Winemaker Notes
The 2022 The Leap Cabernet Sauvignon greets the eye with a deep, dark ruby color and a nose that is both intense and elegant. Aromas of ripe black cherry, blackberry, and dark plum are complemented by hints of violet, black pepper, and toasted oak. The wine’s complexity continues on the palate, where rich flavors of black raspberry, cassis, and ripe plum unfold, balanced by secondary notes of dark chocolate, espresso, and cedar. The mouthfeel is full-bodied with velvety tannins, which provide a plush texture and a long, satisfying finish. The natural acidity gives the wine a sense of freshness, while the wine’s deep, powerful flavors showcase the depth of the estate’s terroir. Though it is wonderfully expressive now, this wine is built for aging, with the potential to evolve beautifully over the next 10-15 years.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of black and red currants, spiced poached plums, licorice, bitter cocoa and red mahogany. The palate is full-bodied with seamlessly integrated tannins, a silken mouthfeel and a succulent, savory and fruit-driven finish. A wine made from 100% estate fruit, a polished and refined blend of 77% cabernet sauvignon, 17% petit sirah, 4% petit verdot, 1% malbec and 1% merlot.
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.
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.