Silver Oak, Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 2019

Some occasions are just really special ones, and the return home of one of Katie’s best friends from another 6 month stint in Antarctica (before heading off again to Peru and the Grand Canyon) is one of those occasions. It was most definitely time to pull out a nice wine to enjoy together, and the wine pulled on this particular night was the Silver Oak from Alexander Valley.

Ok, WOW, this was very nice. Some big name California Cabernets can end up overly oaky, like they’ve been doused in vanilla extract. Not so with this beauty. This was a big but smooth wine, with hints of blackberry and black cherry and just a bit of vanilla bean. You even get just a glimmer of fresh-turned loam and nutmeg. It’s velvety smooth in your mouth, and there’s so much going on that you can just sit back, close your eyes, and enjoy. This wine now conjures up the feeling of sitting by the fire with good friends, outside on a beautiful spring night with the frogs chirping, and it doesn’t get much more perfect than that.

Food pairing idea: we thought it went beautifully with duck breast

In a nutshell:

The wine: A

The price: $100 at Jacob Liquor

Would we buy it again? For very special occasions, absolutely