Daniel Baron

Originally a field worker for John Rolleri at Chateau Montelena, he gained experience in the Bordeaux region of France and was mentored by the likes of grape geneticist Professor Harold Olmo, and winemakers Jean-Claude Berrouet and Justin Meyer.

[3] Without a job, he drove to San Francisco with friends and settled in Sonoma County in 1968, and from 1971 he worked as a tractor driver and field worker under vineyard manager John Rolleri at Chateau Montelena.

He was involved in the production of two vintages in various chateaus, gaining a valuable insight into its history and in cultivating top-notch wines, changing his perception of winemaking.

Baron has said that they "taught me about wine as a part of culture and how history, quality and tradition are intertwined with the practical aspects of winemaking."

[1] After a successful harvest at Chateau Petrus in 1982, Moueix established a new winery, Dominus Estate, in the Napa Valley, and asked Baron to manage the facility; he worked there until 1994.

[3] In 1994, Baron met co-founder of Silver Oak Cellars, Justin Meyer, after seeing a quirky classified ad in the newspaper Wine Country.

[5] Baron said of Meyer, "Justin instilled in me both pride in what Silver Oak had accomplished and the humility to realize that there is always room to improve.

[2] Baron quickly became successful; Meyer considered the 1995 variety to be the best of the 1990s, and noted wine critic Robert M. Parker was also impressed with Silver Oak’s 1997 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

In March 2013, Baron sailed aboard the M/S Paul Gauguin to Tahiti and the Society Islands, during which he spoke about winemaking and hosted wine tastings.

Baron has been outspoken on the influence of terroir, the emphasis on vineyard selection, fruit maturity, and other factors in creating Silver Oak's distinct style.

With modest alcohol, it brims with flavors of black and red currant, licorice, anise and white pepper, as well as a subtle touch of sweet, smoky new oak.

Twomey's 2009 Russian River Valley Pinot noir was awarded first place in the American Wine Society's National Tasting Project in 2012.

[17] Eric Asimov of The New York Times cited Twomey's 2009 Anderson Valley Pinot noir as "one of our favorites, bigger and softer but with both finesse and intensity.

Baron walking through the vineyards at Silver Oak's Oakville winery
Daniel Baron