STAG’S LEAP WINE CELLAR, THE SYMBOL OF HIGH QUALITY MADE IN USA WINEMAKING, HAS AN ITALIAN SPIRIT. THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN ANTINORI AND CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE AND THE STORY OF STAG’S LEAP. IT WON OVER THE TOP FRENCH NAMES AND HAS INSPIRED HOLLYWOOD

One of the biggest names in American winemaking, and the undisputed symbol Napa valley wines, now has an Italian “soul”.
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars has been bought up in a joint venture by a pair of great international prestige, Antinori and Château Ste. Michelle. The first is responsible for having re-launched Italian winemaking worldwide, while the other is one of the most important winemakers in the U.S. (not to mention the American distributor for Antinori wines). And these two names are already together in another important enological collaboration in the United States, that of Col Solare.
This joint venture that WineNews had the scoop on is divided equally, not just in terms of percentages but in the deciding role that Antinori will have in Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars operations.
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars (www.stagsleapwinecellar.com) is celebrated all over the world – as Hugh Johnson notes in his “Pocket Wine Book”, where he has awarded it the coveted four-star rating – for its great Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The most famous English master of wine, Johnson also points out that, “the owner, Warren Winiarski, tries to resist - with the balance and harmony of his wines - the furious assault of Cabernets in Napa that are excessive and super-concentrated”.
The now ex-owner, Warren Winiarski, explained many times in interviews that, “the management of vineyards is large-scale horticulture and the desire is to make wines with an iron fist in a velvet glove… The search for a style must aim for the aurea mediocritas and the essential point is not what one can obtain from the grape, but that which one should obtain”.
If all of this has an academic ring to it, it is not coincidental: Winiarski began winemaking after studying at the university. His wines are serious and have been since the first harvest at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in 1972.
The 1976 vintage would cause an upheaval in the wine world when it took first place in a blind tasting of top French and Californian wines by some of the most important names in wine at that time.
Winiarski has always been convinced that the Stag’s Leap District is an area of land where it is preferable to cultivate and produce Cabernet Sauvignon and for this reason he has two expanses of land there, from which his most precious wines are made.
At the peak of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars collection (whose estate spans over 30 hectares), is the “Cask 23”, made up of various selections from barrels produced only in the years that the new wines had a particularly varied aroma.
The History of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellar: the Winery That Won Over Top French Names
Stag’s Leap Winery is most famous for its triumph in the so-called “Judgement of Paris”, the victory of “New World” wines over those of the “Old Continent”.
On May 24, 1976, in a blind tasting at the Hotel Intercontinental of Paris, there was a confrontation between French and Californian wines, the result of which would change the world of wine. This event was created by the then young Steven Spurrier, who at that time had arrived in Paris to open a wine shop and a wine school and is now, today, one of the most important opinion leaders for wine.
The French wines that were selected were of the most prestigious names: Château Haut-Brion and Château Mouton Rothschild among the reds of Bordeaux, Bâtard-Montrachet Romonet-Prudhon and Beaune Clos des Mouches Joseph Drouhin among the whites from Bourgogne. The Californian wines were almost unheard of: Ridge and Stag's Leap Wine Cellars for the Cabernet Sauvignon and Chateau Montelena and Chalone for the Chardonnay. In all, four French wines were compared to six Californian wines for each category. The nine judges were all French, and all important figures of the wine world, from critics, to sommelier and wine producers. The tasting was prepared with great care: the wines were decanted and placed in “neutral” bottles without labels so the expert tasters could have no biases.
And the verdict? The winner for the Cabernet category was Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 from the Napa Valley, followed by Mouton-Rothschild 1970, Haut-Brion 1970 and Montrose 1970. The four best whites? In order, Chateau Montelena 1973 from the Napa Valley, the French Meursault-Charmes 1973 and another two Californians, Chalone 1974 from Monterey County and Napa's Spring Mountain 1973.
But the best part of the story is that this tasting – which marked a profound change in the history of wine, not only for California, but at an international level for the perception of the wine market in regards to “New World” wines – was “re-celebrated” in 2006 with two juries, one entirely American in the U.S. and made up of French and British in London (headed by the same Spurrier). There were the same wines that were originally tasted in 1976 (six Cabernet Sauvignon from California: Clos du Val 1972, Freemark Abbey 1969, Heitz Martha's Vineyard 1970, Mayacamas 1971, Ridge Monte Bello 1971 and Stag's Leap Wine Cellars 1973; four Bordeaux: Château Haut-Brion 1970, Château Léoville-Las-Cases 1971, Château Montrose 1970 and Château Mouton-Rothschild 1970).
And the result? It was the same: the American-made Cabernets won hands down over the Bordeaux even thirty years later. In fact, it was an even more solid victory with the three wines that were chosen “blindly” being 1971 Ridge Monte Bello, 1973 Stag's Leap, 1971 Mayacamas.

