" We don't sell the wine without touching the vine "
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Fay Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
No longer available.
| Country: | United States |
| Regions: | California California (Napa) |
| Winery: | Stags Leap Winery |
| Grape Type: | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Vintage: | 2018 |
| Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Try these Similar In Stock Wines
Stags Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars stunned the world in 1976 when its 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon bested some of Bordeaux’s first-growth wines in a tasting in Paris. It was the winery’s first commercial vintage, a wine produced from young, three-year-old vines. While the “victory” over the French in “The Judgment of Paris” continues to be hailed throughout the world – and the winery is still humbled by the achievement – Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars enters its golden anniversary year with a commitment to producing more complex and age-worthy wines. No resting on laurels, no autopilot, no complacency, but rather a drive to ensure the next 50 years are even more glorious than the first 50.A step back in time puts Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars’ current and future plans in perspective.
The estate was founded in 1970 with the purchase of orchard land in what is now the Stags Leap District AVA in southeastern Napa Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes replaced the prunes and walnuts, and the winery was built in 1972. A wine was made there in that year, but it was the 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon that impressed – and shocked – a panel of experts on French wine. In the 1976 Paris Tasting, a blind tasting, they chose S.L.V as the finest red wine in the group, without knowing its provenance. The outcome brought international recognition to the infant Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, the nascent Napa Valley wine region, and the entire American wine industry and put all on a path to worldwide renown.
S.L.V. Vineyard S.L.V. soils are predominantly volcanic in nature and contribute multilayered structure, concentration and spicy intensity, often referred to as the “fire-like” elements. S.L.V., also known as Stag’s Leap Vineyards, is the winery’s first vineyard. Planted in 1970, this vineyard achieved international fame when three-year old vines from the 1973 harvest produced a Napa Valley wine that triumphed over some of France’s greatest Bordeaux in a blind tasting among French wine experts in Paris. This history-making Stags Leap District vineyard continues to produce wines with complex black fruit and berry character, spicy intensity, excellent structure and complexity, promising long life and ageability. Today, the property encompasses roughly 35 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and 1.5 acres of Cabernet Franc. The vineyard soil is volcanic and alluvial with good drainage, and benefits from warm afternoons and cool evening breezes.
Review:
All from the estate S.L.V. Vineyard in Stages Leap and aged 21 months in 90% new French oak, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon S.L.V. sports a deep purple/ruby color to go with a Saint-Julien like notes of blackcurrants, damp earth, tobacco and lead pencil. With medium to full-bodied richness, ripe, sweet tannin, beautiful purity and a great finish, it’s another terrific wine from this estate that can be drunk today of cellared for 15+ years.
-Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
High gloss metallic paint with a forged iron big-block under the hood - our 2018 Hillstone Vineyard is a real show car. Deeply fruited with hi-tone huckleberry from a prime hillside site in Rutherford, the wine has a thick powerband with crushed stone and coffee bean, retaining polish and precision straight through the tail pipes.
Review:
Lots of pure cassis and blueberry- like fruits as well as licorice, graphite, and crushed rock-like minerality, emerge from the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillstone Vineyard. It's a full-bodied, opulent, powerful Cabernet Sauvignon that doesn't pull any punches on the fruit or texture scale, yet has ripe, present tannins, a light, elegant texture, and a great finish. Give bottles an hour in a decanter if drinking any time soon, or better yet, hide bottles for 2-3 years. It's going to evolve for 15+ years in cold cellars.
-Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
Betz Family Cabernet Sauvignon Pere de Famille is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot
Another stellar bottling, the 2018 Pere de Famille is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with 10% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot. Displaying a deep ruby color at the core and firm red ruby rim, the nose opens to the mineral tension expected of Red Mountain with a dark red-fruited essence, black cherry, dark plum and dusty raspberry with an elegant oak richness and dusty red flower petals. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is rich and mineral on the palate, showing a spicy cinnamon tone that builds with a firm tannic grip. As the wine sits on the palate, it unpacks more of its complexities, showing precision and finesse. A brilliant wine, it ends with a long, lingering finish that will show beautifully for more than a decade. Absolutely delicious.
Review:
"This is a wine for the ages. Aromas of thyme, the blackest of cherries, licorice, bay leaf and spice are followed by outright delicious, plump fruit flavors. There's a whole lot of primary fruit, with ample structure to hang it all on, along with plenty of depth and intensity. The finish is near endless. It flat-out impresses, with remarkable intensity. Best from 2028 to 2038. - SEAN P. SULLIVAN."
- Wine Enthusiast (September 2021), 95 pts
"A firm, polished red with aromas of blackberry, iodine, tobacco leaf, cocoa and cedar. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, chewy tannins. Structured, layered and focused. Lots going on, with a long finish. Try from 2023."
