Stag's Leap Wine Cellars

Warren Winiarski (1928-2024) became the first head winemaker at Robert Mondavi Winery in 1966 and left in 1968. In 1969 he tasted the homemade Cabernet Sauvignon of grape grower Nathan Fay, and within a year he bought the adjoining ranch now known as S.L.V. Stag's Leap Wine Cellars was founded in 1970 by Warren and Barbara Winiarski with that purchase, and Winiarski began planting Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The winery was built in 1972, the same year the first S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon was produced. In 1986 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars bought Nathan Fay's vineyard, and Winiarski named it FAY in his honor. In 1990 Winiarski placed S.L.V. under a conservation easement with the Land Trust of Napa County. Winiarski oversaw 35 vintages before he sold the winery in 2007 for $185 million: Ste. Michelle Wine Estates bought an 85% stake and Marchesi Antinori the remaining 15%. In 2023 Marchesi Antinori took over full ownership after 16 years of collaboration with Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, fulfilling a promise Marchese Piero Antinori made to Warren Winiarski on his retirement in 2007. In 1996 Winiarski had bought Arcadia Vineyard in the Coombsville AVA from Austin Hills, and he retained it when he sold the winery. On February 14, 2025, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars bought the Arcadia Vineyard property from Arcadia Vineyards LLC, a venture started by Winiarski.

• 1970: founded with the purchase of S.L.V.; 1972: winery built and first S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon produced.
• 1986: FAY Vineyard bought from Nathan Fay; 1990: S.L.V. placed under a conservation easement with the Land Trust of Napa County.
• 2007: sold to Ste. Michelle Wine Estates (85%) and Marchesi Antinori (15%); 2023: the Antinori family takes 100% ownership.
• 2025: Arcadia Vineyard in the Coombsville AVA bought from Arcadia Vineyards LLC.

In 1976 Winiarski entered the 1973 S.L.V. Estate Cabernet Sauvignon in a blind tasting organized by British wine retailer and writer Steven Spurrier that pitted California wines against their varietal counterparts from France. The panel of French judges gave top honors to the Stag's Leap wine in the Cabernet tasting against top Bordeaux, ahead of Château Mouton-Rothschild and Château Haut-Brion; Chateau Montelena won the Chardonnay tasting. The 1973 was made from three-year-old vines. A brief writeup of the tasting in Time magazine helped bring international recognition to California wine.

• Wine: the 1973 S.L.V. Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, from the vineyard planted in 1970.
• Organizer: Steven Spurrier; judges: a French panel.
• Result: top honors in the Cabernet tasting, ahead of Château Mouton-Rothschild and Château Haut-Brion.

Marcus Notaro is Director of Winemaking. He was named winemaker at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars in May 2013, after making red wines in Washington since 1995 and, from 2003, at Col Solare in the Red Mountain appellation, a partnership between Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and Marchesi Antinori. He manages the winemaking process from grape to bottle and works with Marchesi Antinori Chief Enologist Renzo Cotarella to evaluate final blends each vintage. Guillermo Perez joined as vineyard manager in 2020, was promoted to senior vineyard manager in 2023 and leads the estate's Regenerative Organic certification efforts. Jorge Ramirez Perez joined as lab supervisor in 2014 and was promoted to winemaker in 2021; he oversees the laboratory. Luis Contreras began as a temporary bottling worker in 1996, became cellar master in 2006 and was promoted to winemaker in 2023; he oversees cellar and bottling operations. Michael Silacci, winemaker for Opus One as of June 2024, worked with Winiarski at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars from 1995 through 2001.

• Director of Winemaking: Marcus Notaro, at the winery since 2013.
• Senior vineyard manager: Guillermo Perez (vineyard manager from 2020, senior vineyard manager since 2023).
• Winemakers: Jorge Ramirez Perez (since 2021) and Luis Contreras (since 2023).

