Stags Leap District 2019: top Cabernets from this Napa AVA
Ever since the 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon from Stag's Leap Wine Cellars triumphed at the 1976 Paris Tasting, this AVA's renown has grown. Decanter's Napa correspondent Jonathan Cristaldi picks out the top performers in 2019.
QUICK LINK 2019 Napa Cabernet: full vintage report and top-scoring wines
Plantings in this AVA rise from sea level to 123m, with the craggy, exposed rocks of Stags Leap prominent above the region. Wineries that proudly proclaim the AVA on their labels include Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and Silverado Vineyards.
Scroll down for the top-scoring Stags Leap District 2019 Cabernets
Christopher Tynan of Lede Family Wines, makers of Cliff Lede, says the Cabernet Sauvignon vines in 2019 had smaller clusters and berries than in 2018 – ‘a fact that would ultimately contribute more weight and concentration to the final wines’.
He recalls ‘absolutely beautiful’ weather throughout summer with ‘cold mornings and warm, ripening afternoons’, adding that colour and tannin were extracted easily in 2019 ‘so long extended macerations weren’t necessary’.
The tannins in Stags Leap District Cabernets are nicely structured, with a fine-grained character balanced by the hallmark freshness of the vintage and good minerality.
Stags Leap District 2019: the top-performing producers
- Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars
- Chimney Rock
- Silverado Vineyards
- Cliff Lede
Cristaldi’s value picks
94 points Baldacci Family Vineyards, Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District, Napa Valley 2019
93 points Chimney Rock, SLD Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District, Napa Valley 2019
QUICK LINKS
Napa Cabernet 2019 – individual analysis by AVA:
Calistoga | Coombsville | Howell Mountain | Oakville | Rutherford | Spring Mountain | St Helena | Other Napa Valley AVAs
PLUS: Top-value Napa Cabernet 2019 – the best to buy
Stags Leap District 2019: the top-scoring Cabernets
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Stags' Leap, The Leap Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District, California, USA, 2019
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Fragrant blackberry fruit, dried sage, leather, tobacco and lavish oak spics. Satiny, with multidimensional juicy dark blackberry, blueberry and boysenberry fruit. Powerful grippy tannins sneak...
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Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Fay Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District, California, USA, 2019
Fragrant violet florals, ripe berry fruit and dusty minerality lift out of the glass along with heady sweet oak spices. Saturated red and black fruit...
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A classic nose of blackcurrants, graphite and sweet brown spices. Broad on entry, with silky waves of dark berry fruit, blueberry, clove, chocolate and robust...
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Chimney Rock, SLD Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District, California, USA, 2019
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Quixote Winery, Helmet of Mambrino, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District, California, USA, 2019
This 100% Cabernet was aged 30 months in new French oak. Powerful aromas of dark berries, sagebrush, cassis and sandalwood. Nothing shy about it, offering...
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