Stags leap wine cellars fay cabernet sauvignon

It’s the quality and reputation of Napa Valley wine that inspire crowds of tourists to visit Napa Valley wineries dotting Highway 29, nestled between the Mayacamas mountain range to the west and the Vaca Range to the east.

Despite its limited acreage, Napa Valley is a diverse growing region with many microclimates and varied soil types. Over the 30 miles from the cool San Francisco Bay north through Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena and Calistoga, the average temperature can increase 10 percent. So cool-weather varieties like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir thrive in Carneros, at the southern end of the region; warm-weather grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc fare better in the north.

Tasting Notes: Inviting aromas of ripe berries, figs, plums, candied cherries, strawberry preserves, and a touch of a jasmine perfume. The wine has a bright and lively entry and mid-palate, which is nicely-balanced with rich polished tannins and cherry pie aftertaste.

Try pairing this estate-grown Cabernet with citrus and roasted beet salad with goat cheese, soy-glazed salmon, or Pork Milanese.

Soft, rounded red fruit marks the juicy midpalate of this beautifully made wine that is appealing in its robust weight and power. With tamed tannins, it offers a mix of black cherry, dried herb, graphite and crushed rock around a length of supportive oak. Virginie Boone

2015 Vintage Tasted: Jun 2019

An herbal imprint permeates across this wine—a bright expression of the grape that's earthy and lingering in tobacco, cigar box and pencil shavings. Clove, currant and sage play prominent roles across a landscape of full-bodied balance and complexity. Virginie Boone

2014 Vintage Tasted: Jun 2018

Grippy in tannin, this wine has a substantial weight on the palate that resolves in the glass to highlight flavors of black currant, clove and dried herb. Thick and rich, it has secondary characteristics of tobacco and earthy compost that accentuate its overall savory nature. Virginie Boone

2013 Vintage Tasted: Jan 2017

Smooth, chalky tannin supports deep, dark layers of tar, black currant and savory peppercorn, within a context of baked plum. Full bodied, the wine is also round and easy to love, with supportive structure making it a worthwhile bottle from the stellar appellation.

2012 Vintage Tasted: Jan 2015

From the vineyard that helped propel the appellation's reputation into the stratosphere, this wine delivers both in terms of its historical significance, but also in present-day refinement and complexity. A flinty, earthy layer of black truffle and coffee open the aromatic profile of the wine before offering bold, brawny flavors of leather and black currant. The oak is well integrated and the tannins sizable yet behaved. This is a beautiful wine.

2009 Vintage Tasted: Jul 2014

This delicious 100% Cabernet is supple and generous. The tannins are gentle, the acidity soft yet supportive of the structure, and as for the flavors, they go beyond satisfaction into sheer delight. They include blackberry, cherry, blueberry, currant, mocha and red licorice, but the wine has an earthiness and minerality that give it true complexity. This is Stag's Leap's most accessible 2009 Cabernet, easily earning its high score for sheer delight. Drink now–2015.

2010 Vintage Tasted: Jan 2014

ThisCabernet is the winery's best amongst their new releases. It's rich and ripe with blackberries and cherries, along with lots of new French oak. It's also very tannic, but the wine isn't likely to improve in the long haul, so enjoy it now and over the next few years.

2008 Vintage Tasted: Jan 2012

So upfront in spectacularly ripe raspberry, cherry and mocha flavors, it's hard to keep from draining the bottle now. This shows the classic tannins of Stags Leap, soft and sweet but potent. Drink it now and enjoy for sheer opulence, but you might be missing out on something really special around 2016.

2007 Vintage Tasted: Jan 2011

This is a very strongly flavored Cabernet, most notable for the intensity of its blackberry, cherry and raspberry fruit. It's almost sweet, an impression furthered by the caramel of toasted oak, although in reality the wine is fully and appropriately dry. Delicious and flashy, it should evolve in the bottle over the next dozen years.

2006 Vintage Tasted: Jan 2010

The pedigree of thisCabernet shows in the finely crafted tannins that are rich and voluptuous, and in the ripe blackberry and cherry fruit, which marries so well with sweetly caramelized oak. Satisfies now for sheer opulence. Extended aging may not be warranted, due to some inherent imbalance, including a sweaty, funky note.

2003 Vintage Tasted: Jan 2007

This reminds me of the 2000; it's a little on the light side, but elegant. Feels dry and balanced in the mouth, with firm tannins and crisp, citrusy acidity. There is currant and cherry fruit, but it seems strangely diluted. Still, it could hold a surprise down the road.

2002 Vintage Tasted: Jan 2006

The immediate impression is of extreme youth and mandatory cellaring. Bluntly, this is not an easy wine to like now. It has a peppery edge, and the blackberry fruit is buried under tons of dark, brooding tannins. Best to age until at least 2009, but it should be worth the wait.

2001 Vintage Tasted: Jan 2005

Classically proportioned, and drinkable now for its sweet oak, luscious blackcurrant fruit and immediate appeal. But it packs a real punch on the finish, showing the controlled power of an ager. Will easily cellar through this decade.

2000 Vintage Tasted: Jan 2004

A little light, but silky smooth, with a caressing mouthfeel that pushes polished cherry and tobacco flavors softly along. Turns tart and a little peppery on the finish; drink now.

1999 Vintage Tasted: Jan 2003

Entirely from a vineyard in the Stags Leap District, which is a little cooler than mid-Napa appellations. This gorgeous, sumptuous, fully ripened wine has aromas of blackcurrants, mushrooms, coffee and sage. In the mouth, it has classic cabernet flavors and structure. The tannins are a wonder, rich and thick but easy and delicious. A total delight to sip, and it will age, too.

1998 Vintage Tasted: Jan 2002

Here's what a great estate does. there's no mistaking the pedigree, from the sumptuous, velvety texture to the exciting balance. It's class all the way from the elegant entry to the long, spicy finish. A hollow center says it won't age, but it's pretty nice stuff.

The nose is fruity and offers intensity, a fine concentration and minerality. It reveals notes of wild cassis, wild cassis and small notes of small wild berries associated with a touch of cherry as well as hints of nutmeg, tobacco leaves and a discreet hint of grey pepper. The mouth is fruity, well-balanced and offers a juicy/mineral frame, a good definition as well as gourmandize. In the mouth this wine expresses notes of juicy/fleshy blackberry, juicy cassis and small notes of wild raspberry associated with small touches of violet, small wild berries as well as fine hints of violet and a subtle hint of almond. A very fine chew and a hint of vanilla on the persistence.

The nose is aromatic, structured and offers power as well as intensity. It reveals notes of ripe cassis, black cherry and small notes of fleshy blackberry, plum associated with slight touches of small wild red berries, as well as hints of Sichuan pepper, tobacco, nutmeg, spices, a very discreet hint of tea, camphor and an imperceptible touch of cocoa. The palate is fruity, well-balanced, suave, fine, racy and offers a beautiful definition, a slight acidulous frame, a good structure, a small freshness as well as tension and a beautiful grain. On the palate this wine expresses notes of cassis, black cherry and small notes of blackberry associated with small touches of wild raspberry, wild red berries as well as slight hints of nutmeg, sweet spices, toasted almond and a very discreet hint of flowers (in the background). Power on the finish / persistence. There is a touch of cocoa on the finish / persistence.

Is Stags Leap a good Cabernet?

Which is better Stag's or Stags?

Is Stags Leap in Bottle Shock?

Are there two Stags Leap wineries?