Forman x Thorevilos

[Howard_Cooper]

Silver Oak could be considered Old Guard…I’d include BV as well.

Silver Oak is old guard in the sense that it has been around for a long time, but “traditional”?

Traditional, as in growing fruit and making wine with a house style that hasn’t changed much in the 45+ years they’ve been making wine. They haven’t gone full blown, hyper extracted fruit/oak bomb like some other wineries have in that same time frame.

Look, you can like what you like, but to me, Silver Oak is the muzak of California Cabernet and probably always have been. If you believe that Silver Oak is a traditional California Cabernet, you really are damning traditional California Cabs.

[Gabe_Berk]

Silver Oak is old guard in the sense that it has been around for a long time, but “traditional”?

Traditional, as in growing fruit and making wine with a house style that hasn’t changed much in the 45+ years they’ve been making wine. They haven’t gone full blown, hyper extracted fruit/oak bomb like some other wineries have in that same time frame.

Look, you can like what you like, but to me, Silver Oak is the muzak of California Cabernet and probably always have been. If you believe that Silver Oak is a traditional California Cabernet, you really are damning traditional California Cabs.

I get that Silver Oak was hip at one point and has been the poster child of the “gray haired Cabernet fan club”, but that doesn’t take away the fact that they along with Ric Forman (who this whole thread is about really) were pioneers in the world of Napa Cabernet, hence “Old Guard”. Without the likes of Forman, Justin Meyer, the Mondavi’s, Chappellet’s, Phelps, Barrett’s, Peterson’s, Lail’s and handful of others, there would be no tradition of Napa Cabernet.

[Marc_Frontario]

Silver Joke

[Howard_Cooper]

Traditional, as in growing fruit and making wine with a house style that hasn’t changed much in the 45+ years they’ve been making wine. They haven’t gone full blown, hyper extracted fruit/oak bomb like some other wineries have in that same time frame.

Look, you can like what you like, but to me, Silver Oak is the muzak of California Cabernet and probably always have been. If you believe that Silver Oak is a traditional California Cabernet, you really are damning traditional California Cabs.

I get that Silver Oak was hip at one point and has been the poster child of the “gray haired Cabernet fan club”, but that doesn’t take away the fact that they along with Ric Forman (who this whole thread is about really) were pioneers in the world of Napa Cabernet, hence “Old Guard”. Without the likes of Forman, Justin Meyer, the Mondavi’s, Chappellet’s, Phelps, Barrett’s, Peterson’s, Lail’s and handful of others, there would be no tradition of Napa Cabernet.

I don’t recall Silver Oak as being hip for people really into wine. IMHO, it has always been a huge wine for people who want an easy drinking wine that is not too challenging - sort of the Sonoma Cutre of Cabernet. I thought that the first time I tasted Silver Oak in 1984 and every time I have had it since.