Overall, 2018 was a year where quality was excellent. This wine from the outstanding 2018 vintage is a blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon and 29% Merlot, aged 16 months in 100% French oak barrels.

These handprints comprise the Hands of Time exhibit, an enduring tribute to the many people who contributed to the winery's history over the years and who have gone on to become celebrated winemakers and viticulturists in their own right.

Along a shady walkway on the grounds of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars one comes across a succession of limestone plaques, each bearing a handprint. Shafer Vineyards, Chimney Rock and Clos du Val are all based in the AVA's bounds, and numerous wineries from around California, including Robert Mondavi and Martin Ray, make wines that bear the Stags Leap name.Here is a succulent blend from Stag's Leap. Other producersД«eyond the two wineries that share the district's name, a number of other world-class wineries are based here. That AVA would eschew the apostrophe altogether. In the late 1980s, the two producers banded together to fight for the creation of the official Stags Leap District in 1989. The subsequent ruling was that each would keep the Stags Leap name, but with a distinct apostrophe placement. The former was accused of benefitting from the publicity gained by the latter in the infamous Judgement of Paris tasting. Two producers founded in the 1970s вЂ“ Stags' Leap Winery (now as well known for its Petite Sirah as for its Cabernet Sauvignon) and Stag's Leap Wine Cellars (founded by Warren Winiarski) вЂ“ came to legal blows in the mid-1980s over the name. This name has been a source of some controversy вЂ“ specifically the absent possessive apostrophe. The Stags Leap name comes from the legend that a great stag, being pursued by hunters, made a seemingly impossible leap between the two rocky peaks that sit high above the valley.

These bring the famous Napa Valley fog rolling in on summer mornings and afternoons, which provides refreshing relief from the otherwise hot, dry days. These loose, free-draining soils force the Cabernet vines to grow strong, deep roots, ultimately leading to healthier vines and higher-quality fruit.Д¬limate also plays a key role вЂ“ located 15 miles (24km) from the northern edge of San Pablo Bay, the AVA is well placed to receive cool, moist breezes that blow northwards up the valley from San Pablo Bay. When the application was made for an official Stags Leap AVA title, a great deal of emphasis was put on the area's geology, which is made up of alluvial and colluvial soils underpinned by clay and volcanic substrata. There are also tiny amounts of white wine вЂ“ mostly oak-aged Chardonnay. Determined not to waste any of this precious real estate, the 20 or so Stags Leap wineries have covered the valley floor with a dense patchwork of vineyards, broken only by access roads and winery buildings.Д¬abernet Sauvignon makes up some 90 percent of the vineyards in Stags Leap District, although a small amount of Merlot is also grown, mostly for blending. The AVA (American Viticultural Area) is just three miles long and one mile wide, and covers 1100 hectares (2700 acres), making it one of America's smallest. These form the district's western edge and separate it from Yountville. It occupies a narrow, strip of the valley floor sectioned off from the main valley by a range of small hills running roughly north to south. Located immediately north of Napa town, Stags Leap is in a very particular spot on the valley's eastern side. In doing so it beat out the likes of ChГўteau Mouton Rothschild and ChГўteau Haut-Brion. The site of the legendary jump can be seen on the skyline on the right of the picture | В©Alissa_Ch / The area's reputation has grown steadily since the 1970s, when a Cabernet Sauvignon wine made by Stag's Leap Wine Cellars was named the top red wine in the landmark Judgment of Paris tasting. Vieww across vineyards near Stag's Leap Wine Cellars to the hills beyond.

Stags leap