Silver Oak Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Vertical, June 25, 2009

The older vintages fared better in our June tasting of Silver Oak cabernet sauvignon from the Napa Valley. The 1981 vintage was the overall winner, although some tasters admitted they voted for it not necessarily because it was the best wine, but because it was the best wine "considering its age." It was holding up remarkably well and had obviously been well-stored by Mike. Second place went to the 1995, followed closely by the 1992. The group consensus was that the quality of more recent vintages has declined slightly from earlier years. It was also noted by several tasters that the winery's style did not seem to be as consistent as is usually thought.

Many thanks to Larry G. for providing six of the wines for this event.

1. 1981 (WS 75, WA 86) (4 of 10 firsts/1 second/0 thirds/1 fourth, 20 points)
2. 1995 (WS 84, WA 95) (3/0/2/1, 17 points)
3. 1992 (WS 89, WA 94) (1/3/1/0, 15 points)
4. 2002 (WS 90, WA 91) (1/1/2/0, 11 points)
5. 1994 (WS 91, WA 93) (0/2/0/4, 10 points)
6. 1990 (WS 88, WA 93) (1/1/0/0, 7 points)
7. 2001 (WS 88, WA 92) (0/1/2/0, 7 points)
8. 1998 (WS 85, WA 88) (0/1/1/0, 5 points)
9. 1993 (WS 88, WA 90) (0/0/2/1, 5 points)
10. Tie: 1991 (WS 90, WA 95)
1996 (WS 86, WA 91)
1999 (WS 91, WA 87) (0/0/0/1, 1 point)