Our Silver Oak flagship wineries in the Napa Valley and Alexander Valley are LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum Certified, the world’s first production wineries to achieve this globally recognized symbol of sustainable achievement. LEED Platinum is the highest level of certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Our Oakville facility, also recognized as a Napa Green Winery, became the world’s first LEED Platinum production winery for Existing Buildings, Operations and Maintenance (EBoM) in 2016. In 2018, our Alexander Valley winery received LEED Platinum certification for Building Design and Construction (BD+C).

Precision Viticulture is how we describe the broad array of technologies we use to understand and manage the acreage we farm. These technologies vary from small, handheld devices that measure a vine’s rate of photosynthesis and water loss to aerial infrared photography that measures microscopic differences in vine vigor across vineyard blocks.

Simply put, Precision Viticulture allows us to understand a vine’s water status in real time and make informed irrigation decisions, evaluating and quantifying variability in a vineyard block. The use of these tools centers on a continuous pursuit of the balanced vine.

In 2019, we became one of the first wineries to join the International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA), a collaborative working group of environmentally committed wineries taking a science-based approach to reducing carbon emissions across the wine industry. We are currently working towards net zero emissions by 2050 and meeting intermediate emissions reductions targets by 2030. Since 2019, we’ve reduced absolute emissions by 16%. Within our first four years of membership, we have transitioned nearly all properties to 100% green power. This includes a mix of self-generated solar and local green power purchased from the grid. We have installed two new solar arrays at vineyard properties and purchase electric-powered equipment for our landscape team. Packaging updates resulted in fewer greenhouse gas emissions and now all labeling is done in-house. We have transitioned back to sourcing local glass for the majority of our wine.

Across all of our estate vineyards, we leverage vine-based technologies that transmit data about vineyard health and vigor to our winemaking team in real time, leading to more informed and conservative irrigation decisions.

At our Oakville winery, water conservation strategies have resulted in an 86% reduction in irrigation and a 26% reduction in indoor water use. We’ve installed a Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) at our Alexander Valley winery which treats and filters 100% of the water from our cellar with natural biological activity, reducing our potable water needs by 37%.

We also use steam to sanitize barrels. “Swelling” new barrels with steam prior to filling requires a fraction of the 60 gallons it takes to fill each barrel.

Our Oakville winery features 1,464 solar panels, producing nearly half of our energy needs. In Alexander Valley, 2,595 solar panels produce over one megawatt of electricity a year and generate more energy (105%) than we consume. Both wineries use night-air cooling and thick insulation to minimize the need for mechanical cooling. Natural light illuminates our Oakville cellar, creating an environment with little need for artificial lighting most of the year. To reduce energy use we’ve also installed LED lights, motion detectors and Electric Vehicle Charging Stations at both wineries.

Our wineries in Oakville and Healdsburg, completed in 2008 and 2018 respectively, make extensive use of salvaged and reclaimed building materials, including stone, oak and redwood. In Alexander Valley, we vetted more than 3,000 building materials and equipment choices, eliminating any with harmful “red list” chemicals. Anything indoors that would commonly emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as paint, flooring, insulation, and furniture—was tested for emissions. After construction was complete, we cleaned and aired out the building and analyzed indoor air quality samples to guarantee the absence of VOCs.

In April 2020, our Alexander Valley winery was certified as a Living Building by the International Living Future Institute. The Living Building Challenge (LBC) is the world’s most rigorous performance standard for green buildings. Living Buildings give more than they take, creating a positive impact on the human and natural systems that interact with them. The winery is only the 26th building in the world to receive full accreditation and the only manufacturing facility of any kind to ever receive the recognition.