THE 1-YEAR HISTORY OF

SILVERADO VINEYARDS

HISTORY IN THE MAKINGMore than 125 years ago, in his book , young Robert Louis Stevenson chronicled his sojourn in the then rustic wilds of Napa Valley. Writing from an abandoned shack on the played-out Silverado mine site, Stevenson saw the potential for a di�erent sort of California gold rush, as a handful of early winemakers worked the land, searching “for those pockets of earth that yield inimitable fragrance and soft fire.” What Stevenson remarked on then, and what many have

planting is like the beginning of mining for the precious metals: the wine-grower also ‘prospects.’”

Almost a century after Stevenson looked to the future of Napa Valley winemaking, the widow, daughter and son-in-law of Walt Disney began carefully laying the foundation for what would one day become Silverado Vineyards. Together, Lillian Disney and Diane and Ron Miller began meticulously assembling a small portfolio of estate vineyards. In 1976, these viticultural prospectors purchased the 81-acre Miller Ranch in Yountville. With silty soils and a unique microclimate, this special property proved ideal for Slater, the Miller family acquired the coveted Silverado Vineyard in the Stags Leap District—a property renowned for the quality of its Cabernet Sauvignon.

According to Diane Miller, “It was beautiful land, and it was

land that was working.” The Millers sold their grapes to some

of the finest vintners in the valley. Year after year, the wines

produced from these

grapes won awards and

accolades. Encouraged

by this success, the

Millers began the

conceptual planning

for Silverado Vineyards

Winery in 1980.

At this key juncture,

three decisions were

made that would come

to define the winery.

First, gifted winemaker

Jack Stuart was hired

to help design and

establish the winery.

Second, a prominent knoll adjacent to Silverado Vineyard was

selected as the winery site. Finally, the name Silverado Vineyards

was chosen for the winery, honoring the historical name of the

vineyard and expressing the estate-grown wine philosophy of

Ron and Diane Miller.

THE SILVERADO STYLE

Silverado Vineyards’ first vintage was in 1981. In the ensuing

time, Silverado has earned a reputation for excellence and

consistency, thanks to the caliber of its vineyards. Over time,

the Miller family

assembled a rich

and diverse mosaic

of six family-owned

vineyards, each

selected for its ability

to contribute nuance

and character to the

wines. Silverado also

became known for

handcrafting estate

wines that combine

classic structure with

understated elegance.

INNOVATION AND GROWTH

The Silverado team has always searched for a deep vein of quality

by implementing state-of-the-art viticultural techniques and

creative winemaking methods. From its early use of extended

maceration (a common technique today) to its recent focus on

newly-designed small, stainless steel barrels in its Chardonnay

program, the Silverado winemaking team has helped to

champion techniques that enhance the power and purity of

great fruit.

THE FUTURE OF SILVERADO

In 2005, Silverado

Vineyards pioneering

winemaker Jack

Stuart stepped down

as general manager,

and Russ Weis took

the reins. Russ, who

was most recently a

senior vice president

with Robert Mondavi

Corporation, brings

more than twenty years

of industry experience

to Silverado. He is

extremely passionate

about the winery: “We

enjoy an amazing array of meticulously cared for estate fruit.

Even in the most challenging years, our vineyards guarantee us a

level of quality which

we can be proud to

call Silverado.”

W i n e m a k e r

Jonathan Emmerich,

with more than

eighteen years at

Silverado, continues

the winery’s legacy of

vineyard expression.

Emmer i ch i s

constantly refining

his methods for Jonathan Emmerich, UC Davis graduate in Fermentation Science, worked with Jack Stuart

for eight years before taking the reins in 1998 as Silverado Vineyards’ winemaker.

Russ Weis, General Manager (and fourth generation grape grower) is highlighting Silverado’s best assets – its vineyards.

Diane and Ron Miller have guided their family winery for 28 years.

extracting the pure essence of the vineyards. His approach focuses

on small lots and gentle handling of the fruit to produce wines

that possess both lush sophistication and age-worthiness.

According to Jonathan, “We’ve had the same philosophy all

along. Every day, we wake up and ask, ‘What can we do to make

the wines better?’ Naturally, it starts in the vineyards. This is a

great wine growing property. Each one of the vineyards has its

own distinctive flavors and character. We work to make better

use of the land, to farm it better, to help each block express

exactly what and where it is. I believe that’s how to make wine.

When you have confidence in the vineyards, you don’t need to

manipulate the wines.”

