Winemaker Notes

February saw abundant rains, followed by lots of filtered light in spring and early summer. Both bud break and flowering occurred a bit late, but under ideal weather conditions, creating a plentiful and even fruit set. Summer brought generous sun during the day and cooler marine influences, virtually uninterrupted by major heat spikes. The relatively mild summer was followed by extended fall sunshine and moderate heat, which created near-ideal conditions for winemakers to allow their fruit to accumulate flavor complexity with gradual increases in sugar levels.

Winery Notes

Nestled in the hills on the North West side of the Stags Leap District, Silverado Vineyards Winery has been a favorite wine country destination and home to some of the Napa Valley’s most-recognized wines for almost forty years. In 1981, Ron and Diane Disney Miller and her mother, Lillian Disney, established Silverado Vineyards to make wines from the historic sites of the estate the family owns. The winery was named in honor of the Silverado Vineyard, one of the first four in Stags Leap District to plant Cabernet in the 1960s. The vineyard pays homage to the abandoned mining town at the top of the Valley which also inspired the name of the famous Silverado Trail where Silverado Vineyards and other iconic wineries of the Stags Leap District are situated. Silverado Vineyards owns five other storied vineyards across Napa Valley’s top AVAs: Miller Ranch, Mt. George, Soda Creek Ranch (Borreo), Firetree, and Vineburg. All of Silverado’s wines are estate-grown, produced and bottled. Winemaker Jon Emmerich is only the second lead winemaker in the history of Silverado Vineyards and celebrated his 30th vintage with the winery in 2020. Jon has grown Silverado’s reputation for quality and consistency along with his colleague Elena Franceschi, who has been Silverado’s associate winemaker for nearly 25 years. When Diane Miller passed away in 2013, Ron Miller became president of the Board of Directors of The Walt Disney Family Museum, and chairman of Silverado Vineyards until his passing in 2019. Diane and Ron’s children and grandchildren proudly continue to carry their family’s legacy forward as the owners of Silverado Vineyards.