Winemaker Notes
The 2020 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon offers generous aromas of black fruit, cocoa, blackberry jam, ripe plum and baking spice. Integrated fruit and oak flavors meld on the palate with rich, polished tannins. The tannin structure, dark fruit, and pleasing minerality point to this wine’s ability to age.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of ripe black and blue fruit with hints of toast, ground spices, cherry chocolate and walnut. Full-bodied, spiced and toasty with firm, compact and long-lasting tannins. It has a bed of dark fruit flavors with dark spices and earthy undertones and a lingering, velvety finish. Try from 2026.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Black cherries, raspberries and cassis—just oodles of fruit—dominate the nose of the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon S.L.V. It's ripe and opulent up front, full-bodied and supple at first, then it adds tannin all along the palate, finishing with a rush of dusty tannins and a bit of astringency.Ratiing: 94+
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Wine Spectator
Delivers plum, black cherry and blackberry notes, which meld steadily with flashes of loam, roasted vanilla and licorice root along the way. Shows savory and earth echoes through the finish, which reveals a hint of grain. Drink now through 2035.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon S.L.V. is more focused and firm, with slightly muted cassis and graphite aromatics as well as notes of scorched earth, crushed stone, and a kiss of violets. It too has nicely integrated background oak, building, firm, yet ripe tannins, and a good, although not great finish. There's plenty to like here, and while It's not obviously smoked, it certainly is slightly muted and closed, with the firmer tannins giving me pause. Rating: 90+
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.