(April 25, 2007—Napa, Calif.) ––In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the now famous “1976 Paris Tasting,” the tasting that shocked and amazed wine connoisseurs the world over and changed the course of California wine history, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars has released 73 limited edition 3-litre commemorative bottles of the Napa Valley winery’s flagship wine, the 2003 Cask 23 Cabernet Sauvignon. Each of the hand-etched, painted and numbered bottles is housed in a custom walnut box, and, with a nod to the year of the tasting, is being made available to collectors for $1,976.

The elegant design was inspired by a piece of artwork featured at the winery, a brass armillary sphere representing the Copernican theory of the solar system. “Copernicus theorized that the earth was not the center of our solar system, which was thought to be revolutionary at that time,” commented Proprietor and Founding Winemaker Warren Winiarski, whose 1973 (thus the “73” bottles) Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon won best red wine in the legendary tasting. “In the same way, the Paris Tasting had a revolutionary effect on the world of wine, astonishing aficionados and destroying some long-held beliefs and prejudices. It was the first new center and starting point from which many other regions, wines, and countries were able to radiate and make their own mark on the ?solar system’ of wine.”

The 1976 Paris Tasting, a professionally judged blind tasting in which the 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon and a 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay bested their French counterparts, occupies a significant place not only in wine history, but in American history as well. In 1986 both winning wines were accessioned into the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. And in 2006, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution recognizing the 30th anniversary of the California victory and the historical significance of the event to the U.S. wine industry.

“The international recognition of California as one of the finest winegrowing regions in the world began with the Paris Tasting,” said Winiarski. “These 73 bottles celebrate a turning point and a dramatic shift in the course of wine history, one that will likely be referenced, remembered and written about for decades to come.”

CASK 23 Cabernet Sauvignon is a proprietary wine made entirely from estate-grown fruit from the S.L.V. and FAY vineyards in Napa Valley’s Stags Leap District. A wine of subtle richness, CASK 23 is made only in exceptional vintages, when Winiarski and Winemaker Nicki Pruss determine that the optimal expression of vintage and terroir can be achieved. Although the S.L.V. and FAY vineyards are adjacent to one another, they bring very different characteristics to this complex, multi-dimensional wine. First produced in 1974, CASK 23 has won accolades the world over and continues to be one of California’s most highly collectible Cabernet Sauvignons.

About Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars:
Now considered one of the “first growths” of Napa Valley, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars is a private winery estate owned by the Warren Winiarski family since 1972. Two generations of Winiarskis continue to own and operate the winery.

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