S.L.V., also known as Stag's Leap Vineyard, is the winery's first vineyard, planted in 1970. It holds 35 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and 1.5 acres of Cabernet Franc on predominantly volcanic soils; Block 4 was planted in 1972. Nathan Fay established the FAY Vineyard in 1961, the first planting of Cabernet Sauvignon in what is now the Stags Leap District. FAY has 73 planted acres on alluvial soils, with 68 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and 5 acres of Cabernet Franc. The two estate vineyards total 109 planted acres. Arcadia Vineyard is a 128-acre parcel in the Coombsville AVA at the foot of Mt. George, on gravelly silt loam soils; it has 84 planted acres, with 59 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, 22 of Chardonnay and 3 of Merlot. The Napa Valley Collection is made from estate-grown vineyards and sourced fruit: the 2023 ARTEMIS took 42% of its grapes from Atlas Peak, 11% from Arcadia Vineyard, 11% from Battuello Vineyards in St. Helena, 9% from Twin Creeks Vineyards, 4% from Elia and 3% from Rancho Chimiles in Wooden Valley. In S.L.V. and FAY the viticulture team uses sheep grazing, cover crops, soil microbiology and integrated pest management without herbicides. In November 2024 S.L.V. and FAY were recognized as Regenerative Organic Certified by the Regenerative Organic Alliance after a three-year process; the winery calls itself the first estate in the Stags Leap District to earn the certification. It has been a Napa Green Certified winery since 2017.

• S.L.V.: planted 1970; 35 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and 1.5 acres of Cabernet Franc; predominantly volcanic soils.
• FAY: planted by Nathan Fay in 1961; 73 planted acres on alluvial soils; bought in 1986.
• Arcadia (Coombsville AVA): 128-acre parcel with 84 planted acres; bought in February 2025.
• Regenerative Organic Certified (S.L.V. and FAY) since November 2024; Napa Green Certified winery since 2017.

The Estate Collection is a series of three estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignons from S.L.V. and FAY: CASK 23, S.L.V. and FAY. CASK 23 began during the 1974 harvest, when the winery enlisted André Tchelistcheff, who found one distinct lot from S.L.V. that the winery bottled separately; today CASK 23 blends fruit from S.L.V. and FAY. The winery has made a single-vineyard FAY Cabernet Sauvignon since the 1990 vintage. The 2023 CASK 23, S.L.V. and FAY were each aged 21 months in 100% new French oak. The Napa Valley Collection is a trio: ARTEMIS Cabernet Sauvignon, first produced in 2001 and named for the Greek goddess of the hunt; KARIA Chardonnay, first made in 2005 from cool-climate vineyards in southern Napa Valley; and AVETA Sauvignon Blanc, a name first used with the 2013 vintage, although the winery began producing Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc in the early 1980s. ARCADIA Chardonnay was first released with the 1998 vintage; the 2024 was fermented in French oak barrels without malolactic fermentation. The Legacy Cellar offers a curated selection of library wines on a limited basis.

• Estate Collection: CASK 23, S.L.V. and FAY Cabernet Sauvignons.
• Napa Valley Collection: ARTEMIS Cabernet Sauvignon, KARIA Chardonnay and AVETA Sauvignon Blanc.
• Single-vineyard ARCADIA Chardonnay since the 1998 vintage.

The winery's own account has its wines reflecting 'the land on which the grapes are grown' with 'a balance of richness and elegance, softness and structure.' In the estate's notes, S.L.V. produces wines with complex black fruit and berry character, spicy intensity and excellent structure, while FAY produces fruit with supple red and black berry character, voluptuous perfume and a luscious, fine-grained texture.

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.stagsleapwinecellars.com/, https://www.stagsleapwinecellars.com/estate/our-story/, https://www.stagsleapwinecellars.com/estate/vineyards/, https://www.stagsleapwinecellars.com/estate/historical-timeline/, https://www.stagsleapwinecellars.com/wines/estate-collection/, https://www.stagsleapwinecellars.com/wines/napa-valley-collection/, https://www.stagsleapwinecellars.com/product/cask-23-cabernet-sauvignon/, https://www.stagsleapwinecellars.com/product/slv-cabernet-sauvignon/, https://www.stagsleapwinecellars.com/product/fay-cabernet-sauvignon/, https://www.stagsleapwinecellars.com/product/artemis-cabernet-sauvignon/, https://www.stagsleapwinecellars.com/product/karia-chardonnay/, https://www.stagsleapwinecellars.com/product/arcadia-chardonnay/, https://www.stagsleapwinecellars.com/product/aveta-sauvignon-blanc/, and the winery's PDFs: https://www.stagsleapwinecellars.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SLWC_BrandOverview.pdf, https://www.stagsleapwinecellars.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/SLWC-Regenerative-Organic-Certified-Press-Release.pdf, https://www.stagsleapwinecellars.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SWC_MarcusNotaro_Bio-2026.pdf. Owner group: https://www.antinori.it/en/tenuta/estates-world/stags-leap-wine-cellars-estate/. Secondary source: Decanter (16 May 2023). Last verified 2026-10-19. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.