During my stay at Delta Rocky Crest on Lake Joseph, I had the chance this past weekend to indulge in a bottle of 2002 Silver Oak from the Alexander Valley located in Sonoma. Usually a bottle of this wine sells for over $300 in most restaurants and is even priced at over $100 at most liquor stores. The wine was listed at $69, which is a steal, therefore I just had to indulge. It was listed on their wine list under the heading “Bin Ends”.
I asked my server about it and she told me that most of the wines listed there were no longer available. This did not stop me in my quest to find the wine. The next day I went to the restaurant and peeked in the wine fridge–low and behold, there they were, a few bottles resting peacefully on their sides. I knew right at that moment that that I must have a bottle. An hour before dinner, in my bathing suit and towel no less, I went back to the restaurant and had them open the wine so I could make sure it wasn’t off and then had them decant it.
Most California Cabernets have the ability to age for years and can be quite tannic if not decanted an hour or so before hand. Much to my delight, it was drinking beautifully. Lots of baking spices, cloves, cinnamon and cedar on the nose and had a nice long dark chocolate finish in the mouth. It was delicious. I paired it with elk sirloin in a strawberry-cabernet sauce that was incredible. I’m already planning my next visit. I hope there will be some left.