Stags' Leap Winery Cabernet Sauvignon "The Leap"

Beautiful wine. Well rounded. Dark ruby in color. Balck Currant on the nose. It still has some life, but is beautiful today.

2008 vintage

Still nice wine but wound not hold any longer. Back end a bit harsh and lacking finish.

2008 vintage

Still showing very well, drank over two days, plenty of fruit and very well integrated at this point. Floral and dark fruits on day one, tart cherry and earthy on day two. Sad to say this was the last bottle, still holding an '07 and '09 so hoping they have aged as gracefully.

2008 vintage

Unlike most, I like fay more than slv. Alluvial soil here as opposed to volcanic there. I got this from the winery a couple weeks ago so impeccable storage assumed. Nose of blackberry jam. Palate is rich, raspberry, blackberry, purple fruit is by far dominating. I would have guessed new world, probably napa, but never over 13 years. Still has some years but I wouldn't hold too much longer. SLWC remains a favorite of mine on Silverado.

2008 vintage

- Brick color with medium forming legs. It's lacking fruit with a light/medium body. Leathery texture with a short finish - Almost absent of any tannin structure. No depth and lacking any smoothness. Little mouth feel and likely past its prime.

2008 vintage

Completely missed the window. Oak and not much else.

2008 vintage

So beautifully realized at 13 years out. Fruit and tannin balance is just right and stable enough to last over two days with and without food.

2008 vintage

Cherry, tobacco, felt

2008 vintage

Needed a two hour decant. Terrific nose of black cherry, cassis, red cherry jam, raspberry, smoke, graphite, earth, red licorice, lipstick, flowers, and herbs. Tart cherry, black cherry, cassis, red cherry, earth, salt, minerals, licorice, and herbs on the palate. Mouth-watering acidity, moderately firm tannins, medium-long finish. Wow, the saltiness comes through the next day. Such a good wine, fresh and floral, fruity, salty, and minerally all together.

2008 vintage

Awesome! Still tasted young, I could have stored it for another 10years.

2008 vintage

Excellent Cab. I've used Corovin over the last two nights. Slow legs, medium body, long finish.

2008 vintage

Very disjointed first night, ketchup came to mind. Much better on second night, still showing plenty of life, if somewhat uninteresting

2008 vintage

Age has treated it well. Surprisingly good.

2008 vintage

Glad to revisit this tasty Napa Cab at a barbeque this afternoon. Low humidity cellar conditions probably caused the soft cork on this bottle, so the host ended up with a bit of a crumbly mess on their hands. Thankfully, the cork held on long enough for this bottle. What remained was as good, or better than my last visit. Dry but impossibly fruity at the same time. Medium plus nose of flowers, fruit and tobacco. Voluptuous body balanced with …

2008 vintage

Decanted & enjoyed over two hours. Fruity aromas. Dark fruit flavors, very pleasant to drink with medium / long finish.

2008 vintage

WSET (IWSI) session with Eran Pick (WSET, Jaffa) : deep ruby med aromas intensity of dry black cherries, raspberries, cranberries, roasted plums, oak-vanilla, forest floor developed dry, high acidity, med+ tannins, high abv, full body, med+ flavours intensity consistent with the nose, long finish, can drink now- suitable for further ageing

2008 vintage

The wine looks garnet colored. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like fig and apple. It tastes like blackberry, strawberry, cherry and plum. The body is medium/full. The wine has juicy texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.

2008 vintage

Took my time with this one. Decanted 2 hours and this bottle was exactly what I expected from a Napa Cab. On the dry side, subtle, sophisticated and very nicely balanced. I was worried that I might have left it in the cellar too long, but it is still drinking nicely. My favorite bottle of the evening.

2008 vintage

Absolutely lovely on the nose, with elegant cassis fruit, medium+ bodied on the palate, very elegant and Clean cabernet fruit. A very elegant Napa-cab. A pity they have raised the price the last few years.

2008 vintage

Still a powerful wine at 9 years and probably has some good years left. Tannins are soft, but still a complex nose, layered flavors and medium to long finish. Was the crowd favorite among a 2010, 2011, and 2012 from other Napa vintners on wine night.

2008 vintage

Moderate fruit nose for 8 years old, silky, smooth, chewy, cedar, tannins. mouth watering lingering finish.

2008 vintage

Nice balance, dark fruit, mild nose. It has mellowed out a lot, but always pleasant.

2008 vintage

Super smooth like most Fay's. Still a lot of time left in these bottles.

2008 vintage

SLWC has fallen off my radar a little, but ran across this bottle of 08 FAY. Surprisingly good, smokey, burning embers notes, well balanced with fruit, drinking beautifully. A pleasant surprise.

