Stag's Leap Wine Cellars

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars

Founded in 1970, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars began when Warren Winiarski purchased the property that would become Stag’s Leap Vineyard, better known as S.L.V. Located beneath the dramatic Palisades of what is now the Stags Leap District, the young estate quickly became associated with a style of Cabernet Sauvignon that balanced Napa Valley ripeness with structure, restraint and elegance. Only six years after the winery’s founding, its 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon earned first place among the red wines at the Judgment of Paris, transforming Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars from a young Napa producer into one of the most historically significant estates in American wine.

Today, the winery remains closely identified with its two estate vineyards, S.L.V. and FAY, and the Cabernet Sauvignons produced from them. Its estate portfolio includes the singlevineyard S.L.V. and FAY bottlings, along with CASK 23, which brings together select fruit from both vineyards. After a period of shared stewardship between Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and Marchesi Antinori beginning in 2007, Marchesi Antinori assumed full ownership of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in 2023.

Judgment of Paris / Paris Tasting

Held in Paris on May 24, 1976, the Judgment of Paris—also known as the Paris Tasting— was a formal blind comparison of leading California and French wines. British wine merchant Steven Spurrier and his business partner Patricia Gallagher organized the event to coincide with the American Bicentennial. Nine respected French judges evaluated six California Chardonnays against four white Burgundies, followed by six California Cabernet Sauvignons against four red Bordeaux. Because the identities of the wines were concealed, the judges based their scores on what was in the glass rather than reputation, origin or price.

The results challenged the established hierarchy of fine wine. Chateau Montelena’s 1973 Chardonnay placed first among the whites, while the 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon received the highest score in the red category, finishing ahead of celebrated Bordeaux estates including Château Mouton Rothschild and Château HautBrion. The outcome did not diminish the importance of French wine, but it demonstrated that California producers were capable of creating wines that could compete with the most prestigious European benchmarks. The tasting consequently became a defining moment in the international recognition of Napa Valley and American wine.

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon sits at the center of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars identity. The winery produces Cabernet at both the broader Napa Valley level and from its historic estate vineyards in the Stags Leap District. Its estate collection is built around three distinct wines: S.L.V., produced from Stag’s Leap Vineyard; FAY, produced from the neighboring FAY Vineyard; and CASK 23, a limited bottling created from select lots drawn from S.L.V. and FAY. Together, these wines demonstrate how neighboring vineyard sites and individual blocks can create different expressions of the same principal grape variety.

Across the portfolio, the winery emphasizes a balance between concentration and elegance, as well as softness and structure. S.L.V. is generally associated with dark fruit, mineral character, spice and firm structure, while FAY contributes a more perfumed, redfruited and supple expression. CASK 23 brings together selected characteristics of both vineyards. The broader Cabernet portfolio allows buyers to explore Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars at several levels, but S.L.V. remains especially important because it connects the modern wines directly to the vineyard responsible for the winery’s historic Paris victory.

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V.

S.L.V. stands for Stag’s Leap Vineyard, the original estate vineyard of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. Planted in 1970, the vineyard currently contains approximately 35 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and 1.5 acres of Cabernet Franc. Its soils are predominantly volcanic and naturally well drained, helping create wines with concentration, structure and a distinct mineral character. The site’s location within the Stags Leap District also places it within one of Napa Valley’s most celebrated areas for Cabernet Sauvignon.

Although every vintage reflects its own growing conditions and winemaking decisions, S.L.V. is consistently associated with dark berry and black-fruit flavors, spice, firm structure and the ability to develop over extended periods in the cellar. More recent winery descriptions also connect the vineyard’s eastern volcanic soils with concentrated dark fruit, minerality and ripe yet polished tannins. These qualities make S.L.V. attractive both in standard bottles intended for the dinner table and in rare large formats designed for longterm collecting, milestone celebrations and extended maturation.

The 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon

The 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon was produced from the young S.L.V. vineyard, whose vines had been planted only three years earlier. According to the winery’s vintage archive, the wine was composed of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5.3% Merlot and 1% Pinot Noir and was aged for 21 months. Despite coming from a newly established estate, the wine displayed the balance of varietal character, fruit and tannin that would become closely associated with Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars.

Three years after the vintage, the 1973 Cabernet placed first among the red wines at the Judgment of Paris. Its victory over established Bordeaux labels provided powerful evidence that Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon could compete at the highest international level. The bottle has since become part of American cultural history: Warren Winiarski donated one to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, where it entered the permanent collection in 1996. In 2013, the museum recognized the winning Stag’s Leap and Chateau Montelena bottles among the objects that helped shape America.

The 50th Anniversary of the Judgment of Paris

The year 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris and a half-century since the 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon helped change international perceptions of California wine. Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars is commemorating the anniversary through a year of estate experiences, dinners, tastings and events held in Napa Valley and across the United States. The winery has also connected recent S.L.V. releases and limited-edition formats to the anniversary, linking the modern estate with the vineyard’s defining achievement in 1976.

The anniversary has also renewed institutional and collector interest in the winning wine. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History commemorated the milestone in 2026 through programming focused on the intertwined history of American wine, food and culture. In July 2026, a bottle of the 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon sold for $22,500, including buyer’s premium, at a Christie’s auction in Los Angeles—far above its presale high estimate of $6,000 and a record auction price for the vintage. The result demonstrated that, 50 years after the Paris Tasting, the original wine remains both a historical artifact and one of the most recognizable collectible bottles in American wine.