Vineyard Notes
Cabernet Sauvignon is synonymous with the Stags Leap District and has always been a mainstay in the winemaking program at Stags’ Leap Winery. The Leap is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from select blocks within our Stags’ Leap Winery estate vineyard. This singular expanse of earth tucked up against the eastern palisades of Napa Valley features thin, rocky soils in its upper reaches, giving way to finer-grained loamy soils at its floor. The heat-reflecting palisades, with their towering rocky crags, provide consistent warmth over the estate and help balance the cooling breezes from the south. This pronounced micro-climate is remarkably well-suited to growing Cabernet Sauvignon grapes of distinction.
While not typical of The Leap to blend other varietals, the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon fruit was enhanced with Petite Sirah in order to craft the most expressive wine for the vintage. The Petite Sirah was sourced exclusively from Block 9, which maintains the wonderful, highly concentrated black fruit flavors and power that are beloved of the varietal without the dominant spice and floral notes. This allows the Petite Sirah to be a wonderful counterpart to Cabernet Sauvignon, extracting power, richness and elegance from the varietal without diverting Cabernet from its essence.