2012 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Fay Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA

2012 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Fay Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA

Product: 20128029636
 
2012 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Fay Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA

Buying options

Available by the case In Bond. Pricing excludes duty and VAT, which must be paid separately before delivery. Storage charges apply.
You can place a bid for this wine on BBX

Description

It is not often that I am this mesmerised by the scent of a wine, so much so that the aromatics are almost enough to satisfy.  Dark cherry, black plum, blackberries, cacao, smoke, blueberries sage, all wrapped up in fine grained oak.

Thankfully the palate is just as good, with more of the same plus dark raspberry, blackcurrant, liquorice and vanilla. The beautifully balanced acidity is super refreshing, the power is restrained and the classical elegance is apparent. This has all of the old world restrain, structure and age ability that you could desire. As one of the great Cabernet Sauvignons of America, it is certainly capable of aging for 8-15 years.
Laura Atkinson-Godwin, Private Account Manager

wine at a glance

Delivery and quality guarantee

Critics reviews

Wine Advocate94/100
The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Fay Vineyard boasts loads of black cherry and black raspberry fruit, a floral characteristic common to this terroir, a beautiful deep ruby/purple color, sweet tannin and a dramatic, lush, Margaux-like finish. This is sexy, lush, full-throttle wine to drink over the next 10-15 years.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 31/12/2015 Read more
Robert Parker93-96/100
The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Fay Estate Grown possesses a complex bouquet of raspberries, blueberries, charcoal, graphite and spring flowers, abundant richness, and a medium to full-bodied, graceful mouthfeel with everything in perfect harmony. It exhibits gorgeous fruit, a complex personality, full body and terrific elegance and finesse. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2035.
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate
Read more

About this WINE

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars

Warren Winiarski gave an up a promising academic career in Chicago to pursue his dream of making wine. He learnt his trade at Robert Mondavi before setting up Stag's Leap Wine Cellars in the heart of the Napa Valley in 1972. Success was instantaneous when the 1973 vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon took first place over leading red Bordeaux at a major comparative tasting in Paris in 1976.

In 1986 Warren Winiarski purchased the adjoining Fay Vineyard which, in what is known today as the Stag's Leap District Appellation, which had been planted by Nathan Fay in 1961. Cask 23, the proprietary red wine blend made only in select vintages, is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stag's Leap vineyard and the Fay Vineyards. Warren coined the descriptive phrase 'iron fist in a velvet glove' to describe his polished but sturdy Cabernets. Winemaker Michael Silacci joined the winery in 1995, and together with assistant winemaker Julia Winiarski is producing outstandingly complex, multi layered wines that are amongst the very finest in California.

Find out more
Napa Valley

Napa Valley

North Coast's Napa Valley is California's most famous viticultural area (AVA), claiming some of the most expensive agricultural land in the world and producing wines of ‘cult’ status.

Its 16,000 ha of vines lie over a strip (40 miles long-5 miles wide) of diverse soils (clay, gravely, volcanic), with its northernmost end on the side of Mountain Helena and its foot in San Francisco Bay. The valley is framed by two mountains ranges Vaca (to the north) and Mayacamas (to the south), yet the main climatic influence is the cool wind and fog that is sucked in from San Pablo Bay during the afternoon, allowing grapes to ripen slowly and evenly. 

The area enjoys a variety of unique microclimates, as temperatures can vary dramatically as much as 15 degrees, from the north to the south end of the valley. These differences have led to the creation of several sub-AVAs (14 in total) including:

Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley District, Diamond Mountain District, Howell Mountain, Los Carneros, Mt. Veeder, Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena, Spring Mountain District, Stags Leap District, Yountville, Wild Horse Valley and Oak Knoll District. The Calistoga AVA is still pending approval.

Both the “Napa Valley” designation and the sub-AVA name must appear on the wine label simultaneously, with the exception of wines from the Carneros AVA, which is shared between the Napa Valley and the Sonoma County.

Cabernet Sauvignon is the undisputed king of Napa grapes, occupying over 45% of the vineyard acreage, followed by (predominantly) Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Zinfandel, Merlot, Cab. Franc and to a lesser extent Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, Barbera, Dolcetto.

Recommended Producers
Frog's Leap, Dominus, David Ramey, Viader, Stag's Leap Cellars, Paras Vineyards, Heitz.

Find out more
Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon

The most famous red wine grape in the world and one of the most widely planted.

It is adaptable to a wide range of soils, although it performs particularly well on well-drained, low-fertile soils. It has small, dusty, black-blue berries with thick skins that produce deeply coloured, full-bodied wines with notable tannins. Its spiritual home is the Médoc and Graves regions of Bordeaux where it thrives on the well-drained gravel-rich soils producing tannic wines with piercing blackcurrant fruits that develop complex cedarwood and cigar box nuances when fully mature.

The grape is widely planted in California where Cabernet Sauvignon based wines are distinguished by their rich mixture of cassis, mint, eucalyptus and vanilla oak. It is planted across Australia and with particular success in Coonawarra where it is suited to the famed Terra Rossa soil. In Italy barrique aged Cabernet Sauvignon is a key component in Super Tuscans such as Tignanello and Sassicaia, either on its own or as part of a blend with Sangiovese.

Find out more