#60 Wine Spectator Top 100 (2000 edition - 1997 vintage)
95-Points by James Suckling.
A very pretty cabernet with very fine tannins that are polished and fresh. Beautiful currant, chocolate and walnut character. Medium to full body and a long, caressing finish. Builds beautifully at the end. So delicious now, but will develop nicely in bottle. Real 2018 character. Top vintage.
 
Stags' Leap Winery is located seven miles (11km) north of Napa town in the Stags Leap AVA. It is situated on a large estate with 90 acres (36 hectares) under vine. The classic Bordeaux blend grapes Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are planted. Estate fruit is used alongside grower fruit from some of the best producers in Napa Valley and Carneros.
Grapes have been continuously grown on the lands of Stags' Leap since the 1880s. The property itself was founded in 1893 and by 1920 the manor house was built and named Stags' Leap.
The apostrophe
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars is an entirely separate business. The two came to legal blows in the 1980s over the Stag's Leap title, but an agreement was reached based on the careful placement of the apostrophe.
Later, they would team up to fight the proposed Stags Leap District AVA. That dispute was settled with the complete omission of the apostrophe from the appellation's name.
The estate vineyards are planted with a mixture of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petite Sirah. The Ne Cede Malis vineyard – which translates as "Yield not to misfortune" – is a historical field-blend vineyard dating back to the 1930s. It mainly contains Petite Sirah, mixed with Rhône varietals in the block.
The winery replants the vineyard vine-by-vine as each individual plant becomes unviable. It is then replaced with the identical genetic vine material in order to keep the historical integrity of the mixed field blend.
Stags' Leap is best known for its Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah, as well as Chardonnay and Viognier. Within the portfolio are a number of other varietal and blended releases, as well as single-vineyard and single-barrel selection wines.