Stag's Leap Wine Cellars "CASK 23" Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
(Stags Leap District, Napa Valley, California) - [WS 97, #57 Top 100 of 2024][VM 97] [DM 97] [WA 97] [WE95]

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About the Winery:
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, notably known for being the winery that won the Cabernet Sauvignon competition in the famous 1976 Judgment of Paris, was founded in 1970, and is considered a Napa Valley first-growth estate.

"Our signature style has often been described as “an iron fist in a velvet glove,” a reference to the artful balance between ripeness and restraint, softness and structure, that yields Napa Valley wines of exceptional beauty and long life. Achieving that style requires a level of attention to detail found only among the world’s best and most dedicated wine producers."

Tasting Notes:
The 2021 CASK 23 combines the signature perfume notes of FAY vineyard with the structure and dark fruit of S.L.V. Inviting aromas of dark currents, blueberry compote, black cherry, tobacco, and spices lead to a flavorful and dense mid-palate with rich and refined tannins and a persistent finish with flavors of dark chocolate, anise, and black fruits. 

About this Wine:
The story of CASK 23 began during the harvest of 1974. Back then, the winery enlisted the help of celebrated winemaker André Tchelistcheff. As he tasted through various lots of new wines from that year, one lot from S.L.V. was so beautiful and deliciously distinct the winery decided it should be bottled separately. It was named CASK 23 for the large wooden cask in which it was aged. Today, the wine is a blend of the most distinctive fruit from the S.L.V and FAY vineyards, resulting in a wine of extraordinary depth and richness balanced by restraint. Over the years, CASK 23 has become one of the most highly regarded and collected wines worldwide.

Vineyards & Winemaking:
CASK 23 is a tale of two legendary vineyards – S.L.V. and FAY – that come together in a complex, yet harmonious blend. S.L.V., the winery’s first vineyard, stunned the wine world when it won the “Judgment of Paris” in 1976. And FAY is the site where Cabernet Sauvignon was first planted in the Stags Leap District in 1961. These sites continue to grow fruit that winemaker Marcus Notaro artfully combines into a wine that draws you back to the glass sip after sip.

After malolactic fermentation, the lees were stirred daily for several months to add richness to the wine. Each lot was vinified and aged separately for the first year allowing the characteristics of each block to develop, while adding subtle spice notes. In the second year of aging, the lots were blended together to let the flavors harmonize, becoming one in CASK 23. Overall, the wine was aged in small new French oak barrels for 24 months.

Ratings & Reviews:

97 Points - #57 Top 100 2024, Wine Spectator:

"This is loaded with gorgeous flavors of boysenberry, mulberry and blackberry puree that maintain a sleek and refined feel as violet, iris and anise notes add range, lift and energy. A super fine-grained feel completes the seduction on the lengthy finish, where subtle minerality chimes prettily. Drink now through 2042. 2,175 cases made." —JM

97 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Cask 23 is a selection of the estate's best barrels. Rich, deep and explosive, the 2021 packs quite the punch. Black cherry, leather, tobacco, incense, licorice and cloves are all beautifully amplified in this dramatic, texturally intense Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon. Creamy tannins add to its sensual, caressing feel. (Drink between 2028-2051)." - Antonio Galloni (Dec 2023)

97 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"The first vintage of Cask 23 ever released was the 1974 vintage, with André Tchelistcheff as the consultant. While tasting all the barrels of S.L.V., Tchelistcheff came across one barrel so exceptional that they bottled it on its own, naming it after the barrel in which it was aged—Cask 23. Originally bottled only in the best vintages until 1990, when FAY was introduced as another single-vineyard expression, Cask 23 became a blend of the two single vineyards, FAY and S.L.V., aiming for a balanced, harmonious expression—a "sum greater than the parts" kind of wine. The 2021 Cask 23 was aged 21 months in 100% new French oak barrels. It displays an opaque purple-ruby colour with a magenta rim. The wine offers super dark fruit aromatics, with notes of sagebrush, fig, dried lavender, and salted dark chocolate. Full-bodied, it boasts incredible tension and mineral-laced, muscular tannins that are fine-grained with tremendous staying power, finishing with cocoa powder and an extravagant flourish. This wine has impressive energy and remarkable tension. The winemaker is Marcus Notaro. (Drink between 2024-2050)." - Jonathan Cristaldi (Aug 2024)

97 Points - Wine Advocate:
"A blend of Fay and S.L.V. barrels—with the proportions favoring Fay this vintage—the 2021 Cask 23 Cabernet Sauvignon shows a bit more toasty oak at this stage of its development but also some attractive violet and herb shadings, cassis, cherries and blueberries. It's medium to full-bodied and silky textured across the mid-palate, then lingers elegantly on the finish. It's a super effort, one that nicely captures the overall feel of the Stags Leap District AVA." - Joe Czerwinski (Oct 2024)

95 Points - Wine Enthusiast:
Black cherry, red plum, cedar and fresh tobacco combine in this wine for an experience that is both savory and pleasingly earthy. Fine while textural, satisfying tannins and juicy acidity carry into a long and alluring finish. Delicious. - Elaine Chukan Brown (Nov 2024)