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Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars
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A Question of Balance
As we prepare for harvest in the vineyard, we are trying to achieve balance in our vines. Vine balance occurs when a vine has reached the optimal leaf canopy size to ripen the fruit it carries. Each season contributes its own unique influence on vine balance. Vineyard design, which includes row orientation, type of trellis system, and spacing decisions, as well as soil types and climate, all influence the potential balance of the vine.
A Little More Fay
In november 2001, not long after winegrowing pioneer Nathan Fay died at the age of eighty-four, the Winiarski family purchased the seventy-seven acres adjoining the FAY vineyard from Nathan’s family, reunifying the lands that Nathan originally owned.
Harvest 2004: Early, Fast, Intense
The 2004 growing season in the Napa Valley had many of the earmarks of a great vintage, including a warm, dry spring and a cool, foggy summer. A heat spike in early September, with temperatures above 100 degrees, created a suspenseful finale as we hurried to bring in the grapes before high temperatures could cause over-ripening.
The Place Beneath: The "Sweet Spot" of FAY
Over the more than three decades that we have been farming our estate vineyards, we’ve learned that small areas within particular blocks consistently produce grapes with unique qualities of flavor and texture. A case in point is FAY Block 8. In its center is an irregularly shaped "sweet spot" that yields fruit of unusual expressiveness, characterized by voluptuous softness as well as concentration. Over the years this "sweet spot" has been a key component of CASK 23.
Community
“I just wanted to share with you how much a bottle of your wine meant to my family today. About 18 years ago my late husband bought a bottle of 1990 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars "Cask 23" Cabernet Sauvignon. It was signed "to Danny on your 21st birthday." Well today was my sons 21st birthday so we opened, drank, and enjoyed that bottle of wine. It was so special that my son could enjoy a gift from his father even though he is no longer with us. So thank you for producing an amazing bottle of wine that can be enjoyed 21 years later.”
“I visited your winery last year on a trip with friends to Napa Valley and found it very enjoyable. Yesterday a bunch of us did a mini re-enactment of the Paris 1976 wine tasting, with four chardonnays and two cabs. In a blind tasting, we put the '07 Stag's Leap SLV cab up against the French Chateau Montrose (which had scored a 122 vs. Stag's Leap's 127.5 In 1976). The crowd cheered when the Stag's Leap '07 was pulled out of the bag as the winner, having scored 213 points to Montrose's 175. Every person at the tasting picked yours as the better wine. Just wanted you to know that 35 years later you're still beating the French in blind wine tastings!”
Auctions
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Auction Lot Sold for $86,100 At the 19th Annual High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction
- March 30, 2011
The Stag's Leap Wine Cellars live auction lot (Lot 38) sold for an incredible $130,000 at Auction Napa Valley
- Napa Valley, CA - June 3, 2011
Sun Valley Center Wine Auction
- Sun Valley, ID - July 21, 2011