Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, S.L.V., Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2017

“A barrel sample, the very deep purple-black colored 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon S.L.V. leaps from glass with baked black plums, blackberry pie and black currant cordial notes plus hints of wild sage, charcuterie, tapenade and tree bark. Full-bodied, firm and grainy, the rock solid foundation well frames the broody black fruit and it finishes earthy.”-(93-95)WA

S.L.V., also known as Stag’s Leap Vineyards, is the winery’s first vineyard. Planted in 1970, this vineyard achieved international fame when three-year old vines from the 1973 harvest produced a Napa Valley wine that triumphed over some of France’s greatest Bordeaux in a blind tasting among French wine experts in Paris.

This history-making Stags Leap District vineyard continues to produce wines with complex black fruit and berry character, spicy intensity, excellent structure and complexity, promising long life and ageability. Today, the property encompasses roughly 35 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and 1.5 acres of Cabernet Franc. The vineyard soil is volcanic and alluvial with good drainage, and benefits from warm afternoons and cool evening breezes.

S.L.V. soils are predominantly volcanic in nature and contribute multilayered structure, concentration and spicy intensity, often referred to as the “fire-like” elements.