Stag's Leap Wine Cellars SLV Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 (750ML)

For the first time, a small share of Cabernet Franc joins the Cabernet Sauvignon in Stag's Leap Wine Cellars' 2023 SLV. The 34-acre vineyard, planted to both varieties in 1970, produced the 1973 Cabernet that famously prevailed at the Paris Tasting, and its volcanic and alluvial soils drain freely. A long, cold growing season gave the 2023 its vibrancy. After fermentation in stainless steel, the wine rested 21 months in French barrels, every one of them new. It gives little away at first, then gathers momentum: blackberry, dried herbs, graphite, mocha and exotic spice, with an ironstone edge. Powdery, close-knit tannins frame the fruit through a finish that keeps building. Critics differ on when to open it but agree it has a long life ahead. Beef Wellington, grilled lamb chops or aged Gouda all suit it.