As a result of Silverado’s confidence and pride in each vineyard

they farm, they now offer a vineyard-designate Chardonnay and

Sauvignon Blanc, with Merlot soon to follow. But nowhere is

this vineyard-inspired style more on display than in the rich,

powerful Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons that make up the

heart of the Silverado portfolio, especially the SOLO Cabernet

Sauvignon, which Steve Heimoff from Wine Enthusiast and

Robert Parker from The Wine Advocate have both heralded as a

perfect expression of Stags Leap.

Emmerich continues to mine Silverado’s estate fruit to create

wines with elegant, “fragrance and soft fire.” Emmerich states it

simply, “Wine has to be delicious. It is meant to be a pleasure.”

Ron and Diane recently commissioned their granddaughter

Annabelle Miller to create a new label. The design is a pen

drawing of the winery from the perspective of Annabelle’s great

grandmother’s home overlooking the vineyards. Reflecting the

down-to-earth artisan spirit that defines the people and wines

of Silverado, this new label also represents the winery’s balance

between tradition and the future.

SILVERADO’S SIX ESTATE VINEYARDSSilverado Vineyards farms six distinctive, family-owned vineyards in the Napa Valley and Carneros, three of which are historic sites in regional viticulture. Focusing almost exclusively on fruit from these proprietor-owned vineyards, Silverado crafts its line of 12 bottlings including: three classic Cabernet Sauvignons, two Chardonnays, a Sauvignon Blanc, a Merlot and a Sangiovese, as well as (for the Wine Club and Tasting Room only) Rosato, Zinfandel, Super-Tuscan Fantasia and Late Harvest Semillon.

STAGS LEAP Location: 1 mile south of Yountville Cross Road along the Silverado TrailAppellation: Stags Leap District, Napa ValleyVarieties: Cabernet Sauvignon (72 acres), Merlot (20 acres)

MILLER RANCHLocation: West of the Napa River and just south of St. Joan of Arc Church in YountvilleAppellation: Yountville, Napa Valley Varieties: Chardonnay (39 acres), Sauvignon Blanc (40 acres), Semillon (2 acres)

MT. GEORGE Location: On the hillsides of Mt. George, east of the town of Napa on Hagen Road Appellation: Napa Valley Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon (56 acres), Merlot (34 acres), Petit Verdot (4.5 acres), Cabernet Franc (3.5 acres), Sangiovese (1.5 acres)

FIRETREE Location: Buhman Road in Carneros Appellation: Carneros, Napa Valley Varieties: Chardonnay (29 acres)

VINEBURG Location: Sonoma side of Carneros Appellation: Carneros Varieties: Chardonnay (30 acres)

SODA CREEK Location: 3–4 miles south of Silverado Vineyards, 5 miles east on Soda Canyon Road Appellation: Napa ValleyVarieties: Sangiovese (10.7 acres), Zinfandel (2 acres), Sauvignon Blanc (2 acres)

Annabelle Miller, Lillian and Walt Disney’s great granddaughter, drew this pen and ink of Silverado Vineyards, which is on their new labels.

MILESTONES IN SILVERADO HISTORY:

1976 – 81-acre Miller Ranch purchased in Yountville.

1978 – Miller family purchases the 93-acre Silverado Vineyard, one of the first three planted to Cabernet in Stags Leap.

1980 – Jack Stuart is named winemaker.

1981 – Construction of Silverado Vineyards winery begins. First crush is 135 tons.

1983 – Silverado’s inaugural 1981 vintage wines are released in January, including 1,200 cases of Chardonnay and 600 cases of Sauvignon Blanc. Wines are featured in select accounts in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and Longboat Key, Florida.

1984 – 3,700 cases of 1981 Cabernet Sauvignon—Silverado’s first Cabernet—are released.

1986 – 300 cases of 1983 Merlot are released.

1987 – All four of Silverado’s entries win gold medals at the International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) in London; Jack Stuart is named IWSC Winemaker of the Year. Silverado Vineyards is named American Winery of the Year in the Grand National Wine Competition.

1988 – Millers purchase 29-acre Firetree Vineyard in Carneros, Napa Valley. The family also purchases historic land on Mt. George, just east of Napa.

1988 – Dan Berger of the Los Angeles Times writes that Jack Stuart “has quietly established Silverado as one of the most prestigious in the Napa Valley.”

1989 – Millers plant 110 acres on the hillsides of Napa Valley’s Mt. George (Mt. George Vineyard), precisely 100 years after original 1889 planting.

1990 – Release of 1986 Cabernet Sauvignon Limited Reserve.

1990 – Jonathan Emmerich joins Silverado Vineyards as lab technician; is soon promoted to assistant winemaker.

1992 – Millers purchase 17 acres near the Soda Creek Canyon store, site of the historic winery erected in 1888 by Felix Borreo, winemaker and Napa grocer. Sixteen acres of vineyards are planted among the remaining blocks of the original olive orchard.

