A question about Stags Leap Cab

I drink very little Cal Cab and don’t know much about it. For the heck of it I purchased a bottle of Stags Leap Vineyards Cab. I am aware that there are Artemis and FAY plots, at least I think that there are. So I was gambling that just Stags Leap might bring me to the plot that produced the 1973 Cab that won the famous Paris tasting. I purchased a 2017 so that the vintage would likewise be about three years from my tasting. I wasn’t impressed.

Of course the grapes could be vinified much differently now, but if the winery had a winner like that, one might think they would keep the process similar.

Am I attempting something that’s not possible to replicate even indirectly or tangentially? Is the plot today the same one as in 1973?

Off topic, but I also purchased their Chardonnay and thought it was wonderfully concentrated and very good.

[David M. Bueker]

Vintages are radically different, and yes their winemaking is different as well. The basic Cab likely has little of the same plot that produced the 1973, as there are now separate cuvees, and with phyloxera there has been lots and lots of replanting.

There are two Napa wineries with the name "Stag's Leap". Stag's Leap Wine Cellars is the outfit that won the Judgment of Paris in 1976. The other one is called Stags' Leap Winery. Note the position of the apostrophe.

Last time I looked, the top-of-the-line cabernet sauvignon from Stag's Leap Wine Cellars is called Cask 23. This is probably the closest modern equivalent to the 1973 cab that won the Paris tasting.

-Paul W.

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars. I recently looked up the name to verify it was, indeed the Judgment of Paris red winner. Chateau Montelena Chardonnay was the white. (Sidebar: the movie Bottleshock is very entertaining)

Quick search online for Cask 23 Cab Sauv in CA = prices beginning at $145. Beyond my pay grade. Your mileage may vary.

Chateau Montelena Chard about $60 & up.

Judgment of Paris was in 1976.

The wine that should be closest in vineyard source is the SLWC SLV , which is basically the land Warren W owned in 1973. But he sold to mega-winemakers 15 or so years ago. And styles have changed several times all over CA since 70s.

Certainly agree with you about CA styles, Dale. Oak, butter, "big" come to mind. Have found and had several wines that market the no-oak approach. As a daily drinker, Smoking Loon Steelbird. Like that brand name, too.

Frugal soul....

I've been a Chateau Montelena subscriber for 20 or so years, and I haven't noticed any change in the style of their chardonnay. It's not the over-oaked fruit bomb that one all too often finds in CA.

-Paul W.

I certainly didn't mean that all CA wineries have changed their styles, but I've not really heard of anyone citing recent SLWC as old school.
I like Montelena Chard, and think the style is pretty consistent over many years- think there's a fair amount of new oak, but it's not heavily toasted, and since I think Montelena doesn't do a ML fermentation there are no buttery notes (and more evident acid than many of its peers).

Indeed, Montelena doesn't put their chardonnay through malolactic fermentation. As a result the flavor profile is more in the Burgundian style (albeit still distinctly Californian), which is probably why I like it.

Alas, it's been a long, long time since I had a SLWC cab.

-Paul W.

Thanks to all for the interesting information.

[David M. Bueker]

Indeed, Montelena doesn't put their chardonnay through malolactic fermentation. As a result the flavor profile is more in the Burgundian style (albeit still distinctly Californian), which is probably why I like it.

Since when is non-malo particularly Burgundian?

Thanks for catching me out on that, David. You're right--if anything it's the other way around--white Burgundy is nearly always put through malo because it has such high acidity. Not necessary nor desirable in CA where low acidity is the problem and, when put through malo, the chardonnay goes all buttery and flabby.

-Paul W.

[David M. Bueker]

Thanks for catching me out on that, David. You're right--if anything it's the other way around--white Burgundy is nearly always put through malo because it has such high acidity. Not necessary nor desirable in CA where low acidity is the problem and, when put through malo, the chardonnay goes all buttery and flabby.

-Paul W.

And to be honest I would challenge your buttery and flabby comment with a few bottles of Ramey.

[Jenise]

And Aubert, Liquid Farm and, really, quite a few others these days. I've got a Massican I've got high hopes for.

[David M. Bueker]

I've got a Massican I've got high hopes for.

Comparing and contrasting Massican and Ramey Hyde Vineyard Chardonnays is a fascinating exercise. Massican - no malo, Ramey - full malo. Different oak regimes. Different wines that both share a core - Hyde!