WTN: Brief visit to Stag's Leap
Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 3:57 pm
I know I am a sucker and a fool to pay the tasting fee at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars. The problem is, I LOVED all four wines.
2005 Estate Chardonnay was just beautiful. Piercing lemon and citrus and peach flavors with racy acidity and a hinto of well-managed oak. Simply beautiful Chardonnay. 19 points.
2004 Fay Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Another very nice wine. Lovely currant and raspberry fruit with some leather and tobacco notes already (this is a 2004) coming to a fore. In the Jancis Robinson thread, the idea of "herbaceoussness as being refreshing" was mentioned. This was a refreshing cab, with a medium light weight I loved. 17.5 points
2004 SLV Vineyard. A little richer, with more tobacco notes really dominant! I love the house style here! 18 points
2004 Cask 23. I know the price is insane, but geezou, this Cab, even so raw and young, has to rank up in the top 10 California wines of all time for me. Darker fruit, with blackberry, cassis. A little bit of chocolate, but the tobacco, herbs, and leather notes are even more evident. Still, this wine just seems so balanced, so elegant-it doesn't taste like a hedonistic gobs of fruit wine at all. What would 10 years do for the wine? 19 points plus.
I know the prices are insane and there is a bit of an attiditude (I showed up in cycling clothes, as I was doing one of my rides), but I just love these wines. If I had the money, I would buy a mixed case of all four!
2005 Estate Chardonnay was just beautiful. Piercing lemon and citrus and peach flavors with racy acidity and a hinto of well-managed oak. Simply beautiful Chardonnay. 19 points.
2004 Fay Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Another very nice wine. Lovely currant and raspberry fruit with some leather and tobacco notes already (this is a 2004) coming to a fore. In the Jancis Robinson thread, the idea of "herbaceoussness as being refreshing" was mentioned. This was a refreshing cab, with a medium light weight I loved. 17.5 points
2004 SLV Vineyard. A little richer, with more tobacco notes really dominant! I love the house style here! 18 points
2004 Cask 23. I know the price is insane, but geezou, this Cab, even so raw and young, has to rank up in the top 10 California wines of all time for me. Darker fruit, with blackberry, cassis. A little bit of chocolate, but the tobacco, herbs, and leather notes are even more evident. Still, this wine just seems so balanced, so elegant-it doesn't taste like a hedonistic gobs of fruit wine at all. What would 10 years do for the wine? 19 points plus.
I know the prices are insane and there is a bit of an attiditude (I showed up in cycling clothes, as I was doing one of my rides), but I just love these wines. If I had the money, I would buy a mixed case of all four!