Description
Stags’ Leap Cabernet Sauvignon
Vineyard
Winemaking
The first several weeks of a wine’s life are crucial. While the grapes for this wine were undergoing fermentation and maceration, our winemaking team tasted and tested each lot daily to determine the pump overs regime, how much air the wine needed, and the best temperature to optimize maceration and extraction. After pressing off the skins for 3-4 weeks, 27% of the wine went into new French oak barrels while the remainder went to seasoned neutral oak; this combination preserves freshness and gives the fruit more room to express itself. The wine aged for 19 months prior to bottling.
Vintage
The 2021 season was joyous and welcomed, producing exceptionally high-quality fruit, some of the best in recent years. Rain early in the year led to almost no notable precipitation for the rest of the season, providing an ideal environment for grapes to flower, bloom, and set in early spring, with budbreak early in April, followed by flowering and bloom in May. The summer saw early and even ripening throughout the valley, with veraison appearing in early July. Low yields (in part due to drought conditions), created fruit that is intensely flavored and smaller in berry size. One of the earliest starts, harvest began with white wine grapes coming in towards late July, while red wine grapes arrived about a month later, at the end of August. With optimal ripening and taste, our winemakers took their time bringing grapes in, crafting wines of fantastic character, with amazing color extraction, aromatic intensity, tremendous balance, and structure, that are equally lush and fruity. A tremendous year to taste the nuances and terroir distinction from around the valley.
Tasting Notes
A lovely deep saturated ruby color, this Cabernet opens with a vibrant nose of black raspberry, blackcurrant and blackberry preserves alongside delicate hints of violet. On the palate, ripe dark plum, black cherry, classic redcurrant and hibiscus flower support savory Chaparral sagebrush notes of lavender and Bay Laurel, while the fruit remains bright and boisterous, enveloping the mouth with a medium to full body and lip-smacking appeal. The texture is soft and silky with velvety-rich tannins that provide a nice grip and firmness with good depth and balance. Concluding with a refined and polished character, the finish is long and sumptuous with an enchanting seductive character.
Stags’ Leap Cabernet Sauvignon Notes To Your Senses:
- APPEARANCE: Deep ruby
- AROMA: Black raspberry, blackcurrant and blackberry preserves alongside delicate hints of violet
- TASTE: Ripe dark plum, black cherry, classic redcurrant and hibiscus flower support savory Chaparral sagebrush notes of lavender and Bay Laurel
- FINISH: Long and sumptuous
- ABV: 14.6%
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