2007 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V.

Tonight’s wine was a bit of a celebration for my husband and I. We had our first trip to Napa a year ago and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars was one of the highlights of the trip.

In case you haven’t heard of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars (not to be confused with Stags’ Leap Winery), it is the winery that in 1976 beat out first growth Bordeaux in the “Judgement of Paris” blind tasting. The 2007 S.L.V. wine comes from the same vineyards that made the winning 1973 vintage.

With that pedigree, and because I have enjoyed and loved other Stag’s Leap Wines, I was extremely excited to open the bottle. It did not disappoint. At 6 years old, it has only barely begun to show maturity. The wine is a gorgeous purpley-red with a nose of black fruit, in particular, black plum and black currant. With lovely tannin, present but soft, tobacco and spice fill out the body and the finish was silky and smooth.

For being 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, there was a restraint and elegance to the wine that speaks to the quality of the wine making. If big California fruit bombs are your favorite, this wine might not be for you. It whispers rather than shouts, but I like what it says. This elegance will cost you though, so this is the type of wine I like to save for special occasions.