ARMILLARY Cabernet Sauvignon Vertical Set
ABOUT ARMILLARY
ARMILLARY Red Blend was originally crafted for our wine club members. An armillary is a metal cage around a globe consisting of a spherical framework of rings representing lines of celestial longitude and latitude, as well as other astronomically important features. As the FAY and S.L.V. Estate Vineyards are the center of our world at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, a concentrated blend of the two could be considered our armillary, guiding and influencing everything we do.
VINEYARDS & WINEMAKING
2018
ARMILLARY is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc from FAY and S.L.V. made in a bold style with notes of chocolate and sweet berries that will age well over time. Individual lots are blended early in the fermentation process to enable the flavors to marry together during the aging process. The wine is 70% S.L.V. and 30% FAY and was aged for 19 months in 100% new French oak barrels.
2017
ARMILLARY is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from FAY and S.L.V. made in a bold style with notes of chocolate and sweet berries that will age well over time. Individual lots are blended early in the fermentation process to enable the flavors to marry together during the aging process. The wine is 58% FAY and 42% S.L.V. and was aged for 20 months in 100% new French oak barrels.
2016
ARMILLARY is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from FAY and S.L.V. made in a bold style with notes of chocolate and sweet berries that will age well over time. Individual lots are blended early in the fermentation process to enable the flavors to marry together during the aging process. The wine is 78% FAY and 22% S.L.V. and was aged for 18 months in 100% new French oak barrels.
VINTAGE
2018
The 2018 season began with productive, late season rains that translated into strong vine growth throughout the spring. Cool temperatures in late spring resulted in an extended bloom period and very good fruit-set. Except for a hot July, the summer was beautiful with temperatures neither too hot nor too cool – a true Goldilocks zone. Cool temperatures returned in September that slowed ripening and extended hang-time, resulting in very even ripening with great flavors at lower sugar levels. We completed the harvest for our Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay – and began picking our red grapes – a good month later than in 2017 (and two weeks later than normal). Overall, this was a year of exceptional fruit quality producing wines with expressive fruit character.
2017
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.
2016
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
2018
This wine opens with aromas of crushed berries, crème brulée, dark fruits, cinnamon and jasmine. Rich and flavorful on the palate, the wine has a lasting finish packed with dark fruit flavors and great intensity.
2017
This wine offers perfumed aromas of violets, ripe cherries and blackberries. The palate is rich and full-bodied with lingering flavors of ripe berry, hazelnut and coffee. ARMILLARY is our powerful wine produced from the estate.
2016
This wine has a balanced nose with cassis, cinnamon, nutmeg and ripe persimmon notes. Full-bodied, the wine has a flavorful entrance filled with boysenberry, mocha and spice along with a structured mid-palate and long finish.
FOOD PAIRINGS
Try pairing this robust Cabernet Sauvignon with beef tenderloin, rack of lamb, or herb-crusted pork roast.