Stags Leap AVA is the AVA that put Napa on the map. These are the grapes that made California Cabernet world famous. If you’ve ever tasted a Cabernet from Napa that rocked your world, there’s a good chance it came from somewhere within the Stags Leap AVA.
Stags Leap History
According to an old Wappo Indian legend, a huge stag once escaped from hunters by leaping from one mountain peak to the next. I happened to be staring at those two peaks when I was told this story, and it honestly gave me a little thrill to picture it. The peaks are like something out of a fairy tale, and it was easy to visualize an enormous stag leaping majestically from one mountain to the next.
In 1961 Nathen Fay planted some Cabernet grapes on his property, later called Fay Vineyard. He went on to sell those grapes to Heitz Cellars, and they named the wine “Fay Vineyard”. Warren Winiarski (Stags Leap Wine Cellars) described Joe Heitz as “the first to grasp the single vineyard concept”.
But here’s where the story gets juicy. On May 24, 1976, several upper echelon wine judges from France sat for a blind tasting of some of the best French wines against several unknown California wines. Steven Spurrier organized the event hoping to draw business to his Parisian Wine Shop. It’s safe to bet that everyone in attendance assumed the French wines would win (including the judges), but that day took an unexpected and historical turn.
Both the Napa, California Chardonnay and Cabernet beat out the French wines! Once it was clear that the California wines had won, one of the judges actually attempted to get her scorecard back- she couldn’t believe the wines she judged so highly weren’t French! But the results were in, and California had made a respectable name for itself in the wine world-just like that!
That day is now referred to as The Judgement of Paris, and a bottle of each of those wines, a 1973 Chardonnay from Chateau Montelena, and a 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon from Stags Leap Wine Cellars now sits in the Smithsonian…how cool is that?!
Stags Leap Soil and Climate
The soil around Stags Leap AVA is volcanic. This stresses the vines, yielding minimal grapes; the grapes possess power and intensity, but are also soft and elegant. This combination of intensity and elegance is what trademarks the wines from Stags Leap AVA. This volcanic soil doesn’t hold water very well, which is why so many wineries around here rely on irrigation.
The climate here is cooler than most of the other AVA’s in Napa County because of its high elevation and close proximity to San Pablo Bay. The air gets cooled down while passing over Carneros, acting sort of like an air conditioner.
Stags Leap Grapes
It’s all about the Cabernet here! Or at least, that’s what Stag Leap is well known for. You’ll also find some crisp, floral Chardonnays as well as Pinot Noirs with aromas of dark cherries and bright berries.
The next time you come across a bottle of wine from the Stags Leap AVA, raise a toast…for these are the grapes that put California, Napa Valley in particular, in the running for the title of Best Wines in the World. - - Lea Gourley
