized? (Rhetorical question, right?) Among the wineries responsible for pioneering Napa Cab’s rightly earned iconic reputation is Silver Oak. It's a California winery that’s iconicitself, so says Wine Enthusiast and so do we. Established in 1972, the winery has primarily focused on Cabernet Sauvignon since its inception.
You know the saying “practice makes perfect?” Think of Silver Oak’s concentration on Cabernet as decades of practice. The 2017 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon is the culmination of 45 years of laser focus on California’s Kingand the way it gains nuance and personality when blended with precise amounts of other Bordeaux varieties.
As Washington Post wine columnist Dave McIntyre recently observed, Silver Oak helped define what California wine is, and we’d add that it specifically helped define what California Cabernet is.
From fruit grown in the volcanic soils of its Oakville Soda Canyon Ranch Vineyard, winemaker Nate Weis blends each vintage before aging in American oak from the winery’s own cooperage. This allows the wine to be based on the inherent qualities of their Napa vineyard components before any oak influences it.
This precise blend of 80.8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.6% Merlot, 2.9% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc, and 0.7% Malbec has notes of blackberry, blueberry, spice, cedar, and coffee. It’s plush with integrated tannins and a long finish that reminds you this is one of Napa’s finest.
James Suckling, who praised the wine with 96 points, says it has “finesse and clarity” and that the 2017 is “really impressive and delicious.It’s a joy to drink now, but can age.” We agree and anticipate this wine will still be singing 20 years from now.
Our price on this iconic Napa Cab sings, too. Over $70 off, the Silver Oak Napa California Cabernet is just $129.99, an incredible discount on wine of this quality and pedigree. As with all our Napa Cabs from wineries that have earned their excellent reputation, this wine will go fast. Do not hesitate if you know you must have it.
