Silver Stag

Vintage: 2004
Producer: Silver Stag
Appellation: Tulocay, Napa Valley
Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon
On My Palate:

Very masculine. Lead minerality. Fruit is understated but present and very fresh.

Yes, lots of oak, but melds well with this cool-climate Cab.

The Dregs:

Finally, an expression of Napa Valley’s versatility. Silver Stag’s vineyard is at the south end of the valley, about three miles north of San Pablo Bay. This is cool climate Cab, a high quality wine that lip-smacking wine hedonists have made an anomaly.

This Cab packs enough muscle to ensure that the most macho wine drinker still feels manly while he swirls and sniffs, yet smartly overlooks the over-extracted, cloying expressions of its northern neighbors.

Silver Stag successfully harnessed its cooler, bay-influenced microclimate to produce balanced fruit, which has stood the test of lengthy oak aging and come out, yes, a better wine.

Tulocay is/was close to gaining AVA status, but proud locals who call this area Coombsville are putting up a fight.

Where:

At the restaurant before the dinner service with waitstaff and management and anyone over 21. An appropriate and important icebreaker before service.