1993 – The 1990 vintage of the Cabernet Sauvignon Limited Reserve is named the No. 3 wine on the Wine Spectator’s top 100 List. Rated 97 points, it is also the No. 1 Cabernet of the year in the annual Cabernet issue.

Mid-1990s - The Silverado field selection becomes one of only three designated Heritage by UC Davis (Cabernet Sauvignon #30, Silverado Heritage).

1998 – Jonathan Emmerich is named winemaker.

2000 – Millers purchase abandoned apple orchard and plant 30 acres of Chardonnay in the Carneros region, named Vineburg Vineyard.

2005 – Introduces small stainless-steel barrels to its Chardonnay winemaking program with the 2005 vintage.

2005 – Working with Fish Friendly Farming, Silverado begins restoring creek beds and Napa river banks to native California flora on the Miller Ranch and the Stags Leap vineyards.

2006 – Celebrates 25 years of innovation and quality winemaking in Napa Valley.

2006 – Debuts new label designed by Annabelle Miller, the oldest granddaughter of Ron and Diane Miller.

2006 – Launches SOLO, which Steven Heimoff from Wine Enthusiast describes as “a perfect expression of Stags Leap” (issue: March 1, 2006); replaces Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc with vineyard-designate Sauvignon Blanc from Miller Ranch in Yountville.

2007 – Embarks on initiative to convert winery to solar power; Silverado also begins transition to vineyard vehicles with hybrid engines technology. Solar panels are also installed to reduce the need for outside energy by 30 percent.

2008 – Releases its 25th vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon—the 2005—in the fall.

2008 – Implements a series of initiatives to conserve water in the vineyards.

R O N AN D D I AN E M I L L E R A Short History By Diane Miller My mother and I �rst came to the Napa Valley in 1975. It was a day trip from Los Angeles, and we were to visit two wineries that were o�ered for sale. The wines of Napa Valley were making exciting news around the world. We were curious about the wine country, and intrigued by the idea that it might be a good investment. Ron was unable to go with us this �rst time, but we came home with the decision that we would seek some proven vineyard land as our investment rather than an existing winery. We would get income from the land, and perhaps build our own winery someday. Harry See’s property was o�ered. Again, mother and I went up to see it. It was a beautiful property, approximately 90 acres planted. The Napa River was the western boundary, the Silverado Trail on the east. See’s home was quite wonderful…a very masculine California ranch style, with heavy beams and lots of glass. A �attened pad on top of a small hill on the property was where See said he’d planned to build his winery. We made an o�er, and it was accepted. During the escrow, however, he changed his mind. About the same time another property was brought to our attention. It was owned by See’s niece, and was directly across the river from his property. I couldn’t go this time, but Ron could, and he went with mother to see it. They came home full of enthusiasm. It was approximately 80 acres of planted Chardonnay, with some Gewürztraminer. There was a charming old home, in very good condition because of its previous owners. We made an o�er, and it was accepted. Then the See property became available again. Mother purchased it, and we went for the second parcel….a bold investment. We’ve never regretted it. For several years we continued to sell the grapes that were already contracted for. Our Chardonnay was going to Mike Grgich. We replanted much of the vineyards on AXR root stock at the advice of our vineyard management. On mother’s property we had cabernet and merlot, and we replanted the Gewürztraminer on our property to Sauvignon Blanc. Some years later the entire valley would be forced to replant everything planted on AXR, because it did not prove to be resistant to the root louse that caused phyloxera. When we decided to build our winery we chose Richard Keith as our architect. It would be built on the site that See had chosen. Richard got a call one day from a young winemaker looking for a job making wine. Jack Stuart called Richard from a pay phone on his lunch break, we agreed to meet him, and he became our founding Winemaker, and General Manager as well, because we were living in Southern California at the time. It would be some years before we were able to move to Napa and make it our home. Jack made beautiful wine for us. He’d actually picked some of the Gewürztraminer before it was ripped and made some in his basement before the winery was built. It was lovely. We really enjoyed those few bottles.

