Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
Here's what they like share about their wines: Our wines reflect the unique characteristics of each vintage and of the Rutherford growing district. It begins in the vineyard---as we use only a small percentage of the grapes grown on our estate, the fruit that is perfect to the eye and loaded with flavor. We hire harvest crews chosen for their selective picking techniques, and then we hand sort to insure we are using nothing but the finest fruit. Using gentle, gravity-fed systems in the winery, a judicious use of oak barrel aging in the finest French oak, and daily attention to the wines during aging, we produce the finest wines possible in small, select quantities.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.