The 2019 Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon received strong critical acclaim, though reviewers varied in how highly they ranked it compared with other top Napa Cabernets from the vintage.
| Critic |
Score |
Key comments |
| Decanter |
96/100 |
Praised its compact structure, complex aromas of Bing cherry, black raspberry, tobacco, currant leaf, cedar, and dried sage. Highlighted its energetic, lengthy finish. |
| James Suckling |
95/100 |
Described it as "elegant, supple and silky," with blueberry, dark chocolate, black fruit, mint, and cocoa. Recommended drinking now or cellaring through at least 2030. |
| Wine Spectator |
91/100 |
Called it a solid, old-school Napa Cabernet featuring mulled black cherry, currant, cedar, tobacco, olive, earth, and anise notes. Suggested drinking through 2031. |
Vintage composition
- 76.6% Cabernet Sauvignon
- 18.1% Merlot
- 2.6% Cabernet Franc
- 2.3% Petit Verdot
- 0.4% Malbec
- Alcohol: 14.8%
Overall critical consensus
- Average of major critics: about 94/100
- Widely viewed as one of Silver Oak's strongest recent Napa releases.
- The 2019 vintage combines the winery's signature American oak aging with fresher fruit and better balance than some warmer vintages.
- It is approachable now after decanting but has the structure to continue evolving for another 8–12 years.
If you're considering opening a bottle now, a 1–2 hour decant is generally recommended, and it pairs particularly well with ribeye, dry-aged beef, lamb, or aged cheddar.
WineMaker Notes
The 2019 Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is ruby in color with notes of strawberry, fresh carnation, black pepper and vanilla. This wine builds in strength and body across the mid-palate with a blackberry character on the finish and bright cherry return. With integrated tannins, it’s expressive yet luxurious with an even, balanced finish. Given proper cellaring conditions, this wine will continue to improve through 2043.
Blend: 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15.2% Merlot, 5.1% Cabernet Franc, 3.2% Petit Verdot, 0.5% Malbec
James Suckling 95 Points
So elegant, supple and silky, this vintage is a dream to drink now, but should also have plenty of life ahead of it. Aromas of blueberries and dark chocolate meld with luxe black fruit, mint and cocoa on the palate. A blend of 77% cabernet sauvignon, 18% merlot and dashes of cabernet franc and petit verdot. Drink or hold through at least 2030.
Decanter 95Points
The lovely ruby red colour is translucent, revealing a heady wine of blackberry, liquorice, vanillin, spicebush, and dried floral notes with savoury, toasty oak spices. This 2018 offers one of the more restrained and pretty bouquets of Silver Oak's Napa Cabernet in my memory. Very elegant on the entry, revealing a medium-bodied red wine with lovely cranberry fruit, plums, and currants, with a real depth to those fruit qualities framed by sculpted tannins that affix themselves onto the palate before giving way and resolving. Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant with trace amounts of Petit Verdot and Malbec. Aged in 85% new American Oak from The Oak Cooperage in Higbee, Missouri, the Duncans have owned it outright since 2015. The other 15% are second-use American oak barrels. They've been using the same cooperage for decades. The barrels imbue the Silver Oak wines with a classic vanillin quality, a nuance they always want to retain, even as they experiment with various toasts to produce smoother tannins in the toasting process.
