Silver Oak is the standard bearer for Napa Valley Cab and has been for decades. For this, their Napa Valley bottling they source grapes from throughout Napa Valley. The exceptional 2016 vintage offered an array of well-developed fruit with long hangtime, complex flavors and good balanced acidity.
This 2016 is a blend of 78.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 3.5% Cabernet Franc, 2.3% Petit Verdot and 0.3% Malbec. Blending before barrel aging—a signature of their winemaking style—allows blends to be based on the inherent qualities of their vineyard components before oak influence. Vintage to vintage, the resulting Cabernets emerge integrated and ready to drink upon release.
The final blend was transferred to American oak barrels from their own cooperage, The Oak, where it aged for 24 months. Of these barrels, 84% were new. The 2016 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is an opulent wine with notes of cassis, ripe raspberry, toasted coconut and shiitake mushroom. This wine has a rich entry, depth through the mid-palate, great structure without being heavy and exceptional length on the finish. Fresh cherry flavors balanced with floral notes and a subtle hint of black pepper add a beautiful complexity. Plush tannins lend to its age worthiness. Given proper cellaring conditions, this wine will show beautifully through 2040.