Maestro Dobel 50 Silver Oak Edition: Where Wine and Tequila Collide

Last week, Maestro Dobel revealed its newest tequila, Maestro Dobel 50 Silver Oak Edition, an ultra-premium extra añejo that’s finished in cabernet sauvignon barrels from Silver Oak Cellars in Napa Valley. Though the pandemic put the original project on hold, the release remains timely: This luxury tequila is out just in time to pay tribute to Silver Oak’s 50th anniversary.

“This whole year we’ve been celebrating, so, in many ways, this event is a culmination of that year and the great milestone,” Silver Oak’s CEO David R. Duncan said at the launch of Dobel 50 Silver Oak Edition. “The connection between wine and tequila is not a usual one, but American oak makes for a natural vessel to explore how these two amazing liquids can influence each other.”

A very limited release

With only 9,500 bottles produced (using around 100 barrels), Dobel 50 Silver Oak Edition is a brooding amber color that sparkles from gold to orange in the light that refracts through a sipping glass or beaker-like decanter. The latter pays homage to how tequilas were made many years ago, storing them in beaker-shaped vessels while deciding the final flavor profile.

Maestro Dobel Creates Pechuga Tequila, a Savory Spirit Distilled With Turkey

Read article

On the palate, Maestro Dobel’s founder, Juan Dobel describes the liquid as rich, flavorful, and complex. He mentions an eloquent balance of brightness, from flavors such as mandarin and roundness from fig notes. Aromas include warm caramel and vanilla—resulting from the American oak barrels the tequila ages in for a minimum of seven years. To finish it, the tequila then spends six months in Silver Oak’s Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. These barrels are responsible for the subtle red fruit characteristics in the tequila. In addition, they enhance the smooth agave notes.

“One of the things that was very important to Dobel was to have the barrels be fresh, so we emptied them—this was the 2019 vintage—then prepped the barrels and shipped them to Mexico to finish the extra añejo,” says Duncan on the swiftness of the operation. Silver Oak’s barrels are also unique as the winery was the world’s first to own and operate an American oak barrel cooperage.

Experimentation with innovation

This innovation was attractive to Dobel, who shared that he likes to experiment. He uses different barrels and distinct styles “to see how they influence the tequila.”

In fact, Maestro Dobel was the creator of the world’s first cristalino. It’s a tequila the company ages and filters to remove the tawny color it gets from prolonged contact with wood. Next, Dobel experimented with former Eastern European wine barrels for Dobel’s 50th birthday, which he said, “they loved.” This motivated a venture to have “each edition created in Dobel 50 uniquely reflect a profile not expected in tequila, with finishes inspired by the year they honor.”

Dobel also emphasized how Silver Oak’s shared values of “familial heritage, tradition and product innovation,” propelled the collaboration. “Growing up making tequila, you inherit respect for the agave and the earth that nourishes it,” says Dobel. “Maestro Dobel was created under these principles by a family of true tequila enthusiasts and we are dedicated to creating premium products. The partnership with Silver Oak is truly a special one because of how many core values we share.”

The limited-edition tequila is available for purchase nationwide at a SRP of $1,100.