Napa Valley Cabernet: Best Stags Leap District 2018 wines
Stags Leap District produces elegant, graceful Cabernets with vibrant, clean energy. Matthew Luczy picks his top ten 2018s and gives an overview of the vintage in this famous AVA.
One of the smallest AVAs in Napa, with gentle slopes creating unique exposures for many vineyards.
The region receives a direct funnel of marine layer from San Pablo Bay, with afternoon ocean breezes helping tame midday temperatures.
Scroll down for the top-scoring Stags Leap District 2018 wines
It borders the Yountville AVA on three sides, with the fittingly-named Stags Leap Palisades forming its eastern border, the Napa River to its west and lowlands to the south.
Soils vary greatly here, with volcanic deposits from the Vaca Range in the eastern section and sedimentary soils against the Napa River on the west.
Winemaker from Chimney Rock Elizabeth Vianna described the year through a comparison with Miles Davis’ album The Birth of the Cool. ‘It was so refreshing to have a cool vintage. My nickname for it is ‘The Rebirth of the Cool.’
Quick links
Individual AVA analysis and top-scoring wines coming soon:
Calistoga, Coombsville, Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder, Oakville, Rutherford, St Helena
Harvests like 2018 have the added bonus of easing up on the often-hectic bustle of picking.
Vianna explains: ‘Our estate is about 100 acres. In a more compressed vintage, I may pick all our Cabernet in about 8 to 10 days. That’s really harried and crazy.
‘In 2018, I had a span of 18 days to pick. We had gotten used to harvesting everything in September and finishing by early October. In 2018, we finished 1 November. That’s like the old-fashioned vintages we used to work 10 to 15 years ago.’
Napa Valley Cabernet: Full 2018 vintage report
The best examples are elegant, graceful Cabernets with vibrant, clean energy, but producers cater to an array of consumer tastes.
The single-vineyard wines from Chimney Rock are particularly definitive.
Shafer produces more modern iterations, and Realm Cellars takes this profile to bonafide ‘cult’ status.
See the top-scoring Stags Leap District 2018 wines
See also
Decanter Premium Collector’s Guide: Napa Valley
Producer profile: Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars
California Cabernet 2016: Panel tasting results
Chimney Rock, Tomahawk Vineyard, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District, California, USA, 2018
Planted in 2002, this site produces a wine more dark-fruited and lush than the Ganymede bottling. Aged in 75% new French oak. Blackcurrants, wet cedar...
2018
Chimney RockNapa Valley
Chimney Rock, Clone 4, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District, California, USA, 2018
Shrubby, leathery and focused on the nose. The palate splits the difference between the Ganymede and Tomahawk bottlings: a clear, bright precision meets plushness and...
2018
Chimney RockNapa Valley
Chimney Rock, Clone 7, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District, California, USA, 2018
A more savoury, stony side of Cabernet Sauvignon than the Clone 4 release. Cured meat, puréed plums and cigar smoke on the nose. The palate...
2018
Chimney RockNapa Valley
Chimney Rock, Ganymede Vineyard, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District, California, USA, 2018
The oldest vines at Chimney Rock, now approaching 30 years of age. Aged in 100% new French oak. Herbaceous and spice-driven one the nose, giving...
2018
Chimney RockNapa Valley
Tuck Beckstoffer Estate, Amulet Steltzner Vineyard, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District, California, USA, 2018
The most elegant of the Amulet lineup. Sawn cedar, dried rosemary and dried violets on the nose. The palate displays the grace and suppleness that...
2018
Tuck Beckstoffer EstateNapa Valley
Clos du Val, Hirondelle Vineyard, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District, California, USA, 2018
Toffee, mulberries and menthol on the nose. The palate is beautifully silky and defined, exuding red fruits with a chalky, persistent minerality on the finish....
2018
Clos du ValNapa Valley
Shafer, One Point Five, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District, California, USA, 2018
Always a full-bodied and broad-shouldered showing of the Stags Leap District. Creme de cassis, violets and dark roast coffee on the nose. Forward and ripe...
2018
ShaferNapa Valley
Chimney Rock, SLD Estate, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District, California, USA, 2018
A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 1% each Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Floral, dusty and herbal on the nose. The palate...
2018
Chimney RockNapa Valley
Malk, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District, California, USA, 2018
A soil-forward nose of tarweed, sun-warmed stones and dried sage. Ripe but refined on the palate, successfully showing off the finesse typical of Stags Leap...
2018
MalkNapa Valley
