Silver Oak

Silver Oak Becomes First North American Winery To Own American Oak Barrel Cooperage

 Acquires Full Ownership of Missouri-based Cooperage, Changes Name to "The Oak Cooperage" 

OAKVILLE, Calif., May 14, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Silver Oak has acquired full ownership of Missouri-based A&K Cooperage, becoming the first North American winery to own and operate an American oak cooperage. Having purchased a 50 percent interest in the cooperage in 2000, Silver Oak saw full ownership as an opportunity to maintain exacting barrel-making standards and secure a consistent supply of aged stave wood.

While Silver Oak has focused exclusively on Cabernet Sauvignon aged in American oak barrels since 1972, the opportunity comes amidst a dramatic increase in demand for premium American white oak, fueled by the international market as well as the rise in U.S.-produced artisanal whiskeys and bourbons.

"We are excited to extend our philosophy of innovation and constant improvement at every step of the winemaking process to The Oak Cooperage," said Silver Oak President & CEO David Duncan, who notes that the acquisition will allow Silver Oak's winemakers to control quality standards such as the selection, aging and toasting of its American oak barrels. "Having control over our oak barrel needs and production makes complete sense from both an excellence and cost control standpoint." 

Located in Higbee, Missouri, the cooperage has produced American oak barrels, primarily for wineries, since 1972. After partnering in 2000, Silver Oak and the cooperage jointly purchased several hundred acres of prime Missouri oak timberland.

"We feel that white oak from the geographic area around the cooperage gives us the oak flavor profile and textural components that best complement our wines," says Silver Oak General Manager Tony LeBlanc. As sole owner of The Oak Cooperage, LeBlanc says that Silver Oak will continue to focus on the quality and consistency of its classic 59-gallon American oak wine barrels, prior to expanding into other categories.  "We have a great team at the cooperage, and we are excited about preserving and continuing this time-honored craft."

Silver Oak is a leading producer of food-friendly Cabernet Sauvignon aged extensively to be drinkable upon release. Established in 1972, Silver Oak is still owned and operated by the Duncan family, who also founded Twomey Cellars, a producer of six distinct California Pinot Noirs, an estate Sauvignon Blanc, and a single vineyard Merlot in consultation with Chateau Petrus legend Jean Claude Berrouet. With four winemaking facilities and tasting rooms located in the Napa Valley, Alexander Valley and Russian River Valley, 15 estate vineyards, The Oak Cooperage, and a team of world class people, the Duncan family is committed to innovative and sustainable viticulture and winery management practices that result in wines of the highest quality and distinction.

Both our Napa Valley and Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignons are created using grapes from our own vineyards , as well as grapes grown by a small group of carefully selected independent growers with whom we have long-term relationships.

Soda Canyon Vineyard

Acreage: 113 acres

Soil Type: Deep, cobbly, volcanic soils

Planted: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec

Notes: Sustainably Farmed, Certified by the Fish Friendly Farming® program

A visit to our Soda Canyon Vineyard is one of those “aha!” moments. You pull off Soda Canyon Road, head down a narrow lane, and suddenly the vista opens up and you’re looking at a breathtaking “valley within a valley,” with undulating slopes, steep inclines and hillsides as far as the eye can see. Even locals say, “I can’t believe this is here.”

We purchased Soda Canyon Vineyard in 1999, and since then it has become one of our premier Napa Valley vineyards, featuring the five Bordeaux varietals that create the layered flavors and complexity of our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Situated on the first bench off the Napa Valley floor, the climate is warm and dry, yet profoundly influenced by the moderating effect of the cooling San Pablo Bay. The hilly terrain has closely spaced vine rows with various sun exposures. The volcanic soils feature large rocks mixed with gravel – ideal for the heat-loving red Bordeaux varieties we’ve planted here.

Jump Rock Vineyard

Acreage: 18 acres

Soil Type: Red, rocky soils

Planted: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Notes: Sustainably Farmed

The fruit from our Jump Rock Vineyard is as dramatic as the vineyard itself, bringing intense aromatics of blackberries and cassis, as well as richness and structure to our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Accessible only by a dirt road and sitting at an elevation of 1,500 feet in the Atlas Peak AVA, the vineyard is named for the Duncans’ favorite swimming hole near their childhood home in Colorado.

Although Jump Rock is 40 acres, only 18 are planted - no wonder, since the rugged, arid terrain features red, rocky outcroppings that can barely be classified as soil. Smaller rocks taken out when the vineyard was planted are pushed into three-foot piles at the edges, but the pickup-truck-size rocks under the loose, rusty-red soil are there to stay. This rocky soil, coupled with the high-desert climate of Jump Rock, produces Cabernet Sauvignon of singular concentration, year after year.

Navone Vineyard

Acreage: 8 acres

Soil Type: Gravelly loam

Planted: Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Syrah

Notes: Sustainably Farmed

Located in St. Helena in a region Daniel Baron calls the St. Helena Plains, this land has been in the Navone family since 1915. For nearly 100 years, this well-drained Cortina gravelly loam soil has been planted with vineyards. Our late friend Ernie Navone, who was born on the property, planted the land with Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1980s and 1990s.

Today, we farm this vineyard for the family. The continuous use of the land has tamed vine vigor over the years. As a result, the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from this vineyard balance complexity and elegance and fit beautifully into our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Since the early 1970s, we have aged our wines exclusively in American oak barrels. Today, the use of American oak continues to be a hallmark of our distinctive Cabernet Sauvignons. To ensure the long-term availability of first-rate American oak barrels, we formed a partnership with A & K Cooperage in 2000. Located in Higbee, Missouri, 40 miles north of Columbia, A & K Cooperage is a small, family-owned company that has produced premium barrels for over 30 years. It takes 80 years to grow an American white oak to maturity and another two years to properly age the wood. From there, the wood is toasted to our specifications and handcrafted into a 59-gallon barrel. All in all, the year on a bottle of Silver Oak doesn’t tell the whole story – you’ll want to add at least 82 years to get the true birth date.

According to winemaker Daniel Baron, “Silver Oak wines undergo an extensive aging process to achieve their opulent, well-rounded flavors, so the quality of our barrels is essential. The Missouri white oak barrels produced by A & K have the perfect balance of spice and vanilla flavors to enhance the black-fruit characters of our wines.”

Bottle shock is real. It takes a full-bodied red wine 12 months to fully recover and show the full expression of fruit that it had before bottling. We give wine more time in the bottle, and the end result is a food-friendly, moderate-alcohol (13–14.1%) Cabernet that is drinkable upon release.

Our 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, selected from vineyards throughout the appellation, is 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. We blended the vineyard lots in early 2010 and transferred the wine to 100% new American oak barrels for aging. Blending prior to barreling allows us to achieve a balance of the wine’s primary elements, such as fruit and tannin, before they are influenced by oak. The wine was then aged in barrel for approximately 24 months and another 20 months in bottle to harmonize its components before release.