Timeless serves as a reminder that wine and the people that make it are in an ever-evolving space. When Ray Duncan started Silver Oak in 1972, his philosophy was to focus on making a single varietal wine defining Napa Valley as a whole; a philosophy that carried over to the family’s Twomey project as well. But as the world continues to move, if you do not move with it, you may be left behind. The American wine drinker’s palate has evolved to look for wines that offer a more site-specific profile and that is where Timeless comes in.

Tucked up against the benchlands of the Silverado trail lies a small enclave of vineyards known as Soda Canyon. This unofficial AVA sits just below Atlas peak and is surrounded by Stags Leap district, Coombsville, and Oak Knoll. Here you will find many of Napa’s iconic wineries and this is where the Duncan family decided to plant a vineyard with the intent of supplementing their vineyard in Oakville, and became the backbone of Silver Oak Napa Cabernet and Twomey Merlot. Over time, the vineyard proved to be much more than that as it was eventually the birthplace for Timeless.

Their Soda Canyon Ranch Vineyard is a situated in the undulated hills off the Silverado Trail on a site with varied soil, water, and elevations. The “Upper Peak” block sits on a diverse selection of soils that produces highly expressive Merlot and powerful Cabernet. The west facing “Evening Slope Block”, planted in the fertile volcanic soils, adds opulence to the blend. The rocky soils found in the aptly named “Rocky Blocks” gives low yielding concentrated fruit. The smaller blocks of “Little Pomerol” and “Hardpan Alley” lie on Clay and Tufa, respectively. The result is a wine that is a unique single vineyard perspective of the Napa Valley.

The 2018 Timeless is just the second vintage and while created with the same care and quality as Silver Oak it is also made in a stark contrast to it. This is the first wine the Duncans have produced as a blend, utilizing four of the five major Bordeaux varieties all from the Soda Canyon Ranch vineyard and aged 16 month in French oak. The resulting wine is a forward wine that leaps out of the glass with a mélange of berries cocoa and cassis with just a hint of vanilla and baking spice. Velvety tannins dance across the palate ending with a smooth finish. This is a comforting wine of elegance and depth offering youthful pleasure with equal amounts of age-ability.