[6] That year, Meyer met Colorado entrepreneur Ray Duncan who had purchased a 750-acre plot of land in the Napa Valley of northern California, which was formerly the Oakville Dairy farm, as an investment in growing and selling grapes.

[8] The pair bottled their first vintage Cabernet Sauvignon in 1972, aging the wine in the old Keig Dairy barn on the original plot of land Duncan purchased.

"[2] According to noted wine critic Robert Parker, Meyer always believed in harvesting ripe, physiologically mature fruit.

[8] The Silver Oak winery began production in 1981 and the 1982 harvest was considered by Meyer to be "something special" and was attempted to be replicated in later years.

[8] Growth of the company from 1977 onwards enabled Silver Oak to purchase further vineyards in the 1980s and early 1990s, becoming one of the most successful Cabernet Sauvignon brands.

[3][19] In January 2001, he sold his share of the company to Ray Duncan, citing health problems,[5] but continued as a consulting winemaker until his death in August 2002.

Meyer died of a heart attack at the age of 63 while on vacation in the Sierra Nevada mountains near Lake Tahoe on August 6, 2002.

[23] Upon his death, Jim Wolpert, the head of the department of viticulture and enology at University of California Davis said, "The debt of gratitude that we in the research community owe to him is immeasurable.

"[21] Patrick Gleeson, executive director of the American Vineyard Foundation, who Meyer had mentored as a young lad said, "His vision and love for wine has undoubtedly made him a living legacy amongst friends, peers and those in the industry.