Stags’ Leap Winery, Stag’s Leap District (Napa Valley, California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

This is pure Stag’s Leap District cabernet at its finest, sourced from one of the most historic and controversial estates in the region. The Leap is the property’s most expressive and impressive wine, as the price might suggest. Though overshadowed through the years by its famous neighbor with a similar name (Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars), the Stags’ Leap Winery has long had the potential to compete on equal footing. The Leap is the wine that makes it so. The ’09 vintage is exhibits tightly packed layers of ripe black fruits, warm wood-spice notes, and sleek but firm tannins. It is a superb cabernet structured for the long haul.