Stag's Leap Wine Cellars FAY Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2013 (750 ml)

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Fay Estate-Grown comes from a vineyard established by Nathan Fay in 1961. Beautiful blackcurrant, floral-infused fruit jumps from the glass of this dense ruby/purple wine. There are some loamy underpinnings of soil, but the wine is medium to full-bodied, beautifully fruited, with great texture, and terrific purity and personality. This is a serious and beautiful wine to drink over the next 20-25 years, if not longer.95 points from Robert Parker, The Wine AdvocateThe FAY vineyard is where the Stags Leap Wine Cellars story began. Established by pioneering grape grower Nathan Fay in 1961, it was the first planting of Cabernet Sauvignon in what is now the Stags Leap District. At the time, conventional wisdom maintained that the area was too cool for Cabernet Sauvignon. But tasting Nathan Fays homemade Cabernet in 1969 was a defining moment for the founder of Stags Leap Wine Cellars. Here was land capable of producing a wine that could rival the best in the world. Within a year an adjoining ranch, now known as S.L.V., was purchased. And, in 1986, the winery purchased Nathan Fays vineyard and named it FAY in his honor.Vineyard & Winemaking:FAY vineyard remains one of the great Napa Valley vineyards, producing fruit with an abundance of supple red and black berry character, voluptuous perfume and a luscious, fine-grained texture. Almost three quarters of the Cabernet Sauvignon for the 2013 blend comes from blocks in the lower and middle sections of the FAY vineyard, which give the wine its classic red-fruit tones and aromatic top notes. The balance was sourced from the upper section (eastern blocks) of FAY, which tends to be more powerful and lends structure to the wine. When the various lots are blended and aged in French oak barrels, the resulting wine gives us the classic expression that is a hallmark of our estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon, an iron fist in a velvet glove.Vintage:The 2013 harvest was Winemaker Marcus Notaros first at Stags Leap Wine Cellars. He describes the vintage as a winemakers dream. I couldnt have picked a better vintage to start with, he said. This was one of the most even vintages Ive ever experienced, giving ultimate quality and uniform ripeness. A dry winter and spring were followed by warm weather in May/June that turned to moderate, if not cool, temperatures in July/August. The grapes colored up quickly and evenly; a nice sign that the grapes would finish off ripening in a uniform manner. A four-day heat spike in early September hastened ripening of some grapes, but there was an immediate return to moderate conditions and near perfect weather for the rest of September and early October. The varietals ripened one after another and the blocks ripened evenly so there was never really a crunch period. This allowed the fruit to be picked at the right time for each block and gave ample time in the winery to bring out the best characters for each lot. Tannins are ripe and soft and the wines are full of fruit.Wine:The 2013 FAY Cabernet Sauvignon offers inviting aromas of blackberry, cinnamon and violet along with hints of clove and nutmeg that carry over onto the palate. The wine has a soft, plush texture with fine-grained tannins that meld with the signature bright red cherry notes of the vineyard, leading to a lingering finish. Try pairing this estate-grown Cabernet with prosciuttowrapped pork tenderloin, braised short-ribs or roast chicken with fried sage.