1996 Steltzner Cabernet Sauvignon

Steltzner Vineyards was established in 1965 when Richard Steltzner started growing grapes in Stags Leap. Steltzner also managed vineyards for wine producers, notably Diamond Creek and Spring Mountain. In the 1970s Steltzner started making his own wine and he founded his own winery in 1983 in Yountville. In 2012 Steltzner sold his facility and some of his vineyards to the Plump Jack Management Group, but Steltzner sill makes wine from 30 acres his family owns in Stags Leap. The estate produces Claret, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinotage, Sangiovese, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Stags Leap District AVA in southern Napa Valley has a storied history. It is home to Stag’s Leap Cellars, whose 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon won the famous Judgment of Paris blind tasting that included several of Bordeaux’s most exalted First Growths. Vineyards were started in area in the late 19th century, but the district’s rise in prestige started in the late 1960s when Nathan Fay planted Cabernet Sauvignon. Fay later sold his estate to Warren Winiarski, founder of Stag’s Leap Cellars. The district was given its own AVA designation in 1989, and today there are 1,400 vineyard acres. The AVA is especially notable because it was the first in the U.S. to be granted AVA status based on terroir. Its distinctive soils is a mix of volcanic soils, river sediment and loamy clay-like soil. Because the soils don’t retain water well, vineyards in Stag’s Leap tend to grow fruit with great intensity and flavor. Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for 95% of the grapes planted in Stags Leap.

One of the most widely grown grape varieties, it can be found in nearly every wine growing region. A cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a hardy vine that produces a full-bodied wine with high tannins and great aging potential.