Silver Oak Alexander Valley

Silver Oak was co-founded in 1972 by Ray Twomey Duncan, a Colorado entrepreneur, and Justin Meyer, a Christian Brothers-trained winemaker, out of a Napa Valley dairy barn. Its Alexander Valley roots predate the winery: in 1970 Ray Duncan bought his first land in Sonoma County's Alexander Valley, the 100-acre Los Amigos Vineyard, in partnership with Jack Novak. The first seven vintages of Silver Oak were grown at Los Amigos Vineyard rather than in Napa Valley. The Alexander Valley AVA was established in 1984, and Justin Meyer, as told to Wine Spectator, said Silver Oak was “one of the first to come out with the Alexander Valley Cabernet.” After selecting Daniel Baron to succeed him as winemaker in 1994, Meyer retired and sold his share of Silver Oak to the Duncan family in 2001; Ray's sons, David and Tim Duncan, own and operate the winery to this day.

• Co-founded in 1972 by Ray Twomey Duncan and Justin Meyer
• Los Amigos Vineyard (100 acres) in Alexander Valley bought in 1970 with Jack Novak
• Alexander Valley AVA established in 1984
• Justin Meyer sold his share to the Duncan family in 2001

David R. Duncan is Proprietor and Executive Chairman, Tim Duncan is Proprietor and Chief Revenue Officer, Jared Fix is Chief Executive Officer, Tony LeBlanc is President, Justin Hirigoyen is Vice President of Winegrowing, Laura Oskwarek is Director of Winemaking and Dan Kemp is Winemaker, Alexander Valley. Silver Oak has had four winemakers: Justin Meyer (1972-2001), Daniel Baron (1994-2016), Nate Weis (2014-2025) and Laura Oskwarek (2025-present). Former Alexander Valley winemaker Christiane Schleussner pioneered the “dry soak” cork-screening method with a team of researchers from Cork Supply USA.

• Laura Oskwarek became Silver Oak's fourth winemaker in 2025
• Dan Kemp: Winemaker, Alexander Valley
• Jared Fix: Chief Executive Officer
• David R. Duncan and Tim Duncan: Proprietors

In 1992 Silver Oak opened a winery at Geyserville to split its Napa Valley and Alexander Valley production; the building was originally a white wine facility. Silver Oak made its Alexander Valley wines there until 2016. In 2012 Silver Oak acquired a 110-acre Alexander Valley vineyard property, and in 2015 it broke ground there on a new winery. That winery, in Healdsburg, was completed in 2018 and received LEED Platinum certification for Building Design and Construction (BD+C) in 2018; it was fully certified under the Living Building Challenge in 2020. Its 2,595 solar panels generate 105% of the energy the winery consumes, and a Membrane Bioreactor treats 100% of the water from the cellar, reducing potable water needs by 37%.

• 1992: Geyserville winery opens
• 2012: 110-acre Alexander Valley vineyard property acquired
• 2018: Healdsburg winery completed and certified LEED Platinum (BD+C)
• Address: 7300 California 128, Healdsburg, CA 95448

Silver Oak farms more than 400 acres of vines in Napa Valley and Alexander Valley. The Alexander Valley Estate Vineyard surrounds the Alexander Valley winery near the southern end of the AVA, on benchland rising to between 230 and 300 feet; acquired in 2012 and completely replanted in 2012, 2013 and 2014, it is a building block of the Alexander Valley blend. Miraval Vineyard, purchased in 1987 and planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, sits on a bench above the Russian River at 200 to 350 feet and is divided into six blocks. Red Tail Vineyard, purchased in 1988 and replanted with Cabernet Sauvignon in three sections in 1996, 2000 and 2003, lies at the southern end of the AVA at 320 to 440 feet. Crazy Creek Vineyard was acquired by the Duncan family in 2016, replanted in 2017 and 2018, and is divided into eleven blocks; it is the site of a clonal trial of five Cabernet Sauvignon clones. Big River Vineyard, directly east of Fitch Mountain near Healdsburg, was acquired in 2017 and replanted to Cabernet Sauvignon and three acres of Petit Verdot. Red Tail is a 67-acre property and Big River a 68-acre property. About 75% of the grapes in Silver Oak's wines come from vineyards it owns, and its Alexander Valley growers include Woodhawk Vineyards, owned by Michael and Kara Busselen.

• Alexander Valley Estate Vineyard: acquired 2012, replanted 2012 to 2014
• Miraval Vineyard: purchased 1987
• Red Tail Vineyard: purchased 1988
• Crazy Creek Vineyard: acquired 2016
• Big River Vineyard: acquired 2017

The current Alexander Valley release is the 2022 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, listed at $90. It is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Merlot at 14.6% alcohol; after blending in early 2023 it aged 24 months in American oak barrels from Silver Oak's cooperage, The Oak. The 2022 is also offered in 1.5L Magnum, 3L and 6L formats, and the lineup also includes a 2025 Silver Oak Sauvignon Blanc. The Alexander Valley release day is the first Saturday in August at Silver Oak Alexander Valley.

• 2022 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: $90
• Blend: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, 1% Merlot
• Alcohol: 14.6%
• Aged 24 months in American oak from The Oak cooperage

Silver Oak's Cabernet Sauvignon is aged exclusively in 100% American oak. In 2015 it fully acquired The Oak, an American oak cooperage in Higbee, Missouri. Silver Oak blends its wine lots before barrel aging, a practice former winemaker Daniel Baron called “marriage in a barrel,” and allows its wines nearly five years of maturation in barrel and bottle. Silver Oak describes the Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, by comparison with its Napa Valley wine, as “more silken and lithe, flowingly structured with brighter berry fruit and high-toned spice.” Justin Meyer told Wine Spectator: “I began to really like that soft, velvety style of the Alexander over the more tannic Napa Cabernets.” The Napa Wine Project writes that the Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon tends to feature higher acidity and a softer texture, while the Napa Valley bottling is generally riper, more concentrated and more structured.

• Aged exclusively in American oak
• Own cooperage, The Oak, in Higbee, Missouri, fully acquired in 2015
• Blended before barrel aging
• Nearly five years of maturation in barrel and bottle

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://silveroak.com/, https://silveroak.com/pages/our-story, https://silveroak.com/pages/history, https://silveroak.com/pages/history-chapter-2, https://silveroak.com/pages/history-chapter-3, https://silveroak.com/pages/history-chapter-5, https://silveroak.com/pages/about, https://silveroak.com/pages/team, https://silveroak.com/pages/vineyards, https://silveroak.com/pages/grapegrowing, https://silveroak.com/pages/winemaking, https://silveroak.com/pages/american-oak, https://silveroak.com/pages/sustainability, https://silveroak.com/pages/visit-alexander-valley, https://silveroak.com/collections/silver-oak-wine, https://silveroak.com/products/2022-alexander-valley-cabernet-sauvignon-750ml. Secondary source: The Napa Wine Project (https://www.napawineproject.com/silver-oak-cellars/). Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs. Last verified 2026-10-12