Life is a Cabernet. Summer 2011

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Benedict Francis
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Summer 2011 Life is a Cabernet New Release - 2007 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Did You Know?

1 Summer 2011 Life is a Cabernet New Release Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Did You Know? Fun Facts Every Silver Oak Lover Should Know Recipe from Chef Dominic Wood Burning Oven Pizza (Without a wood burning oven!) Vineyard Poster Inside!

2 Dear Friends, Thinking long term seems to be one of those things in life that has become something you must consciously slow down and do. With all the technology we have today, where anything you want to know about, anyone you have ever met and anything you might want to do is only a few clicks or finger taps away, we invite you to slow down a moment and think long term with us. Recently, I was at a Silver Oak wine dinner where a guest told me, I did not know Silver Oak was family owned. I replied that not only are we family owned, we have always been owned by the same family. This made me reflect on the Duncan Family s long term thinking and what it takes to make an exceptional bottle of wine. At Silver Oak, it is what we do. We are in the beginning stages of planning to replant our flagship vineyard in Alexander Valley, Miraval. A slow but steady plan has been put together to ensure our supply of fruit from this vineyard during this normal renewal process in a vineyard s life. We will be finished with this project in 2027! Now, that is long term. Slightly nearer long term planning is underway for 2012, the 40th anniversary year of our founding, We are planning some very special events to celebrate this milestone including a limited commemorative bottle, a celebration of our history and a very special Release Day in August Keep up with details through our mailing list and our (soon to be completely new) website. This release is our very much anticipated 2007 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. We are excited! This exceptional vintage, paired with our enduring Silver Oak style, makes for a beautiful wine that we know you will enjoy for many years to come, so think long term. True to our style, and our unique aging, this wine is ready to drink now, but will be beautiful in your cellar for many years to come. We encourage you to visit either winery and enjoy a vertical tasting or peruse our library list, and buy an older vintage that is special to you. We have a deep cellar of older vintages so you can experience long term, any time. In this newsletter you will find some fun and informative facts about Silver Oak maybe even a few things you did not know! We feature a special piece on Madeleine Mazzaferro, our VIP sales specialist. We like to think of Mad as the one with the key to the cellar. Chef Dominic shares a special recipe from our wood burning oven and has modified it so you can prepare it without a wood burning oven. You will also read everything you want to know about our 2007 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, without tasting it for yourself, that is! We are so fortunate to be the stewards of Silver Oak, to carry on the beautiful traditions and values established by our founders, to use our history as the foundation of excellence we strive for in the future and to enjoy the many, many friendships we have formed over many years of producing our wine. We hope you will enjoy a glass with friends, with your meal, for special occasions, or to make that occasion special. Luckily, this is not something that can be reached with a short cut. Slow down and enjoy a glass of 2007 Alexander Valley Cabernet, and think long term. The Duncan Family

3 Miraval Vineyard, Alexander Valley

1 Did You Know? SILVER OAK WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1972.

producing only the finest Cabernet Sauvignon.

Today we make two wines; our Napa Valley and Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignons.

Silver Oak is Family Owned always has been.

Today, Ray Duncan s sons, David and Tim, serve as our President & CEO and Executive

We age our wines exclusively in American oak barrels.

perfectly suited for our wines. We craft wines to be drinkable upon release.

5 1 Did You Know? SILVER OAK WAS ESTABLISHED IN Silver Oak was founded by Ray Duncan and Justin Meyer in 1972 with a dedication to producing only the finest Cabernet Sauvignon. Our first vintage was our 1972 Silver Oak North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon. Today we make two wines; our Napa Valley and Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignons. 2 3 Silver Oak is dedicated to producing one varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon. Silver Oak is Family Owned always has been. Silver Oak has always been a family owned winery. Today, Ray Duncan s sons, David and Tim, serve as our President & CEO and Executive Vice President, respectively. 4 5 We age our wines in American oak Barrels. We age our wines exclusively in American oak barrels. American oak imparts a beautiful vanilla character and less tannin, resulting in wines that are soft and smooth. We work with our partner A&K Cooperage in Higbee, Missouri, to craft barrels perfectly suited for our wines. We craft wines to be drinkable upon release. Our wines are crafted to be deliciously drinkable from the day they are released so you can enjoy them at your table with friends and family. After our wines are barrel-aged for 25 months they are bottle-aged for an additional 15 to 20 months. This extended aging allows the wine to come into perfect balance resulting in a wine that is drinkable upon release.

6 7 The grapes for our wines are sourced from our vineyards and vineyards of select growers.

grapes grown by a small group of carefully selected independent growers with whom we have long-term relationships.

choose the best of the best each vintage.

The origin of our name Silver Oak comes from our location.

