Winemaker Notes
Our 2020 Petite Sirah has lovely floral aromatic intensity showcasing notes of fresh violet, candied floral blossom and black raspberry. On the palate, these notes are echoed, with layers of creamy blueberry, ripe Bing cherry, raspberry gelato, and black cherry liquor. There is a richness and opulence to this wine, with intriguing power and intensity while the tannins come across fresh and chewy adding structure, finesse, and complexity. Secondary notes of roasted coffee bean, dark chocolate, and cocoa-nibs harken to the well-integrated subtle oak character that leads to a lengthy mouthwatering finish. This is a perfect example of classic Petite Sirah from Napa Valley, certain to age and provide enjoyment for many years to come.
Blend: 86% Petite Sirah, 6% Syrah, 5% Grenache, 3% Mixed Rhônes
Established in 1893, Stags’ Leap Winery is one of the oldest wine estates within the acclaimed Stags Leap district, continually producing wines expressive of its unique terroir. With an enduring winemaking philosophy of minimal intervention, and by using the finest grapes from our own 80-acre vineyard and from quality-focused growers, Stags’ Leap wines embody a natural balance, exhibiting both intensity and finesse. While famous for its Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags’ Leap Winery has also gained high acclaim for its Petite Sirah. The intriguing varietal was planted on the property before the winery was established in 1893, and today it remains an essential part of the Estate’s winemaking legacy.
James Suckling 94 Points
ABOUT THE STAGS’ LEAP ESTATE
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 place of natural beauty, storied buildings and gardens, a lively history, and a reputation for elegant wines showing finesse and intensity.
Estate Founder Horace Chase partnered with his uncle, W. W. Thompson, on land where grapes had been planted in the 1880s by T.L. Grigsby (of nearby Occidental Winery, today’s Regusci Winery). The construction of the Manor House in 1890 was followed by the blasting of the Historic Wine Cave and first vintage in 1893. By 1895 production on the estate was up to 40,000 gallons of wine.
The Stags Leap name originated in the late 1880s with the founding Chase family, and is attributed to a native Wappo legend of a stag leaping to escape hunters. The mountains behind the property on the eastern side came to be known as the Stags Leap Palisades.
Wine production has been interrupted periodically since the first Chase vintage due to financial reversals, Prohibition, and war; however, wine grapes have been grown continuously on the estate since its founding.
A fashionable country resort in the mid-twentieth century (the Grange Era), popular with Hollywood due to its 1890s stone Manor House and historic gardens, legends of bootleggers and gangsters, ghosts and gypsies, Stags’ Leap has been home to three major family groups up through the modern revitalization of the winery that began in the 1970s.