- James Suckling (May 2021), 95 pts
"Incorporating 10% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot from a mix of sites in the Columbia Valley, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Père De Famille reveals a healthy ruby/purple hue to go with beautiful cassis fruits interwoven with notions of dried rose petals, violets, cedary spice, and chalky minerality. Medium to full-bodied, reasonably well concentrated, yet elegant and beautifully balanced, it opens up nicely with time in the glass and will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and keep for 20 years."
- Jeb Dunnuck (May 2021), 95 pts
Hightower Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain is made from 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot.
As Hightower Cellars' signature wine, Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic Red Mountain wine – bold and full of the flavors that make this region so special. As much as possible, Tim and Kelly Hightower take a non-interventionist approach to winemaking. They place great emphasis on vineyard selection, picking, pressing, and blending so that Hightower wines are naturally beautiful and free from pretense. They let the powerful and concentrated fruit from Red Mountain speak for itself. The result is a collection of well-balanced, nuanced wines that reveal something new and interesting each time you open a bottle.
Aromas of tart blueberry and lush red cherry dominate the nose, while firm tannins and full body lend structure to this inky, pigmented wine. The palate features notes of dark fruit, fresh cut wood, and dried tobacco. This wine is an excellent candidate for decanting, as the aromas evolve wonderfully over time to express softer, lush fruit and hints of herbs and spices.
Red Mountain AVA 100% (Hightower Estate Vineyard 56%, E&E Shaw Vineyard 44%)
New Oak 71%, Neutral Oak 29% (American 67%, French 11%, European 11%, Hungarian 11%)
Un-fined and un-filtered
Pairs with grilled red meat, fig and olive tapenade, bacon wrapped dates.
It is hard to imagine with the Lithology range receiving 298 points out of 300 for the three single-vineyard wines, that there could possibly be a wine above them. But there is, and it is our Estate wine. Blended several times very intently by masters of their craft Philippe Melka and Michel Rolland, this is the ultimate expression of our house’s work. Positive, full-bodied, and quite powerful, there’s the expected crème de cassis and blackberry from St. Helena Cabernets, with mineral, herb, subtle tobacco and vanilla, plum skins, and pie crust, purple flowers, forest-conifer notes, and very fine tannic structure. It is a magnificent, and magnificently elegant expression of this house, and when asked recently, Monsieur Rolland stated plainly to me, “oh yes indeed – this is the best one, the best yet…”
Review:
The flagship 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Alejandro Bulgheroni comes from a selection made by winemakers Philippe Melka and Michel Rolland, mostly from Rutherford and Oakville fruit. Aged 20 months in 78% new French oak, it has incredible aromatics of black and blue fruits, spring flowers, and graphite to go with a massive, full-bodied, concentrated style on the palate that somehow stays graceful, weightless, and elegant. This tour de force in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is guaranteed to put a smile on your face over the coming 20-25+ years.
-Jeb Dunnuck 99 Points
Alejandro Bulgheroni Lithology Beckstoffer Las Piedras Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
From a St. Helena vineyard planted by early Napa settler Edward Bale more than 150 years ago, and later serving as the estate vineyard for the area’s first winery built by Henry Pellet in 1860, the Las Piedras site always gives us our prettiest wine. When placed next to Dr. Crane and To-Kalon wines, the Las Piedras show a certain elegance, with a very graceful entry and finely detailed complexity. We produce it with at least 75% new French oak, so there is a floral, spicy, and vanilla accent to the intense red and black fruits, cassis, and black cherry liqueur. What distinguishes this bottling is the beautifully fine tannins, delicate texture, and stunning purity. (Less than 100 cases made.)
Fermentation 70% Oak, 24% Concrete, 6% Puncheon
Review:
"The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Lithology Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard comes from a world-class site outside of St. Helena and is all Cabernet that spent 20 months in 80% new oak. It offers a touch more red fruit as well ample cassis, spring flowers, loamy earth, and spice-like aromas and flavors. It has a wonderful sense of minerality, ultra-fine tannins, a dense, layered texture, and incredibly purity of fruit. It’s another just about off the charts release from this estate."
- Jeb Dunnuck 98 Points
Product Description
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Fay Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
The 2018 Fay Cabernet Sauvignon offers fragrant aromas of boysenberry, cherry pie, cassis, sweet spice and a touch of gardenia. The wine has a velvety mouthfeel with a well-balanced structure supported by lush polished tannins and flavors of blackberry and blueberry.
Try pairing this estate-grown Cabernet with Thai peanut and shrimp salad, savory plum tart with goat cheese, or herb crusted lamb chops with creamy polenta.
Blend: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Review:
Very floral with violets and roses, as well as sweet berries, cherries and some redcurrants. It’s round and refined with lovely berry character and fine tannins. So attractive now, but better in two or three years.
