Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot

Certifications: California Sustainable Wine Alliance, Fish Friendly Farming, Napa Green

We purchased Soda Canyon Vineyard in 1999, and since then, it has become our most important Napa Valley vineyard, featuring Bordeaux varietals that create the layered flavors and complexity of our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Situated on the first bench off the Vaca mountain range, the site is warm and dry, yet moderated by the cooling effect of the San Pablo Bay. The hilly terrain has closely spaced vine rows with various sun exposures. Ideal for the heat-loving red varieties we’ve planted, the volcanic soils feature large rocks mixed with gravel.

Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon

Certifications: California Sustainable Wine Alliance, Fish Friendly Farming, Napa Green

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 Duncan family’s favorite swimming hole near their childhood home in Colorado.

Less than half of the property is planted, since the rugged terrain features red, rocky outcroppings. This rocky soil, coupled with the high-desert climate of Jump Rock, produces Cabernet Sauvignon of singular concentration year after year.

Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon

Certifications: California Sustainable Wine Alliance

Fruit from our Red Tail Vineyard has been a favorite of the Silver Oak winemaking staff for many years, valued for the acidity, brightness and strawberry-and-spice character it brings to our Alexander Valley Cabernet. Named for the red-tailed hawks that often circle over the property, we purchased the vineyard in 1988 and replanted it with Cabernet Sauvignon in three sections in 1996, 2000 and 2003.

Located at the southern end of the Alexander Valley AVA, Red Tail is close to the Russian River, but adjacent hills protect it from fog and cool ocean air in the summer by hills. The property itself consists of rolling hills varying in elevation from 320 to 440 feet. With clay and sandy loam soils that range in depth from 18 inches to 5 feet over compacted sandstone, the ranch’s location and moderate fertility make it ideally suited to Cabernet Sauvignon.

Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon

Certifications: California Sustainable Wine Alliance, Fish Friendly Farming

First granted to Captain Henry Fitch in 1843, our Alexander Valley estate vineyard has a rich grape growing history dating back to at least 1870—shortly before it was transferred to Cyrus Alexander, namesake of the Alexander Valley. The vineyard surrounds our Alexander Valley Winery near the southern end of the Alexander Valley AVA, situated along benchland which rises to between 230 to 300 feet in elevation. Bordering the north side of Sausal Creek, the west-facing slopes benefit from the cool air that flows through that drainage. The well-drained colluvial and alluvial soil profiles are proven producers of high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon, and the fruit from this vineyard, a building block of the Alexander Valley blend, is bright and fleshy with great acidity. Acquired in 2012, this estate vineyard was completely replanted in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon

Certifications: California Sustainable Wine Alliance, Fish Friendly Farming

Cabernet Sauvignon from Miraval Vineyard is another building block for our Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. These grapes display an excellent balance of ripeness, finesse, elegance and depth and tannins with structural integrity. Named for its spectacular view of Alexander Valley—a contraction of the Spanish words “mirar” (to look) and “valle” (valley)—the vineyard has been planted with wine grapes for over 100 years. We purchased the site in 1987 and planted it with Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

Located toward the southern end of the Alexander Valley appellation, Miraval sits on a bench above the Russian River at an altitude of 200 to 350 feet featuring clay and sandy loam soils with good water-holding capacity. With a combination of flat areas and gentle, southwest-facing slopes, the ranch is divided into six different blocks based on geography and soil type.

Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot

Certifications: California Sustainable Wine Alliance

Acquired by the Duncan family in 2016 and replanted in 2017 and 2018, Crazy Creek Vineyard contributes structure and savory notes to our Alexander Valley Cabernet. This benchland vineyard—so-named due to the seasonal creeks that crisscross the property—sits on the east side of the Alexander Valley alongside the foothills, approximately 1.5 miles north of our Alexander Valley Winery.

Crazy Creek enjoys the moderate-to-warm climate typical of the Alexander Valley AVA, and its soils—the result of hundreds of thousands of years of erosion, including Zamora silty clay loam on the flats and Spreckels loam on the gentle, south-facing slopes. The vineyard is divided into eleven blocks according to terrain and soil type. Crazy Creek is also the site of our in-depth clonal trial, an examination of five different Cabernet Sauvignon clones that will take at least eight years to complete.

Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot

Certifications: California Sustainable Wine Alliance

Big River Vineyard is located on the west side of Alexander Valley and sits directly east of Fitch Mountain near the town of Healdsburg. This slightly cooler vineyard sits on top of a ridge and takes its name from the Russian River, which curves around the property on three sides due to a couple of dramatic switchbacks. The vineyard is flat on top but slopes off to the east, west and south with differing aspects and sun exposures. The well-drained, deeply red soils are composed of fine Suther loam and Manzanita gravelly silt loam. After acquiring Big River in 2017, we re-configured, upgraded and replanted the vineyard to Cabernet Sauvignon and three acres of Petit Verdot. The Cabernet from this vineyard is dark and ripe, adding density and depth to the wine’s mid-palate and fleshiness to frame the blend.