Winemaker Notes
Serve with braised beef cheeks or crown roast of lamb.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The flagship wine, the 2007 Cask 23 Estate is primarily Cabernet Sauvignon and production is usually between 1,500-1,600 cases. Displaying finesse, power and measured restraint, this deep dark plum/purple-tinged 2007 reveals notes of black currants, Asian spices, sweet plums, Christmas fruitcake and cedar. A medium to full-bodied, delicate but substantial beauty.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged in mostly new French oak, this is a very elaborate wine. It's quite good, a full-bodied, powerful Cab with a molten core of blackberries and black currants and, of course, a thick, dry layer of firm tannins. It does not seem to have quite the depth of vintages from certain earlier vintages, but it should develop nicely in the cellar over the next decade or longer.
-
Wine & Spirits
An elegant vintage of Cask 23, this supple cabernet has impressive purity to its fruit in the dark sweetness of black cherries, accented by hints of violets and mint. Oak enhances the structure rather than dominating it. Blended from two vineyards in the heart of the Stags Leap District—S.L.V. and Fay—the wine has the soft layers of tannin cabernet can achieve in this corner of the Napa Valley. The fruit will rest comfortably under that blanket of tannin as the wine ages.
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.