The 2018 vintage is exceptional for Napa Valley reds producing hundreds of outstanding quality wines with balance, structure and finesse due to the longer and cooler grape growing season. We have already rated more than 600 Napa reds from the vintage and one of our favorite subregions in the valley is Stags Leap District AVA, a tiny region on the eastern side of Napa Valley that is widely recognised for making top quality cabernet sauvignon and Bordeaux blends.
Some of the magic of Stags Leap District involves the temperature range during summer,” said Elias Fernandez, winemaker of Shafer Vineyards. From around 50°F/10°C pre-dawn to a high of 90°F/32°C during the day, the cooling sea breeze from San Pablo Bay rapidly cools the area down by late afternoon. “That temperature see-saw helps the fruit hold on to its acidity, which shows up in the wine, giving that sense of freshness and lift.”
Although grapes were grown from the 1800s, the region was thought to be too cool to produce quality cabernet sauvignon until the 1970s. The pioneer of this varietal was Nathan Fay, who began making wines from cabernet sauvignon in the early 1960s. And later, Warren Winiarski of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars put the region under the spotlight with his 1973 cabernet sauvignon taking first place in the Judge of Paris tasting 1976. Today, some of the leaders include his winery as well as others such as Shafer Vineyards, Stags’ Leap Winery and Futo.
The AVA, straddling the eastern side of the valley floor in Napa and the foothills of the Vaca mountain range, was formally created in 1989. Today 16 well-known wineries share a small area of around 1000 hectares, over 80 percent of which is dedicated to cabernet sauvignon. It is the region’s combination of unique meso-climate, terroir and transparent winemaking that allow the production of terroir-driven, beautiful wines.
While some Napa AVAs have deeper soils and more organic material, Stags Leap District consists of diverse volcanic and rocky material with little topsoil. At Stags’ Leap Winery, “the rocky, gravelly and loamy well-draining soils prevent excessive vine vigor and promotes balance, while the combination of diurnal cooler air movement and cool nights extends the growing season,” explained Christophe Paubert, winemaker and general manager, “allowing the grapes to ripen and mature longer for more intense and fresher flavor.” This results in concentrated yet balanced wines, with power, freshness and elegance. “Our focus is to allow the fruit and terroir to shine first and foremost.”
“The vineyard is the best winemaker,” agrees Elias Fernandez at Shafer. “We hope to express the best that the vineyard site and that vintage have to offer with as little human intrusion as possible.”
Jason Exposto, winemaker at Futo Estate, whose 2018 Stags Leap District 5500 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon was rated 99 points, explained that the timing of harvest is crucial, with an “eye to both freshness and maturity of tannin.”
In the winery, on the other hand, less is more. Wild yeast fermentation, infusion-like extraction, minimal racking via gravity and lack of fining or filtration “preserve and accentuate the purity of fruit tannin and inner perfume.”
Our tastings of the latest 2018 vintage have highlighted more than ever the terroir-driven character of Stags Leap District wines. 2018 was considered by many to be an exceptional vintage across Napa. “We were back to what Napa does best – abundant fruit, which you have to cut a lot of out, great canopies, a very cool summer, which allowed for lots of hangtime,” Fernandez described. “If you get your picking decisions right, the vineyard just gave you a gift as a winemaker.”
In hot vintages, the sweetness of the fruit risks dominating the site-specific, perfumed character of cabernet sauvignon from Stags Leap District. Heat spikes result in an over-ripe fruit profile. This was far from the case in 2018: a vintage where grapes could be picked at leisure.
One of only four 100-point wines from Napa Valley was Realm Cellars’ 2018 Stags Leap District Moonracer. Scott Becker and Benoit Touquette, owner and winemaker at Realm Cellars, said that this was illustrated by the long harvest period. Grapes for Moonracer were picked over a period of one month and ten days, between mid-September and late October, reflecting the favorable season and diversity of microclimate. The lack of heat spikes allowed the elegance and character of Stags Leap District to shine.
“In a vintage where we’re allowed more hang time… the wines from Stags Leap show very well,” said Ashley Hepburn, head winemaker of Joseph Phelps. Their flagship wine, Insignia, is a Bordeaux-style blend, 40 percent of which fruit is from Stags Leap District. “I always call our Stags Leap vineyards our ballerinas because I feel like they’re structured but elegant and they have so much floral characteristic. I mean, I love those wines…I might have a little bit of a soft spot for our stags Leap fruit, for sure.”
We hear this time and again. “I wish I had more fruit coming from Stags Leap,” said Chris Carpenter, winemaker of some of Napa Valley’s most prestigious wineries, including La Jota, Cardinale and Lokoya. “Trying to buy fruit from Stags Leap is like squeezing juice from a turtle. There’s very little.”
This magical AVA has built a strong and well-deserved reputation for wines that are an expression of its unique terroir. We look forward to tasting more 2018s from Stags Leap District. The following top five wines from Stags Leap District tasted in the past year, limited to one wine per winery, exemplify the true character of the land and winemakers’ continued dedication to achieve perfection, particularly in 2018.
– Claire Nesbitt, assistant editor
