Winemaker Notes
Enjoy this CASK 23 with red wine and porcini braised short ribs with polenta, honey and calabrian chile pork chops with roasted apples, or truffled goat cheese risotto with prosciutto, arugula, and aged balsamic.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Sporting a deep purple hue to go with a brilliant bouquet of pure blue fruits as well as violets, lead pencil shavings, and chocolaty nuances. Concentrated, powerful, and full-bodied on the palate, it's a structured, tannic wine delivering ultra-fine tannins, flawless balance, perfectly integrated oak, and one heck of a finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Approximately 10% of the wine that went into the 2019 Cask 23 Cabernet Sauvignon was barrel fermented, so expect experimentation in that area to continue. The wine is a terrific example of this cuvée, offering tantalizing floral aromas set against a backdrop of ripe cherries and black cherries. It's medium to full-bodied, intense, rich and ripe, yet still silky and elegant, with a vibrant, mouthwatering finish.
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James Suckling
Blackberry concentrate, tapenade, sandalwood and spices, together with a lift of violets,oyster shell and graphite to the nose. Very concentrated and plush on the palate, with a full body and plenty of fine, resolved tannins clinging to the dark fruit. Very youthful and primary. Needs a few more years to deliver real complexity. Better from 2025.
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Wine Enthusiast
Dusty and earthy, this is a memorable wine from the great estate. Cedar, compost, tobacco and stemmy fruit embrace a core of sturdy, supple tannin and well-integrated oak. Hints of baking spice, cardamom and clove add complexity, with high-toned acidity always brimming just below the surface. Enjoy best from 2029–2039.
Cellar Selection -
Wine Spectator
Ripe and forward in feel, with lots of seductive plum sauce and blackberry compote flavors leading the way, backed by bittersweet cocoa and alder accents. A nice flash of savory underneath gives this energy, range and lift through the finish. And despite the flattering showing, this has ample fine-grained structure for cellaring. Drink now through 2038.
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."
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.