Cabernet Sauvignon of 1973 by Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars (today of Antinori) still in history

There are wines which remain in history, for one reason or another. Among them, there is the legendary 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon produced by Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, an iconic California winery founded by the renowned Warren Winiarski and, since 2023, wholly owned by Antinori, one of the most important names in Italian and global wine. A wine, S.L.V. 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon di Stag’s Leap, which rose to international fame in 1976, the year of the famous “Judgment of Paris”. 50 years ago, a blind tasting was held in Paris in which a panel of 9 French judges sampled the finest Californian Cabernet Sauvignons and Chardonnays alongside some of the greatest wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy. In a stunning upset, the Californian wines emerged victorious, with Stag’s Leap’s Cabernet Sauvignon taking top honors. Today, a single bottle of that historic 1973 wine has set another record, selling at a Christie’s online auction for 22,500 dollars, more than five times its pre-sale low estimate of 4,000 dollars.
This remarkable revaluation has once again placed Californian wine in the spotlight. The auction, “Fine & Rare Wines: Featuring The Reserve Cellar and Anniversary Wines Direct From Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars No. 50”, featured as its top lot a case of 12 bottles of La Tâche 1976 from the legendary Burgundy estate Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Italy was also well represented among the standout lots, including 6 bottles of Sassicaia 2004 by Tenuta San Guido sold for 2,125 dollars, and 6 bottles of Ornellaia 2006 by Frescobaldi Tenuta dell’Ornellaia for 2,000 dollars. Meanwhile, a single bottle of Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 1995 by Soldera Case Basse achieved an auction price of 1,375 dollars.