Winery - Stags' Leap Winery
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A stunning success for its wonderfully extracted, complex mélange of blackberry, cassis, sweet anise, plum and cured tobacco. That’s what rigorous selection can accomplish in a so-so vintage. The flavors are wrapped in the rich, sweet tannins and balanced acids you’d expect from this appellation. Might age, but best now through next year.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Notes of chocolate, blackberry and plum, and a waft of French oak that adds vanilla and clove aromas. It’s hard to imagine prettier tannins, at once soft and luxurious. Call it a fine example from a light vintage.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Long before the boom in “Pet,” Stags’ Leap was committed to it. And few wineries have performed more consistently over the years. The ’03, from the winery’s old estate vineyard exhibits dark, dry, rich, robust characteristics. It’s a flamboyant, plummy-leathery wine that never loses control.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is an old Petite Sirah-based field blend on the estate, and it’s classic. Pours dark as night, and is immense in flavor, with blackberry, blueberry, caramel, chocolate, coffee and roasted nut tastes cascading across the palate. The tannins are rich and dense, but utterly soft. Yummy stuff.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
The best thing about this wonderful Merlot is balance. The winemaker has modulated the blackberry and plum fruit with earthier notes that suggest balsamic, soy-splashed sautéed beef, Portobello mushrooms and coffee. The grippy tannins and acids add a welcome touch of bitterness to the finish. With charm in addition to complexity, this Merlot will drink well for five years.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Good, rich Cab from this veteran producer, but falls shy of greatness. The power comes from the authority of the tannins and currant-cassis fruit, and there’s elegance in the overall balance. Falls short, though, for an overripe raisiny edge in the finish.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A fine job; this Chardonnay emphasizes structure and food compatibility rather than fruity extraction. There’s good apple and peach flavor, bright acidity, enough oak to season and a sprinkling of dusty tannin.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
The attractive aromas of cherries, leather and smoky oak seem weirdly disconnected from the palate, which is quite hard in tannins and light in flavor. There’s a suggestion of cherry and blackberry fruit. Drink now.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
From old vines, this blend of Carignane, Grenache and Syrah is a rich, nuanced wine. Even non-sophisticates will find this smooth, delicious and enjoyable, although savvy tasters will appreciate the complexity.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
I wish there were more fruit in this wine, because it has the crisp, bold acidity that so many of today’s Chards lack. But the fruit isn’t there. You get a tease of citrus and peach, and then, poof, it’s gone, disappearing into mere alcohol and wood.
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