Napa Valley’s Silver Oak, Twomey name winemaker

Nate Weis has taken over as director of winemaking at Silver Oak Cellars of Oakville and Twomey Cellars of Calistoga from Daniel Baron, who retired at the end of the year.

Baron had spent 22 years at the wineries, which are owned by the Duncan family. Silver Oak is known for its highly regarded cabernet sauvignon, with production in both Napa and Sonoma counties. Twomey is noted for its pinot noir, merlot and sauvignon blanc.

Weis is a Napa Valley native who has previously worked at Etude Wines in Napa; Patz & Hall Winery in Sonoma; and as winemaker for Antica Napa Valley. He joined Silver Oak in 2014 and trained under Baron.

“I’m excited to find out what part of me the wines of Silver Oak will ultimately reflect while also maintaining the rigorously high quality standards established here over the last 42 years,” Weis said in a statement.

Baron has become a consultant, with Silver Oak as his first client. He joined the winery in 1994, working under Justin Meyer as the second winemaker in Silver Oak’s history. From 2001 to 2016, he was at the helm of winemaking at both wineries.

He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees at UC Davis in viticulture and enology. After college, Baron worked in France for the Moueix family. He later came back to California as the initial general manager for the Moueix family’s Napa Valley winery, Dominus.