Silver Oak Vertical by Traci

This was my first vertical tasting and Traci generously put on an amazing dinner. Everything was top notch. First the wine: there were Silver Oak bottles all over the place which is always a good start. We tasted a few of the wines others and brought while we snacked on delicious appetizers that she and Kathy had been slaving away at creating. For the vertical tasting Traci followed the same process they had at the Silver Oak winery when she went and used the same types of cheese for the pairing, a very nice touch. While not everyone agreed on the WOTN, some liked the '99 and others '04, one thing we all agreed on was incredible range the wines exhibited. Personally, I was shocked. I assumed there would be much less variation and nothing was further from the truth. That's a good education.

Dinner was amazing, green beans, mushroom risotto with truffle oil, and huge filets. The risotto was really special. Dessert was Kiki's chocolate glazed tart with raspberry sauce and fresh berries, perfectly paired with the Justin Isosceles. Nice suprise from Kim and Eloy!

• 2007 Nickel & Nickel Chardonnay Truchard Vineyard 89 Points

  USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

  nose: sweet pears - taste: more pears and light green grapes.

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• 2007 Turley Zinfandel Old Vines 90 Points

  USA, California

  whiffes of big berry with plenty of fruit to go around on the palate. very good finish for zin. Hid the alcohol well.

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• 2008 Two Hands Shiraz Angels Share 87 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  yeah it's a bit crazy, like adding vodka to grape juice. very dark and fruity. It's a fun quaffer for $20.

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• 1999 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Lots of musk, barnyark, and earth. licorice and tobacco mouth and fiinish. Most old world of the vertical for sure. Still age wothy at this point unlike the others.

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• 2000 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 75 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Earthy nose with a little smoke and a lot of mud. Very light in color compared to the other 5 in the vertical. This is very flat with no structure, even watered down. The finish is completely missing. not a good wine. This was last on everyone's list of favorites for the entire night. It was not corked.

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• 2001 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 87 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Some heat detected on the nose. good structure, smooth but slightly watered down. medium finish. I scored this wine before reading others reviews, there are a few that had the same impression as me, but not many...

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• 2002 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  good red fruit and berry nose. Very nice fruit and tannis with good structure. There's a presence of oak thoughout this wine.

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• 2004 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  oak/smoke coming from the glass. very nice wine with a very long finish. A fruit forward silver oak compared to the previous 5 years.

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• 2006 Justin Vineyards & Winery Isosceles 91 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  Dark raspberry color with plum/fruit and a touch of heat on the nose. This is a big, oaky, smokey palate with a tad of plum taste. I'm not a big plum fan. The finish is very long, an A- for that effort.

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It's over, we killed the Silver Oak vertical. Time to start looking around the cellar and begin collecting a vertical for another wine for another day...

This might be the worst part of drinking wine...