Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars

For anyone who’s studied up on the key moments in Napa wine history, the Spurrier tasting of 1976 sits in high relief. The Paris tasting was a bona fide pitting of French against American wines, organized to showcase the superior quality of the French winemaking talent. To everyone’s surprise, the winner of the blind tasting was none other than the 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars SLV Cabernet Sauvignon. While the winery has recently passed into new ownership (a joint venture between the Tuscan Antinori family and Ste Michelle Wine Estates), the SLV is still going strong; its current vintage is available in their tasting room as part of their Estate Tasting.

Finally, for those seeking a truly elegant wine country setting for an event or wedding, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars is one of the few Napa venues set up to host weddings; they also offer cooking classes and wine and food pairing programs that feature both current releases and library wines (wonder if they have any of the 1973 SLV left?).