A moving, behind-the-scenes look at the making of one of Napa Valley’s most legendary wineries, Silver Oak Cellars. Bonny Meyer, co-founder and wife of wine legend Justin Meyer, provides an intimate portrayal of the love affair that infused Silver Oak’s magical cabernet.
CHRISTINA RASMUSSEN
Bestselling author of
Second Firsts and Where Did You Go?
STEPHEN O'SHEA
Author of The Alps: A Human History from Hannibal to Heidi and Beyond and Sea of Faith: Islam and Christianity in the Medieval Mediterranean World
KAREN BRAILSFORD
Author of Sacred Landscapes of the Soul
Bonny Meyer began thinking and writing about the nature of love when she was fifteen. She met Brother Justin shortly after she turned eighteen at his 29th birthday party. They spent that evening playing music together igniting the love affair that changed their lives and ultimately spawned Silver Oak Cellars.
Napa Valley vintners, inspired by the extraordinary success and reputation of Silver Oak Cabernets focused more and more on that variety. Today, Cabernet is considered the king of the Napa Valley red wines with some bottles commanding as much as $1,000. Its flavor profile displays a wide variety of black fruits, including currant, cherry and plum, often showing notes of spice from American or French oak barrel aging. It pairs beautifully with robust red meat dishes such as game, lamb, aged steaks, cheeses, and love.
After establishing and growing Silver Oak and the unexpected death of Justin, Bonny devoted her attention to addressing world environmental, social, and economic challenges by financially supporting social ventures. She has been acknowledged by Forbes Magazine and the financial industry as a pioneer of impact and regenerative investing.
After years of encouragement to write about their love affair, she decided to share the story of how she and Justin met, fell in love, and created a business and wines infused with their values and love for one another.
Today, Bonny Meyer is the Principal of Meyer Family Enterprises, an investment company dedicated to the regeneration of the planet and society. After selling Silver Oak Cellars in 2001, Bonny is now a partner in Meyer Family Cellars, a winery run by her son, Matt, and daughter-in-law, Karen.
Bonny lives in the old redwood farmhouse surrounded by Cabernet vines in the middle of the Napa Valley where she and her beloved, Justin, raised their family.
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Set in the romantic era of Napa Valley as it rose to world renowned fame in the latter half of the century, Bonny and Justin’s love story began while she was a college student and he a monk. Their forbidden love could not be contained and so began the next thirty years of their life together. They raised a family alongside owning and establishing two wineries.
Through a heart-felt exploration of her life, Meyer weaves her beautiful story of love and loss, passion and grief. Beginning with the tragedy of her husband’s sudden death, the author takes the reader on the journey of their life together, intricately intertwined with wine.
Perfectly Paired is a love story, detailing the passion that nourished and supported Bonny and Justin throughout the ups and downs of life and business. Through her deep grief and abiding love, Meyer shares wisdom on moving forward to live a full life with joy and purpose.
CONTACT
Dear Readers
It is with great pleasure that I share my tender love for Justin with you through the telling of these stories. If you are so moved I invite you to send me your own story of how your loved one showed up and connected with you after they died.
Love, Bonny Meyer