-James Suckling 96 Points
Winery: Stags Leap Winery
1872 - A Vineyard is Born After decades of being owned by a multitude of owners - via Mexican land grants (Yajome Rancho), homesteading, a bounty award, and patents - the Grigsby family consolidated a 700-acre parcel where the current Stags' Leap estate resides today. The Grigsbys planted grapes on the land in 1872 and 13 years later they transferred the land to W.W. Thompson and H.H. Harris (Napa County Sheriff). The next year Mr. Harris conveyed his interest in the property to Thompson’s nephew, Horace Blanchard Chase.
1886-1909: The Chase/Mizner Era In the late 1880s, Horace Chase, an eligible bachelor from Chicago, and Mary Ysabela “Minnie” Mizner, belle of society in the former state capital of Benicia, met at Napa Soda Springs Resort in the hills outside Napa. They fell in love and were married in 1888 at the Benicia home of Minnie’s father who had served as California State Senator for two terms in the 1860s and who later became an ambassador to Latin American countries. Shortly thereafter Horace and his uncle divided their 700 acre tract into two parcels and Horace became sole owner of the northwestern 365 acres. The Chases were known for their lavish hospitality and, in season, hosted the scions of San Francisco society during an era of great wealth stemming from gold and silver mining. During the winter, the Chases left Stags’ Leap and spent their winters in San Francisco attending opera, theater, receptions, Cotillion Club dances, and hunt balls at the Palace Hotel.
1913-1956: The Grange Era In 1913 the property was purchased by Clarence and Frances Grange who were prominent members of San Francisco society. Clarence, an ex-Chicagoan, was an heir to the Grange Farm Equipment Company fortune; and he and Frances wanted to have a country home in Napa so that they could entertain their socialite friends. The Granges moved in the Manor House with their two children, where they lived until 1956. The Granges lived in the Manor House year ‘round; and, while they did not intend to make wine, the vineyards remained in production. After Clarence had a severe accident with a horse, most of the responsibilities of running the property fell to Frances. With Clarence unable to work, Frances created an upscale destination resort, Stags' Leap Manor, which became known as one of the most prominent resorts in Napa Valley at the time. Tales of ghosts, mummies, mischievous monkeys, and “shady” dealings at Stags Leap Manor abound.
1956 - Between Grange and Doumani Eras Following the deaths of Frances and Fred Grange, the property was sold in 1956. The next two owners let the Manor House decay into an uninhabitable state, particularly the wooden additions made by Frances Grange. The owners, unable to keep up the property, asked Napa County for tax relief and, at the suggestion of the tax assessor, boarded up the building and turned off the power and water so that the county would charge taxes on the property only and not on the structures. Rumors abound that hippies squatted on the property during that time, and long time Napa residents tell of breaking into the house to party on weekends. In 1958 the movie “This Earth is Mine”, funded by the Napa Valley wine industry, was filmed at Stags’ Leap.
1970-1996: The Doumani Era In 1970, Carl Doumani and his wife Joanne purchased a portion of the property. Doumani was a Los Angeles restaurateur, builder, and wholesaler who first came to Napa Valley on a trip gifted by friends. Intrigued by the setting, history, and privacy of the area, Doumani purchased the property and began a vast nine year restoration project. In addition to preserving most of the original stonework of the Manor House, Doumani restored the Stone Winery, Cottage, and grounds. During this time, the vineyards were also restored and winemaking resumed under the Stags’ Leap Winery label. Under Doumani's ownership, the winery went from being a small operation in which he often wore many hats to a fully staffed 85,000 case winery with a solid reputation for excellent and a cult following for its Petite Sirah.
1996 - The Treasury Wine Estates Era In late 1996 Carl Doumani sold the property to Beringer, now Treasury Wine Estates. Shortly after, construction began on a 28,000 sq. foot wine cave in the volcanic rhyolite rock of the Stags Leap Palisades. The new cave is a companion to the original cave built in 1893, but it is much larger at almost 700 feet deep with 17 cross areas and room for 7,000 barrels. At the same time, Robert Brittan and landscape designer Jonathan Plant developed the Apothecary and Sensory Garden, building it on the existing kitchen garden on the north side of the Manor House. A majority of the plants cultivated there evoke aromas and flavors of wines made on the estate. With the restored buildings, pastoral setting, and top-of-the-line winemaking facilities, Stags' Leap is one of the most charming and high-quality wineries to visit in Napa Valley.
Stags' Leap Estate Vineyard On one of California’s earliest wine estates, a unique terroir and ideal microclimate support a classical standard of viticulture, land use, and winemaking that is as relevant today as it was over a century ago. An intimate valley within the greater Napa Valley, Stags’ Leap is a 240-acre estate, of which 85-acres are planted with grape vines.
