The utterance of “Silver Oak” is quite adequate to leave fans of this legendary Cabernet winery reaching for a glass and anticipating an extraordinary wine experience.

And the audience at Ruth’s Chris Steak House on Friday night was no exception. Many among the three dozen were already avid Silver Oak Cellars’ collectors and fans. Others came to experience these remarkable wines and a stunning menu prepared by Executive Chef Cody Buford.

Big wines call for a big menu — and Buford delivered perfectly with each course.

The evening also included three wines from Twomey Cellars, a multiple vineyard operation launched by the Duncan family to bring more varietals into the Cabernet-only stable already dominated by the Silver Oak label.

The star of the Twomey wines certainly had to be the 2006 Russian River Pinot Noir that was so suitably paired with a Carpaccio Salad with Shaved Parmesan and Caesar Dressing.

Ruth’s Chris Savannah owner Jeff Conway and I agreed that the Pinot’s jewel-like clarity was a fitting first peek at a wine that presented as beautifully as it looked. With only 300 6-packs produced form the 9-acre Russian River Valley West Pin vineyard, this Pinot is in short supply — and this taste was the first time the wine had been opened in Georgia.

What a treat! Hints of fresh strawberry and cherry yielded to great, gentle spiciness — and even a little finish of dried herbs. The 13 months the wine spent on French oak was not overdone — and created a wine that is well-balanced and a testament to the new, lighter-styled Pinots coming from California.

Twomey 2006 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc opened the dinner — served with Ahi Tuna and Bay Scallop Ceviche. It was an attention getter for this decidedly Cabernet-centric crowd with bright floral notes, and more emphasis on tart apple and pear than citrus. It finished clean and bright — a willing companion to the range of flavors brought in the ceviche.

Closing the night — with a course of Shropshire Blue, Bel Gioioso Asiago and Drunken Goat cheeses and sweet cream with fresh berries — was Twomey 2003 Napa Valley Merlot.

This wine was the genesis for Towmey, when wine make Dan Baron discovered blocks of French clone Merlot grapes planted on the Soda Canyon Ranch — the original Cabernet vineyard for Silver Oak — were suitable to create a wine of their own.

It is an elegant, French-inspired Merlot that is rich and powerful. Despite multiple layers ranging across black and red fruits, floral notes and even chocolate, this wine goes down very easy. As much as I tried to linger, my sample disappeared too quickly.

But the headliners were clearly the pair of Silver Oak Cabernets.

First up was Silver Oak 2004 Alexander Valley, which my table mate had described as his favorite Silver Oak Cab.

And it was stunning, particularly in combination with a pair of rare lamb chops perched atop black truffle oil mashed potatoes. That subtle gaminess in the dish delivered a full-on hit to the up front juiciness of Alex Valley. But the wine held its ground, laying down beautiful complexity and lingering on the finish.

As it turned out, this course and the next were classic examples of properly pairing food and wine.

Our subsequent course of Beef Wellington, complete with a decadent stuffing of foie gras and mushroom duxelle, also marched in step with Silver Oak 2003 Napa Valley Cab. The more briny aspects of black olive, cedar and soy sauce that lie in the complexity of this wine were willing foils for the rich, savory aspects of the Wellington.

Cross tasting the wines with this dish revealed that the Alex Valley would have been a poor choice for the onslaught of the foie gras. The fattiness of the dish completely stepped on the elegance of Alex Valley.

Well done chef!

Silver Oak Ambassador Tom Johnson of Atlanta was on hand to give an overview of the winery’s stories. His knowledge of the wines and anecdotes from the road were an added bonus to an already spectacular evening of food and wine.

– Tim Rutherford
May 29, 2009