Stag's Leap Wine Cellars

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The Stag's Leap Wine Cellars wasn't always as successful as it is today. In actuality, it had very modest beginnings. Former philosophy professor Warren Winiarski and his wife Barbara bought a run-down 44-acre vineyard in Napa Valley back in 1969. Despite having little prior expertise, they set out to build an outstanding winery.

The couple's dedication and labour of love were rewarded in 1972 when they produced their first, highly regarded vintage. However, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars didn't become well-known all over the world for another five years.

It was not until 1976 at the 'Judgement of Paris', a competition where California wines are pitted against French wines in a blind taste test, that the turning point finally occurred.
In the red wine category, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars triumphed over illustrious French brands like Château Mouton Rothschild and Château Haut-Brion. This triumph changed the course of the winery's history and made it a household name.

Since that time, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars has been regarded as a pioneer in the California wine business and has come to be associated with premium wines. Particularly its Cabernet Sauvignon, which quickly became well-known and a favourite of wine enthusiasts globally.

The Judgement of Paris unquestionably changed the playing field for Stag's Leap Wine Cellars and cemented its position in the wine industry. But the winery's achievement is also a reflection of the Winiarskis' tenacity, toil, and unrelenting devotion to winemaking.

Read our blog - Uncovering the History of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars

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White 14

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Aveta Sauvignon Blanc 2021 75cl £29.69

With aromas of freshly-sliced lemons and green herbs, opening out to pink grapefruit, passionfruit, guava and honeydew melon as it sits in the glass, Stag's Leap Aveta is a generous style of Sauvignon Blanc—closer to fine white Bordeaux than to Sancerre Fresh yet textured, it has understated mineral character underpinning the generous fruit, creamy roundness and lovely, sustained length on the palate Clearly made by a premium producer with great attention to detail, this is really delicious

White 14

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Aveta Sauvignon Blanc 2020 75cl £29.69

With aromas of freshly-sliced lemons and green herbs, opening out to pink grapefruit, passionfruit, guava and honeydew melon as it sits in the glass, Stag's Leap Aveta is a generous style of Sauvignon Blanc—closer to fine white Bordeaux than to Sancerre Fresh yet textured, it has understated mineral character underpinning the generous fruit, creamy roundness and lovely, sustained length on the palate Clearly made by a premium producer with great attention to detail, this is really delicious

Red 14.5

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cask 23 Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 75cl £308.09

Cask 23 Cabernet Sauvignon is the sublime meeting of the absolute best lots from the Stag's Leap Vineyard and the Fay Vineyard The soaring, jubilant fruit character of Fay greets the nose, and is also evident in the mouth: providing succulence and opulence of texture SLV's contribution is evident in the deep, dark, concentrated fruit and savoury notes in the background, as well as the tightly-wound, concentrated structure Even more than the two single-vineyard wines, this is a wine that demands cellaring With age, it is simply awesome

Red 15

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cask 23 Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 75cl £304.99

Even at a young age, the Cask 23 shows clearly what it is: a blend of the choicest portions of the Fay and SLV vineyards It displays Fay's wonderfully vibrant and honest morello cherry aroma, along with toasted spices, a waft of woodsmoke and pencil lead It has the immediate succulence and completeness of SLV, harnessed to Fay's restraint and elegance It is indeed the perfect combination of the two - bravo! With fabulously refined texture, it is graceful, fine and pure, with such persistence of flavour that one sip can last for a minute or more Even though this has an exceptionally long life of 3-4 decades ahead of it, it is easy to appreciate at this early stage