2004 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
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Tasting notes
(13.9% alcohol): Full ruby-red. Inky aromas of cassis and sweet butter are a bit unforthcoming today. Delivers good freshness and thickness of texture but not particularly forthcoming or complex. Will this blossom with further time in bottle? I wonder. A bit clenched and medicinal for 2004, with an inky quality to its blackcurrant and kirsch flavors. Turns a bit dry with air.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Good deep red. Black cherry, plum syrup and lead pencil on the nose, with a lightly roasted character and a meaty nuance. Quite pliant on the palate, with a much more velvety mouthfeel than the Alexander Valley offering and more mid-palate stuffing to support its toothcoating tannins. Here the wine's herbal element lifts the fruit. Not exactly fat but nicely sweet. Finishes with very good breadth and length.
In keeping with the vintage, the pleasant 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa (85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot and Malbec) is an elegant, somewhat one-dimensional, superficial effort with a dark ruby color as well as plum, cedar, herb, and fruit notes intermixed with wood smoke and spice box. It will be drinkable upon release in 2009, and will probably require immediate consumption given its evolved, fast-track style. In the mid-1980s, when this wine was so strong, there were just over 3,000 cases produced. Today that has risen to 32,000 cases. (Release date 2/09) Tel. (800) 273-8809; Fax (707) 944-2817