Sunday, February 2, 2019, was not only the day before Super Bowl Sunday, it was also the day of a Silver Oak release party in Oakville California. The long-awaited day was for the official release of the Silver Oak 2014 Napa Valley Cabernet.

The day itself was rainy with periodic downpours that flooded the vineyards.

But the rain did little to dampen the enthusiasm among the throngs of Silver Oak fans. The event was housed in the winery and in several surrounding tents where one could find food, wine and music. The winery itself was the site of Silver Oak memorabilia and complimentary pictures in front of the winery’s fermentation tanks. In addition to being able to take home a Silver Oaks glass, you could also have your picture taken.

Food

The food consisted of small bites from five prominent Bay Area restaurants as well as Silver Oak chefs:

• Rich Table’s Porcini donuts
• Charter Oak’s potato tostones
• Park Tavern’s smoked deviled eggs
• Mustard Grill’s grilled hanger steak
• La Toque’s Asturian (from Northern Spain) bean stew which was perfect for the damp weather.
• Silver Oak’s Aged Gouda Arancini with short ribs

Entertainment

People were dancing and foot-tapping to music in multiple areas. The music was a range of tunes from the ‘60s through the 2000s. And if you didn’t want to dance, foot-tap or sway to the music, you could watch barrel making.

Silver Oak Cabernet

While the food and music were good (despite the rain and flooded fallow vineyards) everybody was there for another, more serious purpose—to sample the 2014 Napa Valley Cabernet wine that had been aging patiently for three and a half years, awaiting its debut. The day began with a refreshing taste of grassy, grapefruit-like Sauvignon Blanc from Twomey Cellars, Silver Oak’s sister winery. From there, participants received four generous tastes of the star of the day: Silver Oak’s 2014 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

The wine is a blend with Cabernet (78%), Merlot (11.6%), Cabernet Franc (6.7%), Petite Verdot (2.1%) and Malbec (1.6%). The grapes, which thrived through a slightly hotter than normal growing season and a drought that was broken by perfectly-timed late February storms, produced a dark, purplish-colored with a nose of black cherry and tobacco and tastes of red cherry and vanilla. As is typical for Silver Oak Cabernets, the wine has soft tannins that make it suitable for immediate drinking, although the winery estimates that it can age for at least another 20 years.

While one blow-out Release Party per year suffices for most wineries, Silver Oak is just getting started. This party celebrated the release of the winery’s 2014 Napa Valley Cabernet. Its 2015 Alexander Valley Cabernet will make its debut at a release party scheduled for an August 3, 2019. Mark your calendars now for what should be another great time and the opportunity to be among the first to taste the new release.