Winemaker Notes
Enjoy with spice-rubbed rack of lamb or roasted duck with a cherry sauce.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Supple and generous are just a few words that begin to describe this delicious 100% Cabernet. The tannins are gentle, the acidity soft but supportive of the structure, and as for the flavors, they go beyond satisfaction into sheer delight. They include blackberries, cherries, blueberries, currants, mocha and red licorice, but the wine has an earthiness and minerality that give it true complexity. This is Stag’s Leap most accessible 2009 Cabernet, easily deserving its high score for sheer delight. Drink now-2015.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Fay Estate is a striking, radiant wine graced with layers of dark red fruit, flowers, spices and menthol. It is a generous, open wine with great depth and polish in its textured personality. The oak is a bit prominent in this vintage, yet the 2009 is a huge improvement over the 2008. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2021.
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 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.