Winemaker Notes
The Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon is ruby in color with a deep purple tinge and opens with aromas of freshly crushed raspberry and blackberry. Hints of floral and black pepper are followed by dark chocolate notes. Fresh and vibrant on the palate, this wine exhibits a core of powerfully concentrated tannin that plays well off of it's lively acidity. Focused and pure - a prime example of what this unique sub-appellation has to offer.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Stag's Leap is a charming, sexy and silky wine that shows the forward, polished style of the vintage (and of Stag's Leap) beautifully. Blueberries, blackberries, spring flowers and liquid violets notes all emerge from this full-bodied beauty which is silky, opulent, and weightless on the palate. Drink it anytime over the coming decade or more.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Stags' Leap opens with baked cherries, mulberries and plum preserves on the nose with hints of eucalyptus, fragrant earth, moss, black tea and rose hips. Though full-bodied and packed with concentrated red and black fruit layers, the structure is lithe and refreshing, with plush tannins and a spring in its step on the long finish.
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Wine Spectator
Rich and generous, offering tiers of juicy plum, black cherry and wild berry notes, with a dash of crushed rock giving the flavors traction and dimension.
Hall Wines is located in Napa Valley and employs organic small-vine viticulture, precision winemaking, wild-yeast fermentation and micro-block blending to fully extract the purity and quintessence of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Their estate vineyards encompass more than 300 acres of classic Bordeaux varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc. The Halls have a strong respect for the environment and a commitment to cutting edge technology to yield the highest quality grapes. Through meticulous attention to detail in the vineyards, Hall wines are able to express the unique and diverse character of Napa Valley's soils and climate.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Legend has it that quick and nimble stags would escape the indigenous hunters of southern Napa Valley through the landmark palisades that sit just northeast of the current city of Napa. As a result, the area was given the name, Stags Leap. While its grape-growing history dates back to the mid-1800s, winemaking didn’t really take off until the mid-1970s after a small but pivotal blind tasting called the Judgement of Paris.
When a 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon won first place against its high-profile Bordeaux contenders, like Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Chateau Haut-Brion, international attention to the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley escalated rapidly.
The vineyards in this one-of-a-kind wine growing region receive hot afternoon air reflecting off of its eastern palisade formation. In combination with the cool evening breezes from the San Pablo Bay just south, this becomes an optimal environment for grape growing. While many varieties could thrive here, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot dominate with virtually no others, save for a spot or two of Syrah.
Stags Leap soils—eroded volcanic and old river sediments—encourage well established root systems and result in complex, terroir-driven wines. Stags Leap District reds have a distinct sour cherry and black berry character with baking spice and dried earth aromas, and supple tannins.