Winemaker Notes
Offering a distinctive wine each vintage, the 2016 Ne Cede Malis is elegant and rich with tremendous concentration and depth. The wine reveals layers of dark blackberry, blueberry and raspberry yogurt, interwoven with savory notes of delicate dried chaparral herbs like mint, lavender and sage, alongside an exotic black pepper spice. This single block blend is the simple, pure expression of this extraordinary vineyard, exhibiting a multilayered rich velvety texture highlighting the age and character of the oldest vines on our estate. extraordinary lengthy finish with plushness and opulence. Inviting in its youth but also meant for age-worthiness, decanting is suggested to allow the flavors to evolve and reveal their complexity and elegance.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
This is an amazing field blend of grapes from ancient petite sirah and malbec vines, planted in 1929. Stunning. Full-bodied, layered and very intense, yet balanced and polished. So much wet earth and intensity.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Petite Sirah Ne Cede Malis is a blend of 85% Petite Sirah and 15% other varieties. Deep garnet-purple colored, it bursts from the glass with vibrant blueberries, boysenberries and black cherries notes plus hints of dark chocolate, violets, black olives and red roses. The rich, full-bodied palate has a rock-solid structure supporting the densely packed fruit, finishing long and perfumed. This is a sophisticated, very pretty Petite Sirah! Rating: 94+
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Surprisingly, the most expensive wine in the lineup isn't a Cabernet Sauvignon – it’s the 2016 Petite Sirah Ne Cede Malis, which comes all from the Stags Leap District. A big blueberry and currant nose is followed by a medium to full-bodied, rich, powerful wine that stays light on its feet, with good acidity, fine tannins, and a great finish. I suspect this impressive Petite Sirah will keep for 10-15 years.
-
Wine & Spirits
This estate parcel, planted in 1929, is a mix of 16 varieties, though predominantly petite sirah. The variety and the block fascinate Christophe Paubert, the Frenchman who has been tending the vines and making the wine since 2009. This vintage shows its old-vine complexity in shades of black, from earth to rose to midnight purple fruit. It’s savory, with a formal structure, before the fruit sweetness begins to develop with air. Give this a decade in the cellar and its layered flavor will be more fully on display.
A fashionable country resort in the mid-twentieth century, popular with Hollywood due to its 1892 stone Manor House and historic gardens, legends of bootleggers and gangsters, ghosts and gypsies, Stags' Leap has been home to three major family groups up through the modern revitalization of the winery that began in the 1970s.
Stags Leap Manor, as it was called in the 1920s, was known as one of the prominent country retreats in the Napa Valley at a time when resort and spa business was big. In addition to lodging and dining, amenities included lawn tennis, swimming, horseback riding, children's activities, golf, music, cards, a library, and Napa Valley wines and liquors (prior to and after Prohibition).
An intimate valley within the greater Napa Valley, Stags Leap is a place of natural beauty, storied buildings and gardens, a lively history, and a reputation for elegant wines showing finesse and intensity.
With its deep color, firm tannins and bold flavors, there is nothing petite about Petite Sirah. The variety, originally known as Durif in the Rhône, took on its more popular moniker after being imported to California in the early 1880s. Quintessentially recognized today as a grape of the Golden State, Petite Sirah works well blended with Zinfandel and finds success as a single varietal wine in the state’s warmer districts. Somm Secret—Petite Sirah is not a smaller version of Syrah but it is an offspring of Syrah and the now nearly extinct French Alpine variety called Peloursin.
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.