Put the two together, you have Silver Oak! 8 9 The Silver Oak water tower is a symbol of respect for California farming.

The turret on Chateau Latour s label reminded Ray and Justin of these symbolic California landmarks and inspired them to

We have two wineries to make two wines: one in Napa Valley and one in Alexander Valley.

However, many are surprised to hear that we have a separate winery in Alexander Valley where we produce our Alexander Valley

6 6 7 The grapes for our wines are sourced from our vineyards and vineyards of select growers. Both our Napa Valley and Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignons are created using fruit from our own estate vineyards as well as grapes grown by a small group of carefully selected independent growers with whom we have long-term relationships. Working with growers throughout each appellation gives our winemaking team access to a broad palette of flavors and allows us to choose the best of the best each vintage. About 50% of the grapes we use come from our vineyards and 50% come from vineyards of select growers. The origin of our name Silver Oak comes from our location. Our Oakville Winery is situated halfway between a stretch of road called the Silverado Trail and the town of Oakville. Put the two together, you have Silver Oak! 8 9 The Silver Oak water tower is a symbol of respect for California farming. Water towers are prevalent throughout agriculturally rich areas in California, including Napa Valley. The turret on Chateau Latour s label reminded Ray and Justin of these symbolic California landmarks and inspired them to incorporate a water tower into the Silver Oak label. This was their way of paying homage to California farming. We have two wineries to make two wines: one in Napa Valley and one in Alexander Valley. Many people are familiar with our Oakville winery in Napa Valley where we craft our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. However, many are surprised to hear that we have a separate winery in Alexander Valley where we produce our Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. 10 The Duncan Family founded Twomey Cellars. In 1999, the Duncan Family founded Twomey Cellars with the same philosophy that Ray and Justin established for Silver Oak: create food-friendly wine that is deliciously drinkable upon release. Like Silver Oak, we have two Twomey wineries, one in Calistoga devoted to Merlot and one in Russian River Valley designed for Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. This enables us to work small, focus on quality and carry out our mission of making handcrafted wines.

Release Day - 2007 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Saturday, August 6, 2011 Release Day Date: Saturday, August 6, 2011 Time: 9am 3:30pm Napa Valley Winery 915 Oakville

com or contact us at 800.273.8809. TASTING NOTES: Our 2007 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a profound, fruit-driven wine from a great California vintage.

On the palate, the wine is rich and full, reminiscent of the flavors of a berry cobbler.

7 Release Day Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Saturday, August 6, 2011 Release Day Date: Saturday, August 6, 2011 Time: 9am 3:30pm Napa Valley Winery 915 Oakville Crossroad Oakville, CA Alexander Valley Winery Chianti Road Geyserville, CA For tickets and more information please visit our website at or contact us at TASTING NOTES: Our 2007 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a profound, fruit-driven wine from a great California vintage. It has a dark ruby color with a purple edge and an inviting nose of ripe black plum, blackberry, baking spices and soy sauce. On the palate, the wine is rich and full, reminiscent of the flavors of a berry cobbler. It has a long, fruity finish with fine grained tannins, and is a testament to exquisite ripeness at moderate alcohol. With proper cellaring, this wine should give drinking pleasure through ORDER INFO: Retail Price: $ 70 per 750 ml You can pre-order by filling out the enclosed form, calling us at or visiting us at

Employee Spotlight Madeleine Mazzaferro In an age of ATMs, automated answering services and the internet, it s increasingly rare to speak with an actual human when conducting a business transaction.

8 Employee Spotlight Madeleine Mazzaferro In an age of ATMs, automated answering services and the internet, it s increasingly rare to speak with an actual human when conducting a business transaction. Not at Silver Oak. We want people to call us, says Madeleine Mazzaferro, Silver Oak s VIP Sales Specialist and the human who s often on the other end of the phone when customers call. We love that personal connection. Pretty soon everyone at the winery knew that when a customer wanted something a little out of the ordinary, it was Ask Mad. It was 1995 when Madeleine, who talks to hundreds of Silver Oak s loyal customers every month, started working a few days a week in the winery s Alexander Valley tasting room. Though she d grown up in Sonoma County in a family that always had wine in the house (her mother was German), Madeleine never really pictured herself working for a winery. However, there was something different about Silver Oak. The Duncan family and Justin (Meyer) made such a point to include the tasting room employees we were always doing tastings and vineyard tours, we even pruned vines, says Madeleine, who also took viticulture and enology classes to supplement her newfound wine knowledge. We were fortunate they really wanted us to have a deep understanding of Silver Oak s philosophy and the wines. Gradually Madeleine s part time job morphed into a full time position, and along the way she developed a knack for something else: developing relationships with Silver Oak s customers. I tried to help when people were looking for older vintages, big bottles or maybe wines for gifts or special occasions, says Madeleine. Pretty soon everyone at the winery knew that when a customer wanted something a little out of the ordinary, it was Ask Mad. Over the years, Mad s relationships with Silver Oak customers have become more than business, they re personal. Like her friendship with Rachel and Elgin from Texas, who send her postcards (sometimes wine-stained) from all over the world telling her where they found Silver Oak, and what they had to drink when they couldn t. Or the fellow from Florida who called Madeleine to ask if Silver Oak had started using synthetic corks (it hadn t) because a bartender had tried to pass one off when he broke the real cork. (The red-faced bartender couldn t believe his customer s direct line to Silver Oak.) For Madeleine, it s all about listening to the customer. I love hearing their stories and getting to know them, she says, adding that one of her greatest pleasures is meeting customers at the winery after years of talking to them by phone. And I love to make them happy. It s amazing to me how much Silver Oak becomes part of their lives. With two almost-grown (19 and 21) sons, both of whom have worked various jobs at the winery, Madeleine is nothing but grateful that Silver Oak is a part of her life. I love my customers, and Daniel (Baron) and Ben (Cane) make my job so easy because they create such great wines, she says. And I love the Duncans they make us feel like part of the family.

