Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars sits on the Silverado Trail in the Stags Leap District, founded by Warren Winiarski in 1972. In 1976 its 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon won the red wine category at Steven Spurrier’s Judgment of Paris blind tasting, defeating first-growth Bordeaux and rewriting the global wine hierarchy.

The founding and the Judgment of Paris

Warren Winiarski left his position at Robert Mondavi Winery and purchased land on the Silverado Trail in 1972, founding Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. He planted Cabernet Sauvignon in the Stags Leap Palisades, a distinctive rock formation of ancient volcanic origin that defines the AVA. His goal was to prove that California could produce Cabernet capable of aging and competing with the world’s finest.

In 1976 British wine merchant Steven Spurrier organized a blind tasting in Paris, pitting top California wines against premier cru Bordeaux and grand cru Burgundy. The nine French judges tasted without knowing what was in their glasses. When the scores were tallied, the 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon finished first among the reds, ahead of Mouton Rothschild, Montrose, Haut-Brion, and Ridge Monte Bello. Time magazine ran the story. The wine world has never been the same.

The 1976 Judgment of Paris judges were all French. They tasted blind. Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon came first among the reds. The result changed everything.

The Stags Leap District and its iron-fist-in-velvet-glove terroir

The Stags Leap District sits on the eastern floor of Napa Valley, cooled by afternoon winds funneling north from San Pablo Bay. The palisade cliffs of dark, ancient volcanic rock that define the eastern boundary of the district radiate heat during the day and release it slowly at night, moderating temperatures and extending the growing season.

Soils are volcanic in origin, with thin layers of rocky loam over fractured basalt. They stress the vines and produce naturally concentrated fruit without excess vigor. The combination of cool afternoons, heat-radiating cliffs, and volcanic soils gives Stags Leap District Cabernets their defining character: intense dark fruit, firm but polished tannins, and the silky texture often described as an iron fist in a velvet glove.

The wines of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars

S.L.V. Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is the wine that won Paris, made from the original estate vineyard directly below the palisades. It is the most age-worthy in the portfolio, typically needing eight to twelve years to fully open and capable of developing for three decades.

FAY Estate Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the adjacent Fay Vineyard, which Warren Winiarski purchased in 1986. It tends toward a more approachable, rounder style than S.L.V. CASK 23 is the flagship blend of the two estate vineyards, made only in the best vintages. Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon is the more accessible tier, sourced from across Napa Valley. The winery also produces Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Merlot.

Food pairings for Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet

The silky tannin structure of Stags Leap District Cabernet makes these wines more food-flexible than mountain Cabs of similar weight. S.L.V. and CASK 23 reward the finest cuts: dry-aged prime rib, rack of lamb with rosemary and garlic, venison loin. The tannins bind to the protein in the meat and integrate, letting the cassis, graphite, and violets of the wine come forward.

Artemis is versatile enough for a weeknight roast chicken or a mushroom-and-truffle pasta. The polished tannins do not require heavy fat to soften. Aged cheeses, particularly Comté or aged Gouda, also work well: the crystalline texture of aged hard cheese provides the protein the wine is looking for without the richness of red meat.

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars: common questions