Stag's Leap

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.

In 1969, the founder of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars first tastes with Nathan Fay, whose scenic vineyard below the rocky promontory of the Stags Leap Palisades, so named because of the legend of the stag who successfully eluded hunters by leaping to freedom across the district’s landmark peaks, was the first planting of Cabernet Sauvignon in what later became the Stags Leap District.

In 1970, the founder purchases the 44 acre property, which was primarily a prune orchard, next to Nathan Fay’s vineyard, named the property Stag’s Leap Vineyards, and replanted it to Cabernet Sauvignon and a little bit of Merlot. Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars was born.

Stag’s Leap’s goal is to create wines of classic beauty — wines with balance, complexity and harmony.

Their 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.

This dedication includes a steadfast commitment from the team to sustainable practices in both winery and vineyards.