Diane Disney Miller is the eldest daughter of Walt Disney and his wife Lillian Bounds Disney. She is married to Ronald Miller, who was CEO of The Walt Disney Company until 1984
In the early-1970s, the Millers purchased a vineyard in Napa Valley, California. Their intention was to upgrade the property, replant to premium varietals, install new trellising and frost protection, but not to build or run a winery. “It was beautiful land, and it was land that was working,” says Diane Miller of their first vineyards, purchased in the 1970s. Diane and Ron sold their grapes to some of Napa’s best vintners, who made award winning wines from them year after year.
Because their vineyards produced exceptional, top-quality fruit and award-winning wines for other wineries, Miller and her husband decided to construct their own winery in 1980. Since 1981, they have operated Silverado Vineyards Winery on a tract of their Napa property. The winery’s name, Silverado, comes from the abandoned mining town at the top of the Napa Valley, where Stevenson stayed so many years ago. It is an appropriate symbol: three generations of the Miller family are still “prospecting” for wine.
Jon Emmerich is only the second lead winemaker in the history of Silverado Vineyards. During his years at the winery, he has grown Silverado’s reputation for quality and consistency. After graduating from The University of California, Davis in 1987 with a BS in Fermentation Science, Emmerich worked a harvest at Stags Leap Wine Cellars. He then spent a year at Conn Creek Winery and Sebastiani before moving to Silverado Vineyards in 1990.
“Every day, we ask ourselves, ‘What can we do to make the wines better?’ Our winemaking ideas are super simple: it has to be delicious; great grapes deserve craftsmanship; wine is more interesting when it reflects its origin.” – Jon Emmerich, Winemaker
Their current wines include:
SOLO Cabernet Sauvignon – Stags Leap District, Napa Valley
Limited Cabernet Sauvignon – Napa Valley
Estate Cabernet Sauvignon – Napa Valley
Estate Merlot – Napa Valley
Estate Sangiovese – Napa Valley
Vineburg Vineyard Chardonnay – Carneros, Sonoma Valley
Estate Chardonnay – Napa County
Miller Ranch Sauvignon Blanc – Yountville, Napa Valley
To learn more about Silverado Vineyards, visit: http://www.silveradovineyards.com/
Silverado Vineyards
6121 Silverado Trail
Napa, Calif. 94558
(707) 257-1770
