6 bottles per lot
Details
STAGS' LEAP WINE CELLARS RARIETIES INCLUDING THE INAUGRAL 1972 VINTAGE AND 1973 PARIS TASTING RELEASE
In 1970 Warren Winiarski had tasted a 1968 vintage homemade wine by Nathan Fay from his eponymous vineyard. This epiphany of taste inspired Warren's desire to purchase and plant a vineyard next to Nathan Fay's vineyard. Warren's eventual purchase of 45 acres in 1970 adjacent to Nathan's led to Stag's Leap Wine Cellars very first vintage to adorn the S.L.V. label, the vintage was 1972's "not for general release"bottling. It was the following year's harvest, 1973, the winery's first commercial release, that rocketed Stag's Leap Wine Cellars into the history books. In the summer of '73 Winiarski eagerly walked his newly planted vineyard with the great Andre Tchelistcheff, who just months before left his post at Beaulieu Vineyards. During their vineyard stroll they tasted the developing berries in several rows; Mr. Tchelistcheff was tasting for potential quality in the pulp and skins. According to George Taber, author of The Judgement of Paris, there was a moment when Mr. Tchelistcheff began to comment, "Honey. This tastes like honey. Divine Honey." The eventual wine was harvest at 23.8 degrees Brix (low by today's standard of 26+ degs), it comprised 93 Cabernet Sauvignon, 6 Merlot, and 1 Pinot Noir! and spent 21 months in French oak barrels. 1900 cases were produced at a release price of $6 per bottle. It was the 1974 harvest that created the very first Cask 23. The rest is history...
The following selection contains two of these three historical vintages. They were purchased on release direct from the winery, each in near pristine condition today.
A note on Lot numbers: During the late 1970's California drought years the winery occasionally deemed that certain vintages would benefit from further bottle aging at the winery. Becase of this there are often two or more release dates within the same vintage. To the best of our knowledge lot numbers do not refer to different barrel selections or vineyard blocks.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Stag's Leap Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon --Vintage 1972
Napa Valley
Level: into neck; lightly bin soiled label
6 bottles per lot
In 1970 Warren Winiarski had tasted a 1968 vintage homemade wine by Nathan Fay from his eponymous vineyard. This epiphany of taste inspired Warren's desire to purchase and plant a vineyard next to Nathan Fay's vineyard. Warren's eventual purchase of 45 acres in 1970 adjacent to Nathan's led to Stag's Leap Wine Cellars very first vintage to adorn the S.L.V. label, the vintage was 1972's "not for general release"bottling. It was the following year's harvest, 1973, the winery's first commercial release, that rocketed Stag's Leap Wine Cellars into the history books. In the summer of '73 Winiarski eagerly walked his newly planted vineyard with the great Andre Tchelistcheff, who just months before left his post at Beaulieu Vineyards. During their vineyard stroll they tasted the developing berries in several rows; Mr. Tchelistcheff was tasting for potential quality in the pulp and skins. According to George Taber, author of The Judgement of Paris, there was a moment when Mr. Tchelistcheff began to comment, "Honey. This tastes like honey. Divine Honey." The eventual wine was harvest at 23.8 degrees Brix (low by today's standard of 26+ degs), it comprised 93 Cabernet Sauvignon, 6 Merlot, and 1 Pinot Noir! and spent 21 months in French oak barrels. 1900 cases were produced at a release price of $6 per bottle. It was the 1974 harvest that created the very first Cask 23. The rest is history...
The following selection contains two of these three historical vintages. They were purchased on release direct from the winery, each in near pristine condition today.
A note on Lot numbers: During the late 1970's California drought years the winery occasionally deemed that certain vintages would benefit from further bottle aging at the winery. Becase of this there are often two or more release dates within the same vintage. To the best of our knowledge lot numbers do not refer to different barrel selections or vineyard blocks.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Stag's Leap Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon --Vintage 1972
Napa Valley
Level: into neck; lightly bin soiled label
6 bottles per lot