Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/913027
{ SOMMjournal.com } 101 Judgement of Paris as we plot our future," said Nancy Bialek, Executive Director of the Stags Leap District Winegrowers. But who can resist recounting such an industry- changing event? The Stags Leap District and Napa Valley shocked the world that year when Steven Spurrier, a British wine merchant in Paris, held a blind competition between Californian and French wines. When the California wines won, Napa and Stags Leap wines were catapulted into the larger, international world of serious collectors. It marked the beginning of greater things to come. While it might not have generated the same buzz as the Judgement of Paris, the blind tasting in Dallas also promulgated the Stags Leap District's persistent pursuit of per - fection through the 13 wines from 1992 to 2010—predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon. Those who attended got a master class in Stags Leap Cabernet's ageworthiness, a rare discussion that gave context to the level of seriousness the district's wines represent. The Silverado Vineyards 2002 Cabernet showed well. Founded by Ron and Diane (Disney) Miller in 1981, Silverado was first farmed right after the Civil War. The '02 was a classic 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, with a dusty cherry nose, intensity, and richly- integrated fruit. Another favorite was the 2005 Cliff Lede Poetry, a Selection Massale, small-batch release (925 cases) of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Malbec rounded out by Petit Verdot and Merlot. In the nose, it was earthy with aromas of truffles and porcini, and it also had a mouthful of firm tannins and nicely-integrated flavors—a gorgeous, mature wine perfect for drinking now. The larger trade tasting presented cur - rent releases mainly from the 2014 vintage; they were no less impressive than the older wines, but are unfortunately usually over- shadowed by the 2013 and 2015 vintages. The 2014s at this event struck me as the perfect vintage for today's wine lists: an accessible, ready-to-drink Cabernet. Historically, Stags Leap District wines have never shied from tannins, which fac - tor into the wines' ageability and the desire by collectors to cellar them for years. But I think wine lovers and sommeliers can have the best of both worlds. The 2013 is a clas- sic vintage for collectors, and the reserve wines showed at the "House of Cab" tasting, such as the Taylor Family Vineyards Reserve SLD and the Silverado SOLO, were powerfully rich and stunning—but give them a few years, please. The 2015s are coming into release as well, but with low yields; frankly, it's too soon to evaluate them. So, drink the 2014s. Russ Joy, who oversees operations at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, was on hand rep - resenting a giant of the Stags Leap District. Founded in 1970 by Warren Winiarski, the winery's 1973 vintage was the top red wine at the Judgement of Paris tasting. Of the 2014 vintage, Joy said, "2014 was a drought year. Once I got over not being able to ski and got back to winemaking, there were no hiccups—one of those perfect harvests." Indeed, the Stag's Leap Wine Cellars 2014 Fay Vineyard Estate Cabernet is beautiful, rich, and smooth, yet deeply layered with scads of deliciousness. The other winery with Stags Leap in its name, Stags' Leap Winery, showed its 2014 The Leap Estate Cabernet Sauvignon—the quintessential definition of a smooth wine. The winery also presented its historical 2013 Ne Cede Malis Petite Sirah, a bom - bastic, soul-stirring evocation of early California red wine cosmic energy (yes, all that in a glass). Under the weight of its history, the Stags Leap District is rushing headlong into the future. Because the land use is restricted, there is only so much wine that can be made, and it's expensive to boot. Yet that hardly hinders the intrigue surrounding grapes from the SLD, and wine lovers the world over continue to take the same pilgrimage down the Silverado Trail I once did to taste these modern-day shrines to wine. Tamara Stanfill and Kaila Debesse of Stags' Leap Winery. Russ Joy represents Stag's Leap Wine Cellars at the Stags Leap District tasting in Dallas, TX. Chimney Rock 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Clos du Val 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Baldacci Family Vineyards "Fraternity" 2014 Red Blend