The Curiosity – Hollywood Makes a Movie About the “Judgement of Paris”
The famous blind tasting that, in 1976, caused an uproar and consecrated for the first time Californian wines over the top names in French wines, will soon be subject of a new Hollywood film. A production company from Los Angeles has just bought the rights from George Taber, author of the book “The Judgement of Paris: California Vs. France”, and is getting ready to produce a film that is set to have an important cast. Among the actors, Hugh Grant or Jude Law will play the part of Steven Spurrier, the journalist who was responsible for organizing the encounter. Steven Spurrier, who is collaborating on the film’s production, insisted that the actor who was to play him be English and thus suggested Hugh Grant or Jude law.
Spurrier pointed out, however, that, “The only problem is that I was only 34 when I organized the tasting and they are too old”.
The Other Property – Another Antinori-Chateau Ste. Michelle Joint Venture in the U.S. State of Washington.
In April of this year, the first winemaking collaboration between the Antinori family (wine producers in Tuscany since 1385) and the Chateau Ste. Michelle (the oldest and most acclaimed winemaking company of the Columbia Valley in the state of Washington) became a reality with the Col Solare Winery at Red Mountain. With its expanses of vineyards, and most avant-garde winemaking equipment capable of creating and array of top quality wines, it is the realization of the dream shared by the two producers: to unite the aesthetic concepts of their two different modes of production, those of the new and old world, to create high quality wines in a “state of the art” winery.
The idea of constructing a company entirely modeled and concentrated on Col Solare, the red that is produced by the two companies, was first proposed by Baseler and Antinori in 2000 as their way to best exploit the potentials of creating a truly fine wine. Numerous sites were considered before Baseler suggested Red Mountain, which is one of the most celebrated sub-denominations of the Columbia Valley, noted for its Cabernet Sauvignon.
The new winery reflects the best characteristics of its two owners: the vineyards were planted according to the criteria followed by the Marchese Antinori in Tuscany and they also followed the natural lay of the land to create a sort of fan shaped vineyard in front of the winery.
Col Solare is a blend of various reds, with a prevalence of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot combined with other varieties like Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Syrah. The different grapes have been planted according to their specific needs for solar exposure.
The winery’s enologists are Marcus Notaro, who works under the direction of Renzo Cotarella, General Manager and Head Enologist of Antinori, and Doug Gore, the Senior Vice President for Winemaking at Ste. Michelle Estate. Each vintage produced by Col Solare is created by this team of enologists through quarterly tastings.
The winery itself can be visited by appointment (www.colsolare.com). Located high on Red Mountain, overlooking Mount Adams, Mount Rainier and Horse Heaven Hill, Col Solare offers visitors a breathtaking view. Marchese Piero Antinori noted that, “We are delighted to consecrate this new company with our main goal: to render the reds of the Washington area characteristic and high quality wines. Our family has long been fascinated with the ‘unique terroir’ and of the improving conditions at Red Mountain”. And Ted Baseler, President, CEO, and owner of Ste. Michelle Estate, agreed: “This is a great day for us and our partners. Our companies share a passion for quality and for wines that give emotions. The newly created Col Solare incarnates these passions”.

The Wine – Col Solare Red Table Wine Columbia Valley 1998
Col Solare was born out of a joint venture between the American Chateau Ste. Michelle and Marchesi Antinori, to whom a great part of the philosophy of the project is due, starting with the name of the wine itself. The reason behind joining together is that of being able to truly experiment with the potential of the Columbia Valley, amongst the hills of Washington State.
The Col Solare project is an ambitious one, with a productive potential of 180,000 bottles per year. Even from a technical point of view, Col Solare is the child of two “fathers”: Doug Gore, enologist of Chateau Ste. Michelle, and Renzo Cotarella, General Manager of Antinori. The 1998 vintage (released in 2002) presented a tendentially sweet aroma, of mature fruit, cherry and blackberry in particular. The first impact on one’s palate is also sweet, with well defined tannins, contrasted by a distinct acidity, which renders it energetic with a long and intense finish. The wine is distributed in Italy by Marchesi Antinori.
Owners: Château Ste. Michelle - Marchesi Antinori
Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah
Bottles: 50,000
Price: 90-95 euros