Ron and I began to see out additional vineyard. We went with Jack to look at existing vineyards and raw land. We eventually purchased historic vineyard sites that needed redeveloping. We acquired the Mount George property in 1988, which is now completely replanted to red grapes, Cabernet and Merlot, with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and, more recently, Malbec. In 1988 we also purchased the Carneros property that we now call “Firetree”, which was partially planted to Chardonnay and we added more. Then in 1992 we purchased the beautiful Soda Canyon property, which we planted to Sangiovese, Zinfandel, and later added Sauvignon Blanc. The olive trees on that property are the source of the oil we o�er for sale. Another Carneros property, our Vineburg Vineyard, is our most recent and maybe �nal acquisition, and is the source of our best Chardonnay. We’ve added on to the winery twice, and it is now complete. Our oldest granddaughter, Annabelle, created our new label to celebrate our more impressive presence on the hill. Jack Stuart retired in 2004 and Russell Weis is now our General Manager. Jon Emmerich, who had worked with Jack for many years, now has �lled his place. Elena Fanceschi and Fred Hansen complete the winemaking sta�, and had also worked with Jack, and have been with us for many years, as has our cellar master Rick Thomas. New farming ideas, di�erent trellising and pruning techniques have changed the look of the valley. Every harvest is di�erent in size and quality of fruit. Some years, of course, produce outstanding wines, and we are always thrilled with those. But our wine is consistent in its quality. We’ve gone to the screw cap on our white wines to eliminate the possibility of a corky bottle. We grow the fruit and make the wine the Napa Valley is known for, and we are so glad to be here!

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Media Inquiries: Erin Schulz Silverado Vineyards (707) 259-6636 eschulz@silveradovineyards.com

R U SSE L L W E I S General Manager

B i ography

Russ was born into a family of grape growers in Madera, California. As a boy, he spent many days and nights working side by side in the vineyards with his father and grandfather. This rural California experience proved to be the foundation of a career in �ne wine that would take Russ to every corner of the globe. Russ �rst moved to the Napa Valley in 1981 to pursue degrees in Literature and French at Paci�c Union College. While an undergraduate Russ spent a year in Haut-Savoie in France. Rumors still circulate that he did more skiing than studying. Upon graduation in 1985, he taught English language and literature at a small liberal arts college in Japan. In 1987, Russ returned to Napa and joined the Christian Brothers Winery in St. Helena, California as a tour guide, eventually working his way up to a position in Public Relations. He worked closely with Christian Brothers’ legendary winemaker, Brother Timothy. His familiarity with foreign countries and languages was well known to Christian Brothers’ ownership, International Distillers & Vintners Ltd. who made Russ their Global Brand Manager for California Wines in 1990. In 1993, Russ joined the Robert Mondavi Winery where he led the Asia/Paci�c export business. He held several posts with Mondavi, including Director of Public Relations for Opus One. In 2000, Russ was named Mondavi Winery’s Senior Vice President for International Business Development, a position he held until joining Silverado Vineyards in 2004. When he’s not busy touting the virtues of Silverado Vineyards wines, Russ enjoys playing piano and admits to “a bad game of golf.” He’s also involved in a personal wine project with partners in Spain’s Priorat region. He’s a member of the Board of Directors of the Stags Leap District Association, the International Programs Committee of the Napa Valley Vintners and serves on the board of the Napa Valley Symphony. Russ lives near Yountville with his wife, Laurie, and their daughter, Josephine. The Weis family still lives on and farms the vineyards in Madera where Russ grew up.

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Media Inquiries: Erin Schulz Silverado Vineyards (707) 259-6636 eschulz@silveradovineyards.com

JO N E M M E R I C H Winemaker

B i ography

Jon 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. Jon has come a long way since his days as a kid in Redwood City, a suburb south of San Francisco. In those days, he remembers his parents drinking Mateus Rosé and Blue Nun, popular wine brands in the 70s. It wasn’t until Jon went away to college at UC Davis where, on a lark, he enrolled in the Fermentation Science program, that he was introduced to the greater world of California wine. As it turns out, Jon’s lessons took place not only in the classroom, but also in his dorm room. He and a dorm mate, whose family owned a small farm and winery in Lodi, decided to use some of the family fruit to make wine in their dorm room. It was a red blend and, at that point, Jon realized that if he could make decent wine in a dorm room, then he could make really good wine out in the world. In 1985, Emmerich tested his wings in France for an internship where he augmented his knowledge of the traditional wine making craft. 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. Emmerich is Past President of the Napa Valley Wine Tech Group and Past President of the Winemaking Techniques Committee of the California Enological Research Association. He is currently on the Board of The Trellis Alliance, an advisory committee to The University of California, Davis Viticulture and Enology Department. Managing winemaking is just one part of what Jon does at Silverado Vineyards. He spends a lot of time on the road, meeting consumers and carrying the Silverado story outside the Napa Valley. He also spends copious amounts of time working in Silverado’s estate vineyards to understand the terroir and communicate its story through the wines. Jon sums it up nicely – “If my sta� enjoys their work and our customers enjoy our wines, then I have done my job. In the end, that’s what really matters.”

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Media Inquiries: Erin Schulz Silverado Vineyards (707) 259-6636 eschulz@silveradovineyards.com