Stags' Leap Winery

The Grigsby family consolidated a 700-acre parcel where the Stags' Leap estate stands today and planted grapes on the land in 1872. Horace Chase and Mary Ysabela "Minnie" Mizner married in 1888, and shortly afterward Horace became sole owner of the northwestern 365 acres. In 1890 Chase hired Mathias Vandeleur, a stonemason and bridge builder, to build the Manor House from stone quarried on a nearby hillside; a stained glass window in the house carries the Chase family coat of arms with the motto Ne Cede Malis, Latin for "Never give in to misfortune." The estate's original cave was built in 1893, and the winery was originally established that year with its first vintage. The Chases defaulted on the property in 1909. In 1913 Clarence and Frances Grange purchased the property; they did not intend to make wine, but the vineyards remained in production, and Frances created a destination resort, Stags' Leap Manor. The property was sold in 1956. In 1970 Carl Doumani (d. 2025) and his wife Joanne purchased a portion of the property and began a nine-year restoration; the vineyards were restored and winemaking resumed under the Stags' Leap Winery label, and under Doumani the winery grew into a fully staffed 85,000-case winery. In late 1996 Doumani sold the property to Beringer, now Treasury Wine Estates.

• 1872: the Grigsby family planted grapes on the land
• 1890: Horace Chase hired stonemason Mathias Vandeleur to build the stone Manor House
• 1913 to 1956: Clarence and Frances Grange owned the property; the vineyards remained in production
• 1970: Carl Doumani and his wife Joanne purchased a portion of the property; winemaking resumed under the Stags' Leap Winery label
• Late 1996: Doumani sold the property to Beringer, now Treasury Wine Estates

The winery takes its name from the legend of a stag that, pursued by a hunter, leapt into the unknown rather than submit. It is not related to its neighbor down the road, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars. By 1986 a naming dispute between Doumani and Warren Winiarski of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars had reached the California Supreme Court, which ruled that Stags Leap was an area both wineries could use, with Winiarski's winery taking the apostrophe before the s and Doumani's after it.

• Stags' Leap Winery (apostrophe after the s) is not related to Stag's Leap Wine Cellars
• By 1986 the case had reached the California Supreme Court, which ruled that Stags Leap was an area and both wineries were entitled to use the name

Ludovic Dervin is General Manager and Senior Winemaker; he joined Stags' Leap Winery in those roles in July 2022. A native of the Champagne region of France, he earned his viticulture and winemaking degree at the University in Reims. In 2002 he joined Mumm Napa as Head Winemaker, where he worked for the following 17 years. In the early days of the Doumani ownership, Lee Stewart of Chateau Souverain provided consultation and early direction for the winemaking style.

• Ludovic Dervin: General Manager and Senior Winemaker since July 2022
• Dervin was previously Head Winemaker at Mumm Napa, which he joined in 2002

Stags' Leap is a 240-acre estate, of which 85 acres are planted with grape vines. The Estate Vineyard is divided into 23 separate blocks based on soil type and sun exposure, in a combination of valley floor and hillside slope plantings, and most blocks are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, and Merlot. The Stags Leap Palisades shed volcanic rhyolite and tuff, which mingle on the valley floor with a deeper subsoil of Bale loam. The exception to the main plantings is Ne Cede Malis Block 5, where Tannat, Carignane, Syrah, and Grenache grow alongside Calzin, Peloursin, and Burger; its 5 acres of head-trained, dry-farmed vines include a 1930s field-blend planting of Petite Sirah and other Rhône varieties. In the 1980s the winery undertook DNA testing of these heritage vines, and the results were contributed to UC Davis research on the origin of Petite Sirah. For its Napa Valley Collection, the winery partners with growers in the Napa Valley and Carneros. The Stags Leap District was designated an AVA in 1989.

• 240-acre estate with 85 acres planted to vines
• 23 blocks, most planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, and Merlot
• Ne Cede Malis Block 5: 5 acres of head-trained, dry-farmed vines, including a 1930s field-blend planting
• Napa Valley Collection wines draw on partner growers in the Napa Valley and Carneros
• Stags Leap District designated an AVA in 1989

The winery's current Cabernet Sauvignon listings include Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Yountville Cabernet Sauvignon, The Leap Cabernet Sauvignon, Audentia Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Limited Edition Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Its Petite Sirah listings are the Napa Valley Petite Sirah and the Ne Cede Malis Estate Grown Petite Sirah. Red blends listed are The Investor, Winemakers Muse, and The Bookkeeper, alongside a Napa Valley Merlot. Whites and rosé listed are Napa Valley Chardonnay, Barrel Select Chardonnay, Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley Viognier, and Amparo Rosé. The Ne Cede Malis Estate Petite Sirah is dominated by Petite Sirah but is a blend of up to some 15 other varieties from the old Ne Cede Malis block, with red and white grapes co-fermented.

• Cabernet Sauvignon: Napa Valley, Yountville, The Leap, Audentia, Limited Edition Reserve
• Petite Sirah: Napa Valley and Ne Cede Malis Estate Grown
• Red blends and Merlot: The Investor, Winemakers Muse, The Bookkeeper, Napa Valley Merlot
• Whites and rosé: Napa Valley Chardonnay, Barrel Select Chardonnay, Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley Viognier, Amparo Rosé

The winery describes Ludovic Dervin's approach as making wine the way he learned in France, "to showcase the fruit and not the winemaker's hand," while applying a technical understanding of each step of the process. Of its site, the winery says the Stags Leap District's warmth and cooling, combined with Napa Valley's extended growing season, result in "an ideal balance of acid and sugar in the fruit," with the grapes given time to develop "their characteristic soft texture and intense flavors."

• The winery says Dervin aims to showcase the fruit and not the winemaker's hand
• The winery credits its site with an ideal balance of acid and sugar in the fruit

Shortly after the late 1996 sale, construction began on a 28,000 sq. foot wine cave in the volcanic rhyolite rock of the Stags Leap Palisades, almost 700 feet deep with 17 cross areas and room for 7,000 barrels. At the same time Robert Brittan and landscape designer Jonathan Plant developed the Apothecary and Sensory Garden on the north side of the Manor House. In the 1920s the US government opened a post office in the basement of the Manor House, which operated until approximately 1944, and in 1958 the movie This Earth is Mine was filmed at Stags' Leap. The Old Stone Cellar, which burned at some point after 1909 leaving only its stone walls, was restored in the 1970s under Carl