Silver Oak began with a 1972 handshake between Raymond Twomey Duncan and Justin Meyer and one premise: Cabernet Sauvignon alone, aged in American oak and built to age. The 113-acre estate sits in Alexander Valley; the tasting room, rebuilt after a 2006 fire, frames the vineyard beneath the water tower.
Silver Oak's Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is one of California's most recognized wines — aged entirely in American oak, a deliberate choice that produces a style of unmistakable richness and approachability that has made the winery one of the most collected in the state. The Alexander Valley bottling is the more immediately accessible of the two Silver Oak Cabernets (the Napa following a similar philosophy at a higher price point), and it remains a reliable and enjoyable expression of warm-climate Sonoma Cabernet done at scale.
Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon — The wine that started it all in 1972; silken and bright-fruited, aged exclusively in American oak and bottle-aged for drinkability on release.
Silver Oak makes only Cabernet Sauvignon. Founded in 1972 by Ray Duncan and Justin Meyer, it ages every wine in American oak from its own Missouri cooperage, and its Alexander Valley bottling — a Cabernet-dominant blend with small amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot — is a restaurant-list staple crafted at a LEED Platinum winery in Geyserville.
The Silver Oak story began with a handshake between Raymond Twomey Duncan and Justin Meyer in 1972 and a single bold premise: one varietal, Cabernet Sauvignon, aged exclusively in American oak and built to drink well for decades. The Alexander Valley project came shortly after, and today the 113-acre estate produces the Alexander Valley Cabernet — a more approachable, fruit-forward counterpart to the Napa bottling. The tasting room, rebuilt after a 2006 fire, was designed to “frame the vineyard,” and the architecture delivers: walls of glass look directly out across 75 acres of Cabernet. Walk-ins are welcome for small parties at the bar; curated flights, seated tastings, and wine-and-food pairings require a reservation. The iconic Silver Oak water tower still stands beside the building, unchanged.
Laura Oskwarek is Director of Winemaking at Silver Oak Cellars — just the fourth winemaker in the celebrated Cabernet house's 50-plus-year history, following founder Justin Meyer, Daniel Baron, and Nate Weis, and overseeing both the Alexander Valley and Napa Valley wineries. A Connecticut native with biology and chemistry degrees and a UC Davis master's in enology and viticulture, she joined Silver Oak and Twomey in 2009 as an enologist and rose through associate and production winemaker roles to lead Napa winemaking in 2020 before her 2025 promotion. She carries forward Silver Oak's singular focus: Cabernet Sauvignon aged in American oak and released ready to drink, drawn from more than 400 acres of estate vineyards.
Silver Oak began with a handshake in 1972 between Ray Twomey Duncan, a Colorado entrepreneur who had started buying California vineyard land, and Justin Meyer, a Christian Brothers–trained winemaker. From an old Oakville dairy barn they launched a then-radical idea: a winery devoted to a single wine — Cabernet Sauvignon, aged exclusively in American oak and built to cellar for decades. Their first vintage was just a thousand cases, grown in Alexander Valley. Meyer made the wine and Duncan ran the business until Meyer’s retirement; today Ray’s sons David and Tim Duncan own and operate Silver Oak.
Update your editorial to go live.
UpdateReview your current editorial on the left. Submit changes in the matching fields on the right — leave any field blank if no change is needed.
1. Update one section at a time using its SEND button.
2. Each SEND creates a provisional draft — your live page is not updated yet.
3. Complete the final submission at the bottom to approve and publish.
Your editorial page and submission form are always accessible through this page — and only to you. Update anytime.
Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon — The wine that started it all in 1972; silken and bright-fruited, aged exclusively in American oak and bottle-aged for drinkability on release.
Silver Oak makes only Cabernet Sauvignon. Founded in 1972 by Ray Duncan and Justin Meyer, it ages every wine in American oak from its own Missouri cooperage, and its Alexander Valley bottling — a Cabernet-dominant blend with small amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot — is a restaurant-list staple crafted at a LEED Platinum winery in Geyserville.
Silver Oak's Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is one of California's most recognized wines — aged entirely in American oak, a deliberate choice that produces a style of unmistakable richness and approachability that has made the winery one of the most collected in the state. The Alexander Valley bottling is the more immediately accessible of the two Silver Oak Cabernets (the Napa following a similar philosophy at a higher price point), and it remains a reliable and enjoyable expression of warm-climate Sonoma Cabernet done at scale.
The Silver Oak story began with a handshake between Raymond Twomey Duncan and Justin Meyer in 1972 and a single bold premise: one varietal, Cabernet Sauvignon, aged exclusively in American oak and built to drink well for decades. The Alexander Valley project came shortly after, and today the 113-acre estate produces the Alexander Valley Cabernet — a more approachable, fruit-forward counterpart to the Napa bottling. The tasting room, rebuilt after a 2006 fire, was designed to “frame the vineyard,” and the architecture delivers: walls of glass look directly out across 75 acres of Cabernet. Walk-ins are welcome for small parties at the bar; curated flights, seated tastings, and wine-and-food pairings require a reservation. The iconic Silver Oak water tower still stands beside the building, unchanged.
Laura Oskwarek is Director of Winemaking at Silver Oak Cellars — just the fourth winemaker in the celebrated Cabernet house's 50-plus-year history, following founder Justin Meyer, Daniel Baron, and Nate Weis, and overseeing both the Alexander Valley and Napa Valley wineries. A Connecticut native with biology and chemistry degrees and a UC Davis master's in enology and viticulture, she joined Silver Oak and Twomey in 2009 as an enologist and rose through associate and production winemaker roles to lead Napa winemaking in 2020 before her 2025 promotion. She carries forward Silver Oak's singular focus: Cabernet Sauvignon aged in American oak and released ready to drink, drawn from more than 400 acres of estate vineyards.
Silver Oak began with a handshake in 1972 between Ray Twomey Duncan, a Colorado entrepreneur who had started buying California vineyard land, and Justin Meyer, a Christian Brothers–trained winemaker. From an old Oakville dairy barn they launched a then-radical idea: a winery devoted to a single wine — Cabernet Sauvignon, aged exclusively in American oak and built to cellar for decades. Their first vintage was just a thousand cases, grown in Alexander Valley. Meyer made the wine and Duncan ran the business until Meyer’s retirement; today Ray’s sons David and Tim Duncan own and operate Silver Oak.
Please submit your images separately — they're handled by a different department and will be processed alongside your editorial update.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form
