Stag's Leap Wine Cellars KARIA Chardonnay 2014
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Wong
Wilfred -
Enthusiast
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Parker
Robert
Product Details
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Winemaker Notes
Try pairing this Chardonnay with grilled chicken with lemon aioli, grilled salmon with a cucumber, tomato and fresh dill salsa or roast chicken breast stuffed with spinach, feta cheese and roasted tomato.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Some things never change and the 2014 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Karia Chardonnay is one of the best examples of this axiom. This is a picture perfect, well balanced, ultra-premium wine. I would pair this one with grilled Mary's organic chicken and call it a night. Medium straw in color; aromas show fine and intricate weaving of ripe, core fruits and sweet oak, excellent aromatic and depth; medium bodied, textured yet lively on the palate; fine balance; lasting flavors of ripe apples and vanilla; smooth and bright in the aftertaste, with an almost rounded creaminess. (Tasted: February 19, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine Enthusiast
A greeting of caramel and honey reveals a touch of barrel reduction in this medium-bodied, generously layered wine. It imparts a ripeness of melon and apple, finishing in a sprinkling of nutmeg.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A beautiful Chardonnay from Stag's Leap, the 2014 Chardonnay Karia spent seven months on its lees in 30% new French oak. It exhibits wonderful, tropical pineapple, white peach and honeysuckle notes, great acidity, and beautifully, pure fruit with very little evidence of oak. It is medium to full-bodied, fresh and very seductive. Drink it over the next several years.
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Wine
Considered one of the "first growths" of Napa Valley, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars produces renowned Cabernet Sauvignon from its historic Stags Leap District estate vineyards. Learn about Stags Leap history and estate-grown wines.
History of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars was founded in 1970 with the purchase of a 40 acre property in the now famed Stag’s Leap District AVA in Napa Valley. The winery brought international recognition to California winemaking and the Napa Valley region when their 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon won the 1976 Paris Tasting, also known as the "Judgement of Paris."
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Estate-Grown Cabernet Sauvignon
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars' three estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignons - CASK 23, S.L.V. and Fay - are among the most highly regarded and collected Cabernet Sauvignons worldwide. The Cabernet wines are fashioned to express richness balanced by elegant restraint, an approach often described as "an iron fist in a velvet glove."
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
One of the world's most highly regarded regions for wine production as well as tourism, the Napa Valley was responsible for bringing worldwide recognition to California winemaking. In the 1960s, a few key wine families settled the area and hedged their bets on the valley's world-class winemaking potential—and they were right.
The Napa wine industry really took off in the 1980s, when producers scooped up vineyard lands and planted vines throughout the county. A number of wineries emerged, and today Napa is home to hundreds of producers ranging from boutique to corporate. Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely the grape of choice here, with many winemakers also focusing on Bordeaux blends. White wines from Napa Valley are usually Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that claim specific wine characteristics based on situation, slope and soil. Farthest south and coolest from the influence of the San Pablo Bay is Carneros, followed by Coombsville to its northeast and then Yountville, Oakville and Rutherford. Above those are the warm St. Helena and the valley's newest and hottest AVA, Calistoga. These areas follow the valley floor and are known generally for creating rich, dense, complex and smooth red wines with good aging potential. The mountain sub appellations, nestled on the slopes overlooking the valley AVAs, include Stags Leap District, Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley (farther east), Howell Mountain, Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain District and Diamond Mountain District. Napa Valley wines from the mountain regions are often more structured and firm, benefiting from a lot of time in the bottle to evolve and soften.