Winemaker Notes
Enjoy this estate-grown Cabernet with braised short-ribs with grilled polenta or roast chicken with tarragon and sage.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Smooth and velvety with luscious plum and berry fruit; toasty and deep with notes of vanilla oak and generous flavors that come together seamlessly; stunning and delicious.
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Decanter
Oaky but classy nose of blackcurrant and coffee. Full, rich, silky and savoury, with a delightful freshness. Serious winemaking here – needs time to show its potential.
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Wine & Spirits
Fragrant black currant flavors shine through the polish of this wine, busty, sweet Napa Valley cabernet grounded by savory notes. The tannins meld oak and grape-skin into scents of cocoa, espresso, green tea and mushrooms. As the wine develops with air, it feels less fat, more toned, with red currant accenting the black fruit notes.
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Wine Enthusiast
This 100% Cabernet is the winery’s best amongst their new releases. It’s rich and ripe with blackberries and cherries, along with lots of new French oak. It’s also very tannic, but the wine isn’t likely to improve in the long haul, so enjoy it now and over the next few years.
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.