NAPA VALLEY 6: TERROIR OF WATER AND FIRE
1976 was a good year for America. The country celebrated its 200 years of its independence. Apple Computer was formed. Hotel California by the Eagles was first released. Jimmy Carter became the first president hailed from the historic Deep South since the Civil War. And yes, the Judgement of Paris — an event little known outside the wine world. On that early summer day in Paris, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellar’s 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon won the blind tasting ahead of Bordeaux’s historic chateaux including Mouton-Rothschild, Montrose, and Haut-Brion. While people in France have long moved on, Napa Valley never stops drumming about its significance, so significant that it was the cause of why I had to pay more than 40 of my own buck to taste these three wines (plus a forgettable Chardonnay).
The winery’s catchphrase describes their wines as “an iron fist in velvet glove” referring to their pursuit of the balance between “ripeness and restraint, softness, and structure”, that yields wines of “exceptional beauty and long life”. Indeed, Stag’s Leap was recognised as the first American Vinicultural Area (AVA) for its “power and grace, lush fruit and soft tannins with complex layers of flavour”. And then, you are also told that their two flagship vineyards — Fay and S.L.V. (short for Stag’s Leap Vineyard) — produce the wines showing two opposite aspects of the terroir. Fay’s alluvial, flood plain soils yield the soft, perfumy, and rich berried wine or the “water” while S.L.V.’s volcanic clay express intensity, spice, and concentration — or the “fire”. And the host went on and on and on … at this point my ears stopped functioning and my eyes rolled outside to the beautiful view of Fay and Stag’s Leap Palisade (exactly as depicted in the photo above).
My point is this. While all of these are nice stories, they don’t mean jack if the current wines don’t deliver. But my scepticism vaporized as soon as I could indulge myself in the following three beautiful works of art.
2012 Fay
I score this wine 8.8/10.
Enticing dark and concentrated violet provides an overture to the elegant aromas of blueberry, vanilla, and soft floral perfume. On the palate, this wine offers the exceptionally soft and silky tannin for its young age supported by a graceful and gentle amalgamation of fruit, oak, and flower elements — cassis, dark cherry, blueberry, vanilla, lavender, iris, orchid, soft serve vanilla ice cream, vanilla seed, the list goes on. Medium full body. The finish is exceptional with no trace of alcoholic heat. This stood out as my favourite of this winery. But the judge is still out on its long term ageability. $125.
2012 S.L.V.
I score this wine 8.6/10.
If Fay were Eric Clapton, S.L.V. must have been Freddy Mercury. It’s flamboyant, dazzling, powerful, and possesses that larger than life persona. The explosion of dark fruits, smoke, and other earthy notes is on full display as you sink your nose into the glass to take a sniff. The tannin is noticeably thinker than Fay but still retains that softness which signifies Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon. Full body. Chocolate-coated cherry, dark sumptuous blueberry, coffee with a distinct mouth-watering astringency. It’s very forward and very expressive wine. $125.
2012 Cask 23
I score this wine 8.5/10.
Inky, most concentration of colours among the three wines. Dark fruits in abundance — ripe fig, dark plum, cassis, blueberry. 21 months in barrel imparts unmistaken notes of dark chocolate, espresso, and crème de cassis. Delicious and very much accessible now with its smooth but firm tannins. It’s probably the best representation of the modern Napa style while Fay, in my opinion, leans more towards the classic style of maintaining the balance and extraction. But that price tag … that downgrades the score quite a bit (0.2 subtracted because at this price point, I expected something more than the sum of its two parts) $245.
Find out if your local fine wine shops stock Fay, S.L.V., and or Cask 23 by clicking respective embedded links. Also don’t forget to check out my blog for further information about me, should you be incline to do so @ https://notavino.wordpress.com/.