Photo caption:
The hills of San Savino from the Castello, Frontone Italy
San Savino Vineyards is a small family-owned estate in the famous Yountville appellation of Napa Valley. It is named after a scenic plot of land in San Savino, Italy that the Roselli family farmed for generations before coming to America.
Frank Roselli, chemist in Italy, 1953
In 1955 Frank Roselli immigrated to America where he successfully pursued a career as a research chemist and eventually retired in Napa Valley with his wife Aurora. The scenic beauty of Yountville along with the exceptional terroir, provided the formula and inspiration for the Roselli family wine venture.
The reference to San Savino is to honor Frank’s grandfather Nonno Francesco and his father Arduino for their lifetime of hard work and sacrifices.
Nonno Francesco, who appears on the label, came to America in the early 1900's in search of work to support his family back home in Italy. Francesco worked in the copper mines of Utah and the coal mines of Pennsylvania alongside many other Italian immigrants.
The work was back breaking and dangerous. Francesco became an explosive expert which garnished a higher pay scale due to the inherent risk. He later plied his trade boring tunnels through the Alps.
Nonno Francesco Roselli, cira 1924
Francesco saved the money he earned in America and later returned to Italy to purchase five acres of choice land in San Savino.
It was this same land that Frank Roselli worked as a boy alongside his father Arduino. These rolling hills of San Savino Italy later became the inspiration for the purchase of five scenic acres in Napa Valley, California that Frank aptly named San Savino, in honor of his ancestors.
Aurora & Frank Roselli
The Roselli Family
San Savino Vineyards Wines is a family operated business, with everyone helping out where they can. Frank and Aurora are pictured here with their daughter Pia and favorite son-in-law Don Murphy. The grand daughters are Penny and Molly Murphy.
A few years ago, Frank wrote a book dedicated to Molly and Penny entitled "Letters To My Granddaughters".
The story is a collection of letters from an Italian "nonno" to his American born granddaughters recalling a life that begins as a simple farmer in a small rural town in central Italy in the 30's and endures WWII to later beat the odds and become a famous Chemist who will eventually emigrate to America.
The setting of the story is of course, San Savino in the Marche region of Italy. The cover picture of the book has the famous castle of Frontone in the background, and behind that lie the fields of San Savino.