Wine Spectator: Straight Talk With David Duncan, CEO Of Silver Oak, Ovid, And Twomey
June 23, 2020David Duncan, proprietor and CEO of high-end California wine brands Silver Oak, Ovid, and Twomey, recently joined Wine Spectator senior editor James Molesworth on Instagram Live series Straight Talk with Wine Spectator, sponsored by Wine Access.
With his brands known for high-end bottlings from a range of terroirs, Duncan has been an active acquirer of vineyards over the years, building a presence across Napa’s North and Central Coasts as well as gaining a foothold in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Duncan said one of the company’s core projects over the last 20 years has been to expand vineyard holdings while selling off property that never made the final blends. “Today, between Silver Oak and Twomey, we’re almost up to 800 acres,” he said.
Turning to Ovid, which the company acquired in 2017, Duncan described the winery as an “incredible postage stamp of Napa Valley,” that currently farms 15 acres. Though Ovid’s holdings are relatively small, Duncan said they’re in the process of redevelopment. The company received permission from the county to roughly double its plantings and Duncan estimated that the corresponding wines will be available in eight or nine years.
Looking to the near-term future, Duncan mentioned Timeless, a new single vineyard red blend set for a September release. The grapes come from Silver Oak’s Soda Canyon Ranch vineyard, and the brand pays tribute to David’s father, Ray, Silver Oak’s co-founder. “I always get excited because this is the inaugural vintage,” Duncan said. “But I already know how 2018 and 2019 are going to be. I think we’re on a path to something really neat.”
Sustainability has been another key piece of Silver Oak’s development over the past two decades. In April, the company’s Sonoma facility was certified a Living Building by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI)—the first winery and only the 25th project of any kind in the world to earn the designation. Silver Oak’s Napa and Alexander Valley facilities have also received LEED Platinum certifications, another testament to the company’s commitment to sustainability.
Duncan asserted that going green has improved the company’s wines. “At our Napa Valley winery in Oakville, we only make the Napa Valley Silver Oak, and then at our Alexander Valley facility, we only make one line,” he said. “The entire facility is designed specifically for that, from grape delivery to bottling all the way through to how we barrel.” The entire project, he said, has fostered a detail-oriented culture at the company.
Straight Talk with Wine Spectator continues tonight at 7pm ET when Molesworth hosts Argentinian vintner Laura Catena. This week’s lineup also includes Maison Louis Jadot president Pierre-Henry Gagey tomorrow at 1pm, and Diana Snowden Seysses, winemaker at Snowden Vineyards and Domaine Dujac, Thursday at 7pm.—Shane English
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