Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars - S.L.V. 2022

James Suckling

Though slightly restrained at this young age, this is an outstanding wine with the structure and depth of flavor typical of this estate-grown bottling. Blackberries, dried blueberries, creme de cassis, cedar and cinnamon are layered on the palate. Tannins are fine-grained, velvety and well integrated. Drinkable now but best from 2029.

Jane Anson - Inside Bordeaux

Decanter Magazine

Toasted caramel and blackcurrants on the nose. Some ripe cherry aromas too. Juicy, this has concentration but is well presented, almost delicately with quite a straightforward and direct expression rather than being overly fleshy or wide. Well made, with precision - fruit purity alongside quite a spiced liquorice finish. Interesting, feels very hands off. 3.89pH. Ageing 20 months, 100% new oak. Owners the Antinori family with winemaker Marcus Notaro.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon S.L.V. kicks off with masses of black cherries and cassis, plus hints of dark chocolate. It's full-bodied, rich and velvety in feel, perhaps even a touch open-knit in character, but it shows great length and freshness on the lingering finish.

Now wholly owned by Tuscany's Antinori family, this historic property's winemaking remains in the capable hands of Marcus Notaro. Notaro previously worked with the Ste. Michelle-Antinori partnership up in Washington State and seems comfortable with how things have turned out. As an example of the renewed pursuit of quality over quantity, the Antinoris even sacrificed a portion of vineyard for an irrigation pond, which I was told is referred to jokingly as Lake Antinori.

On this visit, I was able to taste the 2021s and 2022s from bottle and prospective blends of the still-in-barrel 2023s. The 2021 Fay and S.L.V. were released in May, with the 2021 Cask 23 scheduled to be released in October 2024. The 2022s were bottled the week before my visit and won't be released until 2025, the 2023s will be bottled next August and released in 2026.