9 Wood Burning Oven Pizza (Without a wood burning oven!) Heirloom Tomatoes, Basil & Fresh Mozzarella By Chef Dominic One of my favorite pieces of cooking equipment to use at the winery is our wood burning oven. Pizza from a wood burning oven is unlike any other. The dough is crispy on the outside and tender in the center. This recipe will help you create that wood burning oven effect on your pizza with your own kitchen oven. If you have any questions, please me at recipes@silveroak.com. Enjoy! Recipe Makes Two 12-inch Pizzas Dough 1 cup water, luke-warm 100 F 1 ¼ tsp instant yeast 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil 2 cups All Purpose flour, plus extra for dusting ½ cup cornstarch (4 ounces) 1 ½ tsp salt Topping 1 lb Heirloom or garden fresh tomatoes sea salt fresh cracked black pepper ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 8 ounces fresh mozzarella ¼ cup fresh basil extra olive oil to brush dough Equipment 1 pizza stone Instructions Making the Dough For best results, make the dough the day before. In a stand-up-mixer bowl add the water, yeast and olive oil. Let this mixture sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add the All Purpose flour, corn starch and salt. Using a mixer with a dough hook attachment, mix for 2 minutes. If the dough does not come together after this time dump out the contents onto a lightly floured work surface and knead the dough into a ball. Place back into the mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest for 1 hour in a warm place. After resting, place the dough onto a floured board and divide into two pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball, place onto a tray and brush with oil, then wrap with plastic and refrigerate overnight. Preparing The Pizza & Oven Remove the pizza dough from the refrigerator and store in a warm place until ready to make pizza. Place the pizza stone on the lowest rack position of the oven. Remove all other racks and preheat the oven to its highest setting, preferably 550 F, however, 500 F is adequate. While the oven may be hot within 20 minutes, the stone needs at least an hour to reach its full heat temperature. Preparing The Toppings Cut each tomato in half and squeeze out the seeds and juice. Now, rough chop the tomato flesh into bite size pieces and place into a separate bowl. Add some sea salt, black pepper, olive oil and ¼ cup of the tomato juice back to the chopped flesh. Mix very thoroughly. Thinly slice the fresh mozzarella and pat dry with paper towels. Shaping and Cooking the Pizza Dust one dough ball liberally with flour and transfer to well-floured pizza peel. Stretch out the dough to 12 inch diameter, then spread ½ of the chopped tomatoes over dough leaving ½ inch border around edge. Layer the mozzarella slices all over the pizza. Using your hands, press down on the mozzarella so that it sticks to the tomatoes. Slide the pizza into the oven and onto the stone. Immediately turn the oven to High broiler setting. Let the pizza bake for 5-6 minutes, then rotate the pizza around and continue to bake an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden. Depending on the strength of your oven s broil, watch the pizza very closely this whole time. The crust will begin to bubble and brown and may become black in some areas. That black bubbling is the signature of a wood burning oven style pizza. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with basil and brush the crust with olive oil. Cut into 6-8 pieces. Now repeat for the second pizza. Additional Topping Ideas Substitute roasted garlic paste for the tomato sauce, top with sautéed mushrooms and shredded mozzarella. Or another winery favorite is basil pesto with lamb sausage, crumbled goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes.

10 915 Oakville Crossroad, Oakville, CA

Winter Life is a Cabernet

Winter Life is a Cabernet Winter 2011 Life is a Cabernet New Release - 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Winemaking Philosophy - Grower Partnerships Three Course Menu from Chef Dominic Important Dates in 2011 Dear Friends, As