Stag's Leap Wine Cellars
Chase Creek Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Stags Leap District, Napa Valley, California, USA
Social distancing FaceTime dinner & wine with friends. It has been too long since we have gotten together. I did not take real-time notes as I normally do.
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars has had up, down & up again periods in their history. However, one thing that I enjoy is the style of their wines after 8-10 plus years in bottle.
For me, the dead giveaway when you taste their wines blind are the beautiful coffee & expresso notes they show.
The body was full round, rich & just lush. Full spectrum of ripe dark fruits. Tobacco, soft leather, gentle graphite, dry top soil, nicely extracted expresso notes, dark & purple flowers. Excellent acidy, elegant, lush, well balanced fruit & earth that persists nicely.
Photos of, Stag’s Leap Winery estate, the swinging ball pendulum in their cellar, event room and tasting bar/room.
Social distancing FaceTime dinner & wine with friends. It has been too long since we have gotten together. I did not take real-time notes as I normally do.
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars has had up, down & up again periods in their history. However, one thing that I enjoy is the style of their wines after 8-10 plus years in bottle.
For me, the dead giveaway when you taste their wines blind are the beautiful coffee & expresso notes they show.
The body was full round, rich & just lush. Full spectrum of ripe dark fruits. Tobacco, soft leather, gentle graphite, dry top soil, nicely extracted expresso notes, dark & purple flowers. Excellent acidy, elegant, lush, well balanced fruit & earth that persists nicely.
Photos of, Stag’s Leap Winery estate, the swinging ball pendulum in their cellar, event room and tasting bar/room.
One thing I enjoy about Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars is their style. They make much better wines than a number of years back. After changing Winemakers, they continue to excel. However, their style has remained intact despite changes.
Chase Creek is normally a member only allocated wine but, I imagine some members have purchased a few bottles.
The nose reveals; used expresso grounds, dark currants, blackberries, dark slightly sour cherries, black plum, black raspberries, plum, haunting blue fruits, steeped tea, limestone minerals, anise, leather, fresh tobacco, cedar, pronounced herbaceous notes, rich, black turned, earth with dry leaves, cinnamon stick, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, dark withering flowers, fresh blue florals with violets.
The body is full and rich. The tannins just getting to nicely resolved with gritty, dusty and tarry stickiness. The big structure, good tension, length and nice balance are just nudging towards its peak. Used expresso grounds, dark currants, blackberries, dark slightly sour cherries, black plum, black raspberries, plum, a little more blue fruits than the nose, steeped tea, limestone minerals, dry underbrush, anise, dark sweet tarriness, leather, fresh tobacco, cedar, pronounced herbaceous notes, dark asian spices, rich, black, turned, earth with dry leaves, cinnamon stick, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, mocha powder, caramel, dark withering flowers, fresh blue florals with violets. The acidity is good but, not great. The long finish is big, bold, dark, elegant, well balanced fruit & earth and persistent for several minutes.
This will continue to improve over the next 7–10 years.
Photos of, their newer tasting room and Estate vines, their spotless cellar with the swinging pendulum ball that doesn’t stop, newer tasting room and their Fay Vineyard.
One thing I enjoy about Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars is their style. They make much better wines than a number of years back. After changing Winemakers, they continue to excel. However, their style has remained intact despite changes.
Chase Creek is normally a member only allocated wine but, I imagine some members have purchased a few bottles.
The nose reveals; used expresso grounds, dark currants, blackberries, dark slightly sour cherries, black plum, black raspberries, plum, haunting blue fruits, steeped tea, limestone minerals, anise, leather, fresh tobacco, cedar, pronounced herbaceous notes, rich, black turned, earth with dry leaves, cinnamon stick, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, dark withering flowers, fresh blue florals with violets.
The body is full and rich. The tannins just getting to nicely resolved with gritty, dusty and tarry stickiness. The big structure, good tension, length and nice balance are just nudging towards its peak. Used expresso grounds, dark currants, blackberries, dark slightly sour cherries, black plum, black raspberries, plum, a little more blue fruits than the nose, steeped tea, limestone minerals, dry underbrush, anise, dark sweet tarriness, leather, fresh tobacco, cedar, pronounced herbaceous notes, dark asian spices, rich, black, turned, earth with dry leaves, cinnamon stick, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, mocha powder, caramel, dark withering flowers, fresh blue florals with violets. The acidity is good but, not great. The long finish is big, bold, dark, elegant, well balanced fruit & earth and persistent for several minutes.
This will continue to improve over the next 7–10 years.
Photos of, their newer tasting room and Estate vines, their spotless cellar with the swinging pendulum ball that doesn’t stop, newer tasting room and their Fay Vineyard.
Smoke, tar, beef jerky, green grass, plum
Smoke, tar, beef jerky, green grass, plum
Jan 3rd, 2014
Nice California cab. Strong tannins . opened up nicely after decanting. Could’ve used more fruit in it but a very, very nice cab
Nice California cab. Strong tannins . opened up nicely after decanting. Could’ve used more fruit in it but a very, very nice cab
Mar 18th, 2023
This is a solid Cab but nut up to the Realm snd Alpha Omega wines it shared the table with.
This is a solid Cab but nut up to the Realm snd Alpha Omega wines it shared the table with.
Feb 20th, 2022
Named after a creek running through the estate vineyard at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, the fruits of this wine are from the vines surrounding the creek. Black currant, pencil lead, tobacco, blackberry, and mint. It’s concentrated and complex. Rich flavor and high but silky tannins. Perfect with pepperoni pizza 🍕
Named after a creek running through the estate vineyard at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, the fruits of this wine are from the vines surrounding the creek. Black currant, pencil lead, tobacco, blackberry, and mint. It’s concentrated and complex. Rich flavor and high but silky tannins. Perfect with pepperoni pizza 🍕
May 27th, 2019
Powerful wine that hits you with ripe plum, leather and dark berries. Nice, lingering cedar notes make the finish quite pleasant.
Powerful wine that hits you with ripe plum, leather and dark berries. Nice, lingering cedar notes make the finish quite pleasant.
Jul 9th, 2017
2012 vintage. Beautiful dark purple color with nice legs. Cherries and a hint of tobacco on the nose. Great balance on the palate with a long finish. I'd call it full bodied, dry but not tannic. Love it.
2012 vintage. Beautiful dark purple color with nice legs. Cherries and a hint of tobacco on the nose. Great balance on the palate with a long finish. I'd call it full bodied, dry but not tannic. Love it.
Jun 18th, 2017