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Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars
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The pHunction of Science in Winemaking
The definition of enology is the scientific study and making of wine; however, in most California wineries, an enologist is not synonymous with a winemaker. Winemaking duties can range from overseeing vineyards to cellar operations to blending and bottling. An enologist is always focused on the wine itself, analyzing and evaluating it at every stage of development to ensure its soundness and quality before leaving the winery. “Our job is often described as keeping the wine healthy,” says Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Enologist Mark Lucci. “In another industry, we might be considered the quality control department.”
Integrated Pest Management: It’s A Bug’s Life
When most people look at a vineyard, they see an orderly series of vine rows marching off to a distant vanishing point. But for Kirk Grace, Vineyard Manager at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, the sight is something more akin to the movie “A Bug’s Life.” He knows that beneath the neatness and symmetry there is a wealth of activity —animal, plant, and insect life. It’s a world-within-a-world, and although most people are unacquainted with it, in spring, it preoccupies Kirk on a daily basis.
Irrigation: Turning Water into Wine
As every home gardener knows, water is crucial to the success of any plant-growing endeavor. But in grape growing, the application of water – or irrigation – is the single most influential tool growers have to affect the desired outcome of a particular vintage. Too much water and the grapes will produce an insipid, vegetal wine; too little water and the wine will be overly tannic and astringent. It’s a fine line, and it’s one that Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Vineyard Manager Kirk Grace walks every day.
Racking: Decanting on a Large Scale
When most people think about how wine is made, they envision beautiful vineyards, tidy rows of oak barrels, stainless steel tanks, and a winemaker tasting out of a glass or two. If they’ve been to a winery during harvest, they may even think about bins of grapes being tilted into a hopper. But in reality, there is a lot more to making wine than meets the eye. Winemaker Nicki Pruss likens it to building a house.
Just Great Wine
I started collecting wine in the mid-1980s, during my second visit to Napa Valley. I had the opportunity to taste some older vintages at a winery there and realized how much more interesting and satisfying the wines were when aged and cellared properly. It was on that trip that I put down my first wines for later consumption. Among them was a 1984 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars CASK 23 Cabernet Sauvignon.
Community
“Just opened a bottle of 1978 Cabernet Sauvignon last night, pulled from a friends cellar a generous friend, I might add. The cork broke and the initial pour was questionable. Within fifteen minutes, the second pour was a revelation, with a dark, black fruit nose mingled with olive tapenade and spice. The palate was strutting a lush mouthfeel and plenty of fruit. This wine caught everyone by surprise, and was a joy to consume. At 13 percent alcohol, this wine still has a life ahead of it. ”
“We drank the Fay Block 7 from the May (wine club shipment) and felt it was one on the best Napa Cabs we have ever had!
Editor's note: This wine is only available to wine club members and guests of the winery.”
Auctions
South Beach
Wine & Food Festival
Silent Auction
- Miami, FL - February 25, 2010
Sotheby's New York
- March 20, 2010