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.) net's SffPErcap. JfiMtrd Amongthe 'most beautiful sights in the NapaValley are the short-lived waterfallstumbling down the Stags Leappalisades following an earlyApril shower,Through the mist,you can almostvisualize the mlthical stag for whichthis area is named, leaping from one palisadeto the nexl,eluding its equallymythical hunter, The beau! of the StagsLeap Districtextends well beyondthese watedal ls; th is appel lation has producedsome of NapaValley's moststunning and historic .

ShaferVineyards,established in 1972,occupies a choice spot on the east side 0fthe SilveradoTrail atthe base of the Palisades.

T2 DECEN/BER2006 i sANrE l-

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WratlsaStags leap District\Yine?

GENERALCHARACTERISTICS "an The classicdescriptor nf irnnfist in a velvetglcve" certalnly highlights the so{t tanninsthat area prevalentcharacteristic of StagsLeap wines. fflackberry and plurn arethe usualmarkers for the *dominatedwirres; cJark cherry and raspberrydominate !n tho winesthal haveMerlot in the blend.Balance is a i

AGING Despitethe softertannins, Caberncl Sauvignon*basedwines from StagsLea6l age remarkablywell, At the sametirne, S{fiqfii.eap trJi$lrict newc0mer Enldnn{ri Family cullivates ?0 acre$ 01 estale $ 0n thesewines show nruchbefler earlier in theu/e$t $id0 0t tha $ilv{rrndO TIail. theirdevelopment than do thosefrom otlrer regionsof Napa.Besides the starsoi the CabCountry Judgmentof Paristastings, classics include The StagsLeap DistricL representsone o[ the more legitimate appella- the 1977Clos du Valfreserve,1991 $hafer tions within Napa Va1ley.Not only is this a truly unique and homoge- '1990 HillsideSe/ecf, ancj Hailwell Fstate. neous growing regron in terms of geographyand cilmate, but the wines of StagsLeap have historically demonstrated a consistent personality, RECENTVINTAGES something that many other Napa Valley appellationsare still struggling 2005*Like1999, wines will not be as to achreveand deline. excitingearly on but promisegreat Remarkably,this excellent reputation has developed over a very potential short time frame. Located to the east of the traditional thorough- 2004*Wow. Almostlike a comhrination fare through Napa Va11ey(now called Highway 29), SragsLeap was of 2001and 2002"Will be nnnof a region traditionally known for its walnuts, prunes, and figs. the greatestvintages ever in $iags production can be traced back to 1893 at Horace ChasesStags Leap Leap, Manor, where he made Golden Chasselasand . It wasn't 2003-Less consistentthan 2002 birt until ]961, however, that Cabernet Sauvignon was planted in the area some excellentwines" A vintffgethat willdrink well earlv on krutseems by a brave farmer named Nathan Fay. Severalyears later, Fay'shome- strongerthan 2000. made Cabernet Sauvignon from his young vineyard caught the atten- 2002-Very strongacro$s the hoard.These Lion of Joe Heitz Fays wlne aiso becamethe inspiration for Warren winesshowed extremely well early Winiarski, who bought land nearby and founded Stags Leap Wine on and yet seemto havegreal Cellars. Furthermore, it proved the wine sagesat UC Davis wrong: slruclurea$ weil. StagsLeap wasn't too cold for Cabernet Sauvignon. Only a few years *Very 2001 similarto 20CI2but lesssirowy later, CabernetSauvignon from the StagsLeap District would bring thanthe 2002* *arly an. Exc*llent internationalacciaim for Napa Valley at StevenSpurriers I976 Judg- structurefor aging. ment of Paris tasting. 2000*Fruit forward,s*rprisingly f;oncen- trated,and balanced.A vintageto Much has been made of the Paristasting, the retastlngten yearslater, drinkin the shorlterm arnongthe and the recent retastingof the wines in 2006. Each time the top French vintageslisted here. Bordeaux were trashed by their Napa Val1eycounterparts. Incredibly, 1999*A vintagethat was an exercicsin the 1973 StagsLeap Wine Cellars CabernetSauvignon that placed first patiencebut may proveto be one in the 1976 tasting was produced from a vineyard only three years old. of the bost af tire 1S90s.Great This landmark tasting may have been a coming of age lbr Napa Valley, structure. but fbr the StagsLeap District, it was an explosion onto the world wine

