John Gilman: "The 'Cuvee DD' is named for vineyard owner Dave Demostene and the grapes hail from his ranch in Alexander Valley. This was the source for the oldest Pinot Noir vines with which Terry and Frances Leighton worked, from clones that were originally brought from Burgundy and produce particularly small, concentrated berries and which are known in Burgundy as 'Pinot Fin'. The Demostene ranch Pinot vines originated from cuttings taken from Louis Martini's Monte Rosso Vineyard. The soils in this vineyard are locally known as 'Blue Clay', which, according to Terry Leighton 'is the same kind of marl found in Gevrey-Chambertin and Morey St. Denis. ' The vineyard itself was primarily planted to Zinfandel, with only a small percentage dedicated to Pinot Noir, and these vines were thirty-five years of age when Silver Oak purchased the vineyard and started planting Cabernet here." (The View from the Cellar, Jan 2013)