NAPA, Calif. — Silver Oak winery bottles only Cabernet for two enticing reasons: sustainability and DNA.

“Above all else, at Silver Oak we are focused on continuous improvement,” said CEO David Duncan. “Because Silver Oak is the epiphany wine for so many people, we equally need to maintain the DNA of the wine people fell in love with.”

More than 400 acres of vines are planted in two valleys. Silver Oak celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022.

Both Silver Oak wineries — Napa Valley and Alexander Valley — are the first two LEED Platinum wineries in the world. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a program that, since its introduction in 1998, has become an international standard for buildings that aim to meet a variety of green goals for the health of the environment and its inhabitants.

Design components

Water-recycling systems, renewable-energy, waste-material management and a healthy employee workspace are among the design components the U.S. Green Building Council assesses when considering LEED certification.

Energy conservation is also paramount. The winery has more than 2,500 solar panels and a battery system that stores energy generated by the panels, with the goal that the 109,100-square-foot facility produces 5% more energy than it uses.

The winery is also one of only a few commercial facilities to employ a carbon dioxide heat pump for sanitizing water, using ambient carbon dioxide in the winery rather than fossil fuels.

American oak barrels come from the cooperage Silver Oak owns in Higbee, Mo. This is one of the ways the winery creates a truly California Cabernet with aromatic complexity.

American oak allows for integrated tannins that result in expressive and luxurious wine with an even, balanced finish, according to the winery.

Duncan said the reasons Silver Oak is unique include the flavor profile, the sustainability, leadership and the fact that the wine gets passed down from generation to generation as a wine for special moments.

“The California and greater American wine industry needs to be the greenest industry in the world on every level,” he said. “First and foremost we need to be stewards of the land.

“This includes viticulture, energy efficiency, and resource conservation — with water right up front in that resource equation,” he said.

Duncan said Silver Oak’s founders would be proud of how he is stewarding the land and proud that we brought truth to their statement that “we’ve yet to make our best bottle of wine.”