Deep Cover: CASK 23 in da house!

One of Napa’s most ICONIC wineries and its flagship wine. With 98 points and triple 97s, so far.

Per Decanter, “On 15 July 2026, a single bottle of 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon sold at Christie’s for $22,500.” Fast forward 50 vintages, and here we are, at the best price you can find anywhere, nonetheless.

Cask 23 combines the S.L.V. Vineyard with Fay for the ultimate barrel selection of the Estate’s harvests. Up there with Opus One, Insignia, Dominus, Hillside Select, Martha’s, Eisele, you get the picture. A cellar chockful of Napa Valley’s legendary blue chips is practically short without Cask 23.

It seems like everyone in Napa is talking about the 50th anniversary of the Judgement of Paris in 1976. And for good reason. A young Steven Spurrier hosted a competition in Paris, blind-tasting California wines against the best of France. And to everyone’s amazement, two wines from Napa won.

If Warren Winiarski’s 1973 had not beaten First Growths Haut-Brion and Mouton, we would not be here. Think about it. American wine would not be the global thing it is. And we have, in part, SLWC to thank.

The revolution this momentous event started put California in the forefront of the prized fine wine regions of our planet. We owe it all to this winery and this event. Bottle Shock, the movie documents it all too well. But what the movie doesn’t tell you is that it was a taste of Nathan Fay’s homemade Cabernet in 1969 that convinced Winiarski that this terroir was world-class. He bought the vineyard next door and started his winery within a year, beginning in 1970.

Nathan Fay was a trailblazer. When he planted Cabernet Sauvignon in the Stag’s Leap District in 1961, everyone thought he was mad – that it was too cold there for Cabernet to ripen. Come 1976, the world learned the truth. And while he also sold fruit to several other Napa legends (Heitz Cellars, Charles Krug, Robert Mondavi, Sequoia Grove…), he continued to work closely with Winiarski, eventually selling the site to SLWC in 1986.

Robert Parker once put it best: “Readers who have followed Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars’ Cask 23 since the debut vintage of 1974 realize these wines are often deceptively easy to drink when young, yet age amazingly well despite what appears to be their forward, flattering, precocious personalities. This winery enjoys a much-deserved fine reputation for its bevy of complex, elegant, authoritatively flavorful red wines…

At this price, it will go FAST!

98 Points – Wine Advocate “A blend of 70% Fay and 30% S.L.V., the 2023 Cask 23 Cabernet Sauvignon exceeds both of the individual bottlings. Yes, it’s a selection of the top barrels, but the two also complement each other nicely: the elegance and finesse of Fay and the power and tannin of S.L.V. Christmas spice-like nuances add to the complexity of violets, sage and thyme, plus black cherries and earth. Most of all, what stands out in this medium- to full-bodied wine is the way it manages to be rich and expansive without being heavy, its seductive texture of fine suede and its long, refreshing finish. Drink 2027-2045.”

97 Points – Vinous “Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars is one of Napa Valley’s most historic estates. The winery’s shocking triumph at the Judgement of Paris tasting in 1976 established Napa Valley as a premier winegrowing region in the eyes of the world and led to a whole new wave of development and appreciation for the wines. There was a time when I felt the wines here were good, but not that interesting because the winemaking style had become too commercial, too standardized. The Antinori family, longtime minority owners, took over full control of the winery in 2023. As the acquisition was taking shape, Antinori began the gradual transition of returning the wines to a more classic style. The results are evident, from the whites all the way to the top Cabernet Sauvignons. Stated simply, this is a brilliant set of wines from Head Winemaker Marcus Notaro and his team. The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Cask 23 is superb. Creamy, polished tannins immediately announce a Cask 23 that is all about sophistication. Dark blue/purplish fruit, new leather, lavender, spice, sage, menthol and dark chocolate caress the palate. The 2023 is seamless on the palate, with all the elements in the right place and fabulous balance to match. Drink 2028-2048.”

97 Points – Decanter “First released with the 1974 vintage, Cask 23 was born under the guidance of consulting winemaker André Tchelistcheff. While tasting through the barrels from S.L.V. Vineyard, Tchelistcheff identified one cask so extraordinary that it was bottled on its own and named after the barrel itself–Cask 23. Initially produced only in the finest vintages, the wine evolved in 1990, when FAY Vineyard was introduced as a standalone bottling and Cask 23 became a blend, designed to deliver a more balanced, harmonious expression of the vintage itself. In 2023, the blend comprises 70% FAY and 30% S.L.V., both estate vineyards in the Stags Leap District. Fermented entirely in stainless steel and aged for 21 months in 100% new French oak, this is a wine of considerable power, yet never overbearing. It is the most tannic and robust of the lineup in 2023, offering a full-bodied palate layered with violet and rose petal aromatics, deeper cocoa-powder tannin intensity than the S.L.V., and beautifully polished, velvety tannins that build steadily through the finish. Drink 2026-2045.”

97 Points – Wine Spectator “This is impressive without trying to be, offering a large-scale core of cassis, plum reduction and boysenberry preserves inlaid with mesquite, alder, bay leaf and violet. Walnut husk and dried violet hints percolate through the finish, which shows a long, deeply buried graphite spine. Reserved and poised, this drips distinction. Best from 2030 through 2050.”