A Modern History of The Alexander Valley

In 2019, our winery in Alexander Valley received global recognition from the International Living Future Institute for the facility’s technical and sustainable functions, but the property’s storied legacy as one of Sonoma County’s most remarkable vineyards traces all the way back to 1847 and the valley’s namesake, Cyrus Alexander.

At the time, Alexander, a St. Louis native and trapper by trade, was allowed to choose two leagues (about 230 acres) from over 48,000 acres of land owned by Captain Henry Fitch as payment for finding an unclaimed cattle range north of San Francisco Bay. His first stop north of the bay was a large and beautiful valley, later named Napa, that had already been claimed by American George Yount and Englishman Edward Bale.

Venturing further northwest, Alexander stumbled upon what he would later call “the brightest and best spot in the world” and “one of the most fertile posts in the whole country,” planting roots in the eponymous growing region that would become world renowned for its wines more than a century later.

With Alexander’s settlement in the area, the nascent agricultural region was known for its orchards, dairy and livestock. The first grapegrowing pioneers here were the Italian Swiss colony at Asti, and Sonoma County would today largely be planted to Italian grape varieties had the upstart industry not been devastated by phylloxera in the 1870s.

The Alexander family’s livestock and grapegrowing ventures concluded in 1876 when the property was sold to Dr. Benjamin Sturman of San Francisco. After that, the property changed hands a few times through generational family transfers with smaller parcels sold off until reaching its current size of 115-acres, bound by Sausal Creek to the north. During winter rains, Sausal (Spanish for “willow”) forms an important tributary and habitat to the Russian River.

Alexander surely must have seen what Silver Oak CEO David R. Duncan saw in 2012: rich and fertile soils framed by a picturesque backdrop of the Mayacamas benchlands, basking in a near-perfect Mediterranean climate. “The responsibility as stewards of this historically significant land was cemented when I saw Cyrus Alexander’s name on the deed,” David says. “Being passed from one family to the next family for generations, this is not only our home in Healdsburg but also piece of history that we need to protect.”

Even more ideal for Silver Oak Cabernet, Miraval Vineyard, which has formed the backbone of Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon since the 1980s, is located less than a mile south with similar soil and climate profiles. To us, it is not just the confluence of soil and climate that results in our signature expression of Cabernet Sauvignon, but also where history meets opportunity.