In the Napa Valley, there was an old Native American trail where swift hunters chased even swifter game. It was later named the Silverado Trail after an old, depleted silver mine, where the miners had left their rusting pike axes and shovels in search of new riches. The silver was all gone but there was gold everywhere, invisible to the eye but buried in the soil. With the gentle wind and glowing sunshine, the land was like Sleeping Beauty waiting for an enchanted kiss to awaken it from a deep slumber. That “kiss” eventually came when cabernet vines were planted, which made the land dance and sing.

The Stags’ Leap District of the Napa Valley’s great terrior and wonderful wine is the green envy of many of the great chateaus of Bordeaux, and the crown jewel of the Stags’ Leap District is the Silverado Trail. The wineries along the Silverado Trail are almost a who’s who of Napa Valley: Stags’ Leap Winery, Clos Du Val, Joseph Phelps and the excellent Silverado Vineyards.

Silverado Vineyard is producing some of the most complex and aesthetically pleasing wines in the new world, and there are several reasons why Silverado has come to the forefront of the fine wine movement. In the late ’70s, film executive Ron Miller and his wife, Diane, daughter of American genius Walt Disney, purchased several hundred acres of prime vineyard properties throughout the Napa Valley and the Stags’ Leap District. The Millers thought was not to create a winery but to be winegrowers and enjoy the beautiful views of the Napa Valley from their home. But they were soon overwhelmed by the spell of Bacchus and started work on their state-of-the-art winery in the early ’80s. The Millers goal was very simple: to produce the best wines possible in the Napa Valley.

Production of wine started modestly, with less that 2,000 cases of chardonnay and sauvignon blanc in 1983, which was soon followed by 3,700 cases of cabernet sauvignon in 1984, all supervised by veteran winemaker Jack Stuart. During the ’80s, the Millers continued to purchase fine vineyard properties in the Carneros and throughout the Napa Valley.

In the late ’80s and into the ’90s, the qualities of the wine started to make Silverado a real player in the fine-wine movement, receiving fine reviews from the Los Angeles Times and the Wine Spectator. During this time, the number of varietals increased to include the great Tuscan grape sangiovese and rosado, a rosé made with the same grape. In the Tuscan manner, Silverado grows olives along with their sangiovese grapes and they make an excellent olive oil.

In 2004, with Jack Stuart in retirement, new winemaker Jon Emmerich began to develop a wine program that emphasized estate fruit from the seven vineyards owned by Silverado. The quest was to obtain a greater understanding of the terrior of the vineyards, four of which are historical viticulture sites.

With the spotlight on estate fruit, I had the pleasure of trying the second vintage of the 100-percent estate fruit cabernet sauvignon, the incredible Solo. The wine is an incredible Empire State building of fruit, story after story of flavor, dried plums, tobacco, figs and black currants all rising on the palate.

The wine continued to develop with aeration, but I finished it in a little more than an hour along with my filet. I give the 2003 Solo a 92-plus rating. I liked it better than the ’02, which I thought was outrageously good. A reason for the greatness of this wine is the use of a historic clone of cabernet sauvignon founded in the Stags’ Leap District that gives the wine a slightly different flavor profile. $75

The Silverado 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is another winner. It is different stylistically from Solo; the cabernet has a little more elegance and a bit more in the aromatics with the inclusion of cabernet franc and merlot. The use of a small percentage of American oak gives the wine a creamier texture. I rate this wine 90-plus points. $75

The 2005 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Miller Ranch Vineyard, is another beauty queen. It has rich complexity and lots of guava and kiwi nuance with gorgeous citrus fruit. I give the wine 89-plus points. Take the SB home and drink it now! $18

The 2005 Carneros Chardonnay, Vineburg Vineyard, is an excellent chardonnay that uses almost no oak, bringing out the true nature of the varietal. The wine has a lovely mouth feel with hints of apple and minerality, and an orange-blossom nose. Just lovely. I rate it 91 points. $30