2008 vintage

It was good but not great, medium body, seemed a little light. Fruit forward, still needed some time developing I think. Decant for 2 hrs, drank over 2 more. Maybe too long of a decant? No sediment in glass, plum, black cherry and pomegranate, nothing else that really popped. Ho hum... Worth no more than $45 tops for me and even then there are better finds

2008 vintage

Perfect to drink now-just amazing-aged much better than expected.

2008 vintage

Could stand more time however a classic style!

2008 vintage

Douceur du fruit. Belle bouche pleine. J'aime bien en regard du prix qu'il commande. Un peu raccoleur toutefois.

2008 vintage

PnP. Has mellowed out a bit since last tasting. Fruit forward, dark fruit, sweet tannins and bright fruit on the finish. Quite a dense, masculine wine.

2008 vintage

Outstanding! Half the btl kept under cork from yesterday, so took this wonderful opportunity to make a reassessment. Today, the nose is closed and only after much coaxing does a deep red fruitiness spring forward. Super clean, but no nuance. Mouth is more open for play than the nose. Medium bodied, transparent with a pure and clean berry expression. Tannins remain hidden by the young fruit. This is an very fine wine with a small voice, superb constitution (however, the …

2008 vintage

A solid 90 p. Opened at the table and not favoured by anyone as it was a little too easy drinking and there were other, more interesting, wines that kept flowing. I only had a small glass and didn't assess it any further than: A typical, well made Napa cab.

2008 vintage

to Marc and Veronica for NYE

2008 vintage

Aged very well, paired perfectly with beef tenderloin

2008 vintage

Decanted for two hours, had with prime rib, much better that I had expected

2008 vintage

Well structured, great balance soft but nice silky tannins. This wine hardly ever disappoints & has been great for a long time. For the price point this wine beats a lot of overpriced Napa cabs that sell for much higher prices.

2008 vintage

Solid Cab with notes of chocolate spic and leather on the nose and a steady yet mild finish of berry and jam

2008 vintage

Tasted blind. Dark purple. Nose was a complex concoction of cherry, blackberry, coriander, and anise. On the palate it was smooth with the fruit showing a bit more than the spices. Solid structure and tannins. This was my WOTN.

2008 vintage

Wonderfully fruity, complex and well-structured. A great wine!

2008 vintage

Agree with the previous note, however on night 2 this was MUCH better. A little bit more like a classic cab at this point, still maraschino cherries and cloves on the nose. Green pepper, blueberries, and dark chocolate on the palate. Tannins are still very drying, I would wait a few years to see if this one comes around,

2008 vintage

PnP. Quite "restrained" and elegant for a Napa cab. Very dry, tannic, young. Fruit forward. Alcohol on the finish. Give this a few years.

2008 vintage

Sour on both the nose and the palate. Dusty tannins.

2008 vintage

Good but probably would be better with some more time in the bottle. Opened up some with with a little air. some tart fruit but not too much. Good balance of acidity and tannins.

2008 vintage

This is starting to age gracefully and show a smoother more complex side. Great dark fruit, smokey flavors and softening tannins. This bottle was much better than the last one about 9 months ago.

2008 vintage

I was very pleased when I popped open this wine and took a sip. It is definitely hitting its peak in terms of drinking. The wine started out a little closed but open with hints of berries before ending with a long smooth finish. After about 10 minutes in the glass it was tasted great. At $30/bottle it was well worth the price.

2008 vintage

from Dan Bailey

2008 vintage

Showing more on the red end of the Cabernet spectrum, with a noticeable degree of acidity. Definitely seems in line with the stated 13.8% ABV on the label. Was at its best with an hour of air and paired with food. Those who exclusively like big, fruit forward modern Napa cabs might not enjoy it as much, but I thought it was a nice departure from that style.

2008 vintage

Opaque aubergine appearance. Smoky, spicy nose of black cherries, black currants, black pepper, and a touch of vegetality. The aromas carry over to the youthful palate, where additional notes of cherry liqueur and chocolate segue into an ample mid-palate, before picking up notes of coffee and crushed rocks on the long finish. This is very masculine, almost debonair. Will benefit from another couple of years in the bottle. Excellent.

2008 vintage

Smooth nice cab

2008 vintage

So good

2008 vintage

Was disappointed with this bottle. A 2008 should be drinking ok. The fruit was tart and bound up. The tannins were not balanced. Very disappointing for such an expensive wine.

2008 vintage

Are you sure?

Stags' Leap Winery Cabernet Sauvignon "The Leap"

Vintages

Community Reviews