Winemaker Notes
The Leap is always a glorious representation of the distinctive personality of Stags' Leap's estate vineyard and this 2020 vintage is no exception, with incredible dark ruby, violet-colored intensity, and saturation, leading to a robust nose with a bounty of red and dark berry fruit aromas. Notes of black cherry, blackberry, and dark plum easily come through alongside perfumed hints of delicate wild lavender. The palate has a plethora rich dark berry fruits with richness and vibrancy. A classical example of Stags Leap District Cabernet with exuberant bramble berry fruit flavors of ripe black cherry, black raspberry and plum, alongside perfumed notes of cola nut, root spice, forest floor and ground espresso on the finish. Big, rich and plush with multi-layered attractiveness, this Cabernet is full-bodied and elegant with depth of structure and firm, chewy tannins. Secondary notes of graphite, mocha and bittersweet dark chocolate follow through on the lengthy and savory mouthwatering finish. Incredibly pleasing upon release, while also demonstrating the opulence and grace of the estate, hallmarks of this wine, allowing for aging beautifully over time for the next ten to twenty years.
Blend: 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petite Sirah, 3% Malbec, 1% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Cassis, fruit cake, and violets followed by ground vanilla beans and mint chocolate with underlying crushed rocks and black ink notes. Full-bodied, firm yet finely grained ripe tannins with good freshness to it. Outstanding concentration with framed structure. Opulent yet harmonious. A blend of 92% cabernet sauvignon, 4% petit sirah, 3% malbec and 1% merlot. Aged for 20 months in 65% new French oak barriques. Give this more time to come around. Try after 2027.
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Decanter
Fragrant dried thyme and mulberry notes with red liquorice, toasted coconut and iron shavings. Full-bodied with a real purity of blackberry fruit and mixed-berry compote. A dusty tannin backbone and a long mineral finish underscore the satiny fruit profile.
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Wine Spectator
Offers a mix of sagebrush, sweet bay leaf, incense and dried violet aromatics that drape prettily over a core of cassis and gently mulled plum fruit. After a caressing feel at the start, this picks up graphite-edged grip on the sneaky long finish. Best from 2024 through 2036. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon The Leap appears clean and rocks solid, with beautiful cassis, violet, and graphite notes as well as fine tannins in its medium-bodied, balanced profile.
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.