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StagsLeap Geographically, the Yountville Hills to the wesr and the STAGSLEAP Vaca Mountains to the east provide a perfect framtng for this small valley within a valley locared in the southeast corner of Napa Va11eyMarkedly narrower and hillier in the northern part of the appellation, the StagsLeap District is only 2,700 acresin sizewith roughly half of the appellation under vine and a staggering90 percentplanted to Bordeaux .This appellation has full accessro the cool winds and fog that flow into the valley from San Pablo Bay to the south, keeping the mornings and afternoons cool and ultimately lengthening the growing season.Ar night, the towering palisadeson the easternedge of the appellation gently radiate heat back into the district. Several million years ago, this area was a floodplain for the mighty Napa River that rushed from the north toward San Francisco Bay. The Napa River has shrunk considerablysince then, but it left behind in StagsLeap a unique topsoil of well-drained gravel and bale loam. Two to 6 feet below this topsoil is a hard clay bedrock that naturally restricts root vrgor and vields. DistrictCharacter After an extensive search throughout the Napa Valley for a hillside vineyard, NAPA VALLEY John Shaferstumbled upon a vineyard varietals with his Cabernet Sauvignon, located next door to the original Stags particularly and . Leap Manor. A humble John Shafer Ultimateiy, the quality and character "At admits, the time, I didn't reallzerhe SAN PABLO o[ Bordeaux varietals grown in the incredible potentiai of this properry" appellation gives Stags Leap producers As it turns out, the limitlng soils and the tremendous flexibility of making 100 western orientation of these hillsides percen[ CabernetSauvignon or blending have proved ideal for Cabernet in other Bordeauxvarietals. Sauvignon. Hillside vineyards are rare in thls appellation, but they have WinegrowingCommunity produced some of StagsLeap Districts The Stags Leap District is an most intense wines, including Shafer's interesting combination of established Hillside SelectCabernet Sauvignon and wincrics. Browers turned . Hartwells EstateCabernet Sauvignon, and newcomers. The llsley and Taylor which is made lrom grapesgrown in families. longrime growers in Stags nearby Yountville Hills. Both o[ thesewines are 100 percent Leap, have each launched their own wine labe1, joining Cabernet Sauvignon-surprisingly, given their dramatic another veteran grower-turned-vintner, Jim Regusci Griffin concentratronyet supple personality. Vineyards, Pillar Rock, and Baldacci Famiiy Vineyards are Whether 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon or a Bordeaux newcomers,whl1e Cliff Lede Vineyardsis a retncarnationof the "old blend, the consistently concentratedyer supple personaliry of original S. Anderson propcrty. The guard" is represented StagsLeap District wines seemsto charm everyone,including by StagsLeap Wine Ce11ars,Stags' Leap , Clos du Va1, the appellation'swinemakers. Andy Erickson, winemaker ar Shafer, Pine Rldge, and Steltzner, all founded in the 1970s. Hartwell Vineyards and Screaming Eagle, has worked with Hartwell, Robert Sinskey,Silverado, and Chimney Rock came Cabernet Sauvignon grapes throughour Napa Valley He into the picture in the 1980s. Robert Mondavi Winery also has "incredibly describes Stags Leap District wlnes as fresh and signifrcantholdings in the StagsLeap District, with a majority graceful with great color and balanced ripe tanmns versus oI itsar'reage planted to SauvignonBlanc. the riper, more powerful, tannic wines produced farrher up Bernard Portet o[ Clos du Val certainly had a sense of the valley" Doug Fletcher, winemaker at Chimney Rock Winery, potential of this specialcorner of Napa Valley ashe drove down "Stags goes a step further: Leap Disrricr Cabernet Sauvignon the SilveradoTiail and through StagsLeap rn the early 1970s, ls the best Cabernet in the world." Fletchers assessmenris feeling a chill in the air. Frustrated by the heat of the warm "I based on 30 years of experiencewith SragsLeap Napa Valley days, Portet reca11s, thought that if I could not District grapes.He is an advocateof blending other Bordeaux changethe day temperatures,at least I would benefit from the

S,ii.iir: I !:i.li t- ili'll!i\/rfisr\FtYl:li-iLi- 75 StWLeap on the list

The mostconfusing aspect for mostcustomers about the StagsLeap District s that two wneriesin this appellation also bearthe name of Stags Leap, Stags'Leap Winery (note the locationof the apostrophe)was founded in 1971 by Car Doumani,ano Slag'sLeap Wine Celars was begun in 1972 by WarrenWiniarski, As a resultof +he 1Q7A ,lrr.jnmont n{ Par,s las-innrv' vLuvuStan's 'I vvPoan Wine CellarsCabernet Sauvignon qurckly reached international stardom,while Stags' Leap Winery became well known for itsexcellent Petite Sirah, (Look for someof thatPetlte Sirah in the wineriesnew Bh6neblend called Ne Cede Malis,) ShaferVineyardsFounder J0hn Shafer was one 0t a smallgr0up 0f areawinegrow- erswh0 helped establish $tag$ Leap District as an appellation. Thereare also manywineres outside the appelation that sourcegrapes fror StagsLeap and raoellle winew Lha StagsLeap Distict appellation, This :nnortatinn ani^\ /- - ^-+ ^, , -.r\, ^rwerful | | ro avPg oLrvr 9r uuyo d Po L uu or ry l-rL Reviewer'sChoice customerawareness, David O'Day of DelFrisco's in New By RobertBath, MS, and KrisMargerum Vnrk Ciirr .nn.t rrq' "Rrao.-.-JS Leilp| ^^^ uauerrteLSa\.F ^r^^+. dre.r^ some of our most oooularwlnes. Our customersknow the Hartwell name,Tiey arecomplex. agewoft^y wines with a q-a ry 2003Cabernet Sauvignon image,and the wines back it up everyyea.." Srags Leap 100% CabernetSauvignon Distnctwines represent a s gnficanr pan of O'Days wine Captivatingin manyways with classicStags list.He lists37 selectonswith a StagsLeap appellation Leapcharacter; ripe blackberry with touchesof and, additionally,vertical collectons of Shafer'sHillside plumand balanced tannins. Full bodied, rich, and Se/ecl and Stag's Leap Wlne Cellars'Cask 23 O'Day suavewith great concentration. Hack of lamb. particularlylikes pairing Stags Leap Districtw nes with DelFrisco's bone-in Kobe beef rib eye, llsley Kris Margerunor Aubergeo.l Soei Beson ir^Napa 2OO2Cabernet Sauvignon Valleyb.eaks o;t l's Cabe.netSauvignon or^ his wine lst 100% CabernetSauvignon by subappellations,so there s a separatecategory for Lessripe than someStags Leap wines in this

uLovoQi:nc LgqPloan tr-uDicirict ruL vouurCehornat rur uouvrqrQa rrinnnn vr r, Il-lo I Jvoudoa^.:^^. vvo tasting.Great concentration with interesting black- "wanting berryand plumflavors along with notesof dark his customersas powerful,yet smooth [wine], (lphornol ttS chocolateand relatively firm tannins. Filet Mignon, anr^l Stans I can Dist.ir-t ,vL vqvv,v,S:r nrionnr ,v I I th.S description-thepol sh comng from this slightycooler Regusci zone for Caberret Sauvgron,"Margeru- feels thar the 2003Cabernet Sauvignon Srlnc I oen cirrlo elcn ilmn ril{es znc ttsrnLJle ilppennnn rauorlr+i^n'c ls wlnes 90% CabernetSauvignon, 60/o Merla[ e{remelyversafile when g-ests oroera var'etyo' d shes 4% Cabernet forthe r maincourse, Wonderfullyripe and richwith an interesting mixof blackberry,cassis, and red currantwith coolernights and get more freshfruit. As a result,the wines from excellentstructure" Think chocolate-covered this appellation have a very strong personality."More than 30 raspberries.Roasted Duck. yearslater, BernardPortet's intuitions have taken on world-class statuswhen it comesto CabernetSauvignon. ShaferVineyards 2002Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select > BobBath, a third-generationCalifornian, hasbeen in the resiaurant and 10A% Cabernet Sauvignon winebusiness forover 25 years. He passed the lvlaster exam in Framboise,porcini, tobacco ieaf, cocoa, and 1993and continues t0teach classes inthe Master Sommelier program, in cedaron noseand palate.From its opaquecolor additiont0teaching atthe CIA at Greystone andthe Professional Cuiinary and incrediblenumbier af layerson the palateto lnstitute,Heand his wife, Julie, also run Robert Bath lmports, a specialized itsdramaticaliy long finish, this wine is intensein portfolioofartisan New Zealand wines. evoryway. h/ushroom risotto with rosemary.

76 D'CFIVBEF:;rr 1SA,tr. t-