2017 FAY Cabernet Sauvignon

ABOUT FAY

FAY Vineyard, established by pioneering grape grower Nathan Fay in 1961, was the first planting of Cabernet Sauvignon in what is now the Stags Leap District AVA. Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars purchased this historic vineyard from Nathan Fay in 1986, and has made a single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from this vineyard since the 1990 vintage.

VINEYARDS & 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. The grapes were sourced from Blocks 4, 3B, 8, 6, 3A, and 5A, which, combined, give the wine its classic red-fruit tones and aromatic top notes as well as its structure.

VINTAGE

The 2017 vintage was a memorable one with more than its fair share of historic challenges – but it resulted in very high-quality fruit at lower yields. We started with a wet winter that brought much-needed water after several years of drought. Spring and summer temperatures alternated between unusually cool and unusually hot, with a record-breaking heat wave over Labor Day weekend.

Just as harvest was reaching its final crescendo, on October 8th, tragic wildfires broke out that burned throughout Napa and Sonoma counties. At Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, the Atlas Peak fire burned right down to the edge of the estate vineyards. Thankfully, the vineyard served as a giant fire break, and the winery was undamaged, and our employees were safe. We give a special thank you to the cellar and maintenance teams who demonstrated incredible dedication to wine quality in restoring power to the winery and caring for the fermenting wines under extreme conditions.

TASTING NOTES

This wine has inviting aromas of ripe berries, figs, plums, candied cherries, strawberry preserves, and a touch of jasmine perfume. The wine has a bright and lively entry and mid-palate, which is nicely balanced with rich, polished tannins and cherry pie aftertaste.

FOOD PAIRINGS