The Terroir The rock outcropping that forms the eastern boundary of the estate, the Stags Leap Palisades, sheds debris in the form of volcanic rhyolite and tuff, which is carried to the valley floor where it mingles with the deeper subsoil made up of Bale loam formed from ancient river sediment. Topographically, the slope of the palisades and its small valley are oriented to block early morning sun, retain afternoon heat, and funnel cooler marine air coming from the San Pablo Bay to the south.
Stags Leap District This combination of Napa Valley’s extended growing season with the accentuated warmth and cooling of the Stags Leap District results in an ideal balance of acid and sugar in the fruit. The wine grapes are given time to mature and develop their characteristic soft texture and intense flavors.
Heritage Vines In the 1980s, the winery undertook DNA testing to uncover the identities and possible sources of heritage vines on the property, especially the 1930s field blend planting of Petite Sirah and other Rhône varieties in the Ne Cede Malis block. The results have been used to graft new vines and were contributed to the research being conducted by UC Davis on the origin of the Petite Sirah variety. Today, the carefully tended head-trained and dry-farmed vines in this 5-acre plot continue the legacy and heritage of this vineyard as it was in the late 1800s.
Customers who bought this product also purchased
Ziata Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc is made from 100 percent Sauvignon Blanc.
The small, concentrated berries of the 2021 vintage created a riper, rounder expression of our Sauvignon Blanc. Fruit and floral notes of ripe, fleshy peach, cantaloupe and white flowers drive the flavor profile, with lemon and wet copper adding brightness and dimension.
Review:
Fragrant, with pretty honeysuckle, orange blossom water and candied ginger notes that add elegance to the light, fresh frame of citrus, pear and pineapple flavors. Packs crisp acidity.
-Wine Spectator 91 Points
Stags Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars stunned the world in 1976 when its 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon bested some of Bordeaux’s first-growth wines in a tasting in Paris. It was the winery’s first commercial vintage, a wine produced from young, three-year-old vines. While the “victory” over the French in “The Judgment of Paris” continues to be hailed throughout the world – and the winery is still humbled by the achievement – Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars enters its golden anniversary year with a commitment to producing more complex and age-worthy wines. No resting on laurels, no autopilot, no complacency, but rather a drive to ensure the next 50 years are even more glorious than the first 50.A step back in time puts Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars’ current and future plans in perspective.
The estate was founded in 1970 with the purchase of orchard land in what is now the Stags Leap District AVA in southeastern Napa Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes replaced the prunes and walnuts, and the winery was built in 1972. A wine was made there in that year, but it was the 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon that impressed – and shocked – a panel of experts on French wine. In the 1976 Paris Tasting, a blind tasting, they chose S.L.V as the finest red wine in the group, without knowing its provenance. The outcome brought international recognition to the infant Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, the nascent Napa Valley wine region, and the entire American wine industry and put all on a path to worldwide renown.
S.L.V. Vineyard S.L.V. soils are predominantly volcanic in nature and contribute multilayered structure, concentration and spicy intensity, often referred to as the “fire-like” elements. S.L.V., also known as Stag’s Leap Vineyards, is the winery’s first vineyard. Planted in 1970, this vineyard achieved international fame when three-year old vines from the 1973 harvest produced a Napa Valley wine that triumphed over some of France’s greatest Bordeaux in a blind tasting among French wine experts in Paris. This history-making Stags Leap District vineyard continues to produce wines with complex black fruit and berry character, spicy intensity, excellent structure and complexity, promising long life and ageability. Today, the property encompasses roughly 35 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and 1.5 acres of Cabernet Franc. The vineyard soil is volcanic and alluvial with good drainage, and benefits from warm afternoons and cool evening breezes.
Review:
All from the estate S.L.V. Vineyard in Stages Leap and aged 21 months in 90% new French oak, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon S.L.V. sports a deep purple/ruby color to go with a Saint-Julien like notes of blackcurrants, damp earth, tobacco and lead pencil. With medium to full-bodied richness, ripe, sweet tannin, beautiful purity and a great finish, it’s another terrific wine from this estate that can be drunk today of cellared for 15+ years.
-Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
- back
All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
Mordoree Cotes du Rhone Dame Rousse Rose is made from 40% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 15% Cinsault, 5% Carignan, 5% Mourvèdre
Color : rosé, slightly orange (mordorée colour).
Aromas : crystallized oranges and cherries, slightly aniseed.
Palate : very rounded, fresh and long finish.
Ageing potential : 2 to 3 years
Surface : 14 Ha. Yield : 45 Hl./Ha. Vineyard age : 20 years Terroir : clay / chalk,clay / limestone and sandy with pebble stones. Harvest : by hand. Vinification : vat bleeding, temperature control. Estate bottled.
Food pairing: cold meats and delicatessen, fowl, white meats, grilled lamb with Provence herbs, fish soup, fried fish, pastas, pizzas and all Asian dishes.
©2024 Timeless Wines. All rights reserved
