Here’s another story of a family that followed a dream, went to California, crushed some grapes, and made good.  Ray Duncan wasn’t exactly tired of his gas and oil exploration business in Denver, but he let himself fall in love with the beauty of Napa Valley.  (Then again, who doesn’t?)  He didn’t know it, but he picked the perfect time to start making wine in the area, and you’ll see why in a second.  After looking around the valley for several years in the late 1960s, he offered Justin Meyer the opportunity to plant and manage his vineyards.  At the time, Justin was winemaker at the Christian Brothers.  Remember them?

Ray Duncan & Justin Meyer

Unlike many California wineries, the two men decided not to produce a full selection of varietals, but rather to concentrate on making only Cabernet Sauvignon.  The name of the winery doesn’t have a thing to do with trees or precious metals.  They called it Silver Oak because it was located halfway between Oakville and the Silverado Trail.

Silver Oak winery & characteristic water tower

The first wine, the Alexander Valley Cabernet, debuted in 1972.  It took the pair over seven years to plant and harvest the fruit for their hallmark Napa Valley Cabernet.

As we all know, the Judgment of Paris in 1976 put California wines front and center on the international stage.  Wines such as Stags Leap, Clos du Val, Heitz Martha’s Vineyard and several others more than held their own when blind tasted against the First Growth Bordeaux.  (If you haven’t seen the movie Bottle Shock, rent it….the story is a bit romanticized, but the basic facts are correct.  The book, by George Taber, is a highly entertaining and completely accurate account of the whole affair).  The results of the competition created a worldwide sensation, and, since a rising tide lifts all boats, the Duncans benefited from the new international interest in high quality Cabernets from northern California, and from Napa in particular.

My favorite thing...9000+ gallons of Silver Oak cabernet

Everything went well for quite a while.  Ray Duncan, who originally committed himself to producing only Cabernet, caught a quite understandable itch to expand his wine horizon, and managed to do so a bit by accident.  He bought a vineyard in southeastern Napa intending to grow grapes for his Silver Oak labels, but discovered that the land was producing killer Merlot.  Not one to defy destiny, Ray established the Twomey winery (Twomey is his middle name), expanded it with acquisitions in Russian River and elsewhere, and now offers Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Noir.

David, Kevin, Sally, Ray, Tim & Mike Duncan

Now for the sad news.  Disaster struck in 2006, when a garbage bin behind the Oakville winery caught fire in the middle of the night.  Long story short, just about the whole place was lost.  It took them over a year to rebuild a brand new facility, and the good news is it’s incredible.

Debi wanders around the winery

We’re grateful to Silver Oak for taking on the role of our Signature Vintner last year, and participating again in 2010.  Our representative at the dinner and Grand Tasting is Tom Johnson, who can best be described as Ambassador Emeritus for the winery.  I’ve spent some time with him, chatting here in Southwest Florida and at last year’s Wine Experience in New York.  He definitely has the personality for the job.  Be sure to introduce yourself at the Grand Tasting on February 27.  You’ll like Tom, and you’ll love what he pours.

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