The Edinburgh Wine Club |
Silverado |
| “The beginning of vine planting is like the
beginning of mining for precious metals: the winegrower also
‘prospects’.” - Robert Louis Stevenson, The Silverado Squatters, 1880 A century later, the Miller family began the journey Stevenson described, establishing Silverado Vineyards in 1981. “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. Encouraged, they struck out on their own with the goal of making the best wines the estate could produce at a fair price. This has remained the guiding philosophy over the years. 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, staying true to the idea of coaxing something precious from the soils we are privileged to care for. Jon Emmerich, Winemaker Stags Leap Cabernet, Merlot Mount George Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot Soda Creek Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc Miller Ranch enjoys bay breezes and silty, cool, and deep soils that are ideal for growing Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Soils - Cole Silt Loam, Yolo Loam, Clear Lake Clay Planted in1890s, by David and Sarah Strong Dunlap, current plantings 1994-95 Sauvignon Blanc -- 57 acres Semillon -- 2 acres Chardonnay -- 22 acres Firetree Vineyard. Steep, 30 to 50 degree slopes of sandstone and shale and a nearly constant cold wind from the San Pablo Bay make this a classic site for Chardonnay. The wines from this vineyard display delicate floral aromas, pure chardonnay flavors with mineral grace notes and a tasty citrus and green apple finish. Two magnificent oaks, hundreds of years old, crown the hill of our Firetree vineyard. One looks to be scarred by a prehistoric fire which is as close an explanation as we can find for the unusual historical name of this singular vineyard. Soils - Bressa-Dibble Complex, Cole Silt Loam Planted in1883, by Giuseppe A. Sciligo, current plantings in 1989-90 Chardonnay -- 29 acres Vineburg Vineyard - The Chardonnay here is planted in deep gravelly loam that once supported an apple orchard. We spaced the vines closely, 1,210 vines per acre, to achieve the low yield per vine which delivers intense flavours. For complexity, we selected five clones to plant on two types of rootstock. The resulting wine has aromas of lemony citrus and honeysuckle with flinty, mineral notes, a silky texture and a refreshing finish. Soils - Huichica Loam, Wright Loam, Riverwash First planted in 2000, by Ron and Diane Miller Chardonnay -- 29 acre |