Silverado Vineyards

Silverado Vineyards is the Disney family's contribution to Napa Valley wine, an estate founded in 1981 by Diane Disney Miller (Walt Disney's daughter) and her husband Ron Miller. The winery takes its name from the Silverado Trail, which runs along the eastern edge of the property, but the connection to the Silverado Trail's literary heritage is apt: Robert Louis Stevenson honeymooned in the Napa Valley in 1880 and wrote about it in The Silverado Squatters, the same book that immortalized nearby Schramsberg. The Disney family's wealth and vision allowed them to secure prime Stags Leap District land and build an estate of genuine substance.

The estate encompasses 400 acres of vineyard across multiple Napa appellations, with the crown jewel being the estate vineyard in the Stags Leap District. Additional holdings in Coombsville, Carneros, and other appellations provide fruit for a diverse portfolio. The Stags Leap property sits on the district's distinctive volcanic soils, backed by the dramatic palisades that define the appellation's character. The elevation and exposure of the estate vineyard, combined with the thermal influence of the rock palisades, create conditions that produce Cabernets of both intensity and elegance.

Winemaker Jon Emmerich produces a portfolio that includes a standard Napa Valley Cabernet, an estate Stags Leap District Cabernet, and the flagship Solo Cabernet, sourced from the best blocks of the estate. The Chardonnay from Carneros and the Sauvignon Blanc are excellent white wine options. The GEO Cabernet, from the estate's highest and most extreme vineyard blocks, is a powerful mountain-influenced wine. The overall style emphasizes structure and balance, producing wines that age well and pair beautifully with food.

The hilltop tasting room offers some of the best views on the Silverado Trail, with the valley floor spreading below and the Mayacamas Range rising in the distance. Tastings are available at the indoor bar or on the terrace, with options ranging from a standard flight to a reserve experience featuring the Solo and GEO Cabernets. The atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming, reflecting the family's desire to make wine accessible rather than exclusive. At $50, the tasting is well-priced for wines of this quality from a prime appellation.

Silverado's Disney connection is a footnote rather than a selling point. The winery has never traded on the Disney name, preferring to let the wines build their own reputation on the merits of the terroir and the winemaking. This restraint is characteristic of a family that could have leveraged an incomparable brand name but chose instead to earn respect the hard way. The result is an estate that is admired for its wines rather than its famous association.