2016 FAY Cabernet Sauvignon
ABOUT FAY
The FAY vineyard is where the Stag’s 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 Fay’s homemade Cabernet in 1969 was a defining moment for the founder of Stag’s 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 Fay’s vineyard and named it FAY in his honor. The first vintage of a single vineyard FAY Cabernet Sauvignon was 1990.
VINEYARDS & WINEMAKING
FAY vineyard remains one 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 2016 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.”
With this vintage, Winemaker Marcus Notaro used careful barrel selection to marry the unique characters of FAY vineyard to the barrel type and toast level to further enhance the fruit in the wine. In addition, he added 2% Cabernet Franc to the blend for the first time which adds an accent of blueberry spice. This is first crop of Cabernet Franc, which replaced the Petite Verdot that was originally planted in FAY.
VINTAGE
Although bud-break in Napa Valley was early in 2016, the season was much cooler than normal. We didn’t get the usual high heat in July and August, which provided for a longer hang time for the grapes. Overall, quality was high and particularly at our FAY and S.L.V. estate vineyards. The grapes in FAY and S.L.V. ripened uniformly and while yields were a bit lower than average, the flavors were great, and the tannins were soft and supple. The harvest was smooth and progressed from varietal to varietal with the Sauvignon Blanc coming in first, then the Chardonnay, and time in between to transition to the reds. In late September, we started bringing in Cabernet Sauvignon from across the valley for our ARTEMIS Cabernet Sauvignon and it was interesting that the grapes – all the way
from the cooler Coombsville area up to the warmer parts of St. Helena – ripened at the same time. We completed the Cabernet harvest in October.
TASTING NOTES
Generous and inviting, the 2016 FAY Cabernet Sauvignon has vibrant aromas of ripe raspberry, blueberry spice, and boysenberry with a touch of nutmeg. The palate is loaded with blueberry and black cherry flavors wrapped around soft and silky tannins. Bright berry notes linger on the persistent finish.
FOOD PAIRINGS
Try pairing this estate-grown Cabernet with Maitake mushroom risotto, maple-glazed salmon or grilled buffalo burgers with caramelized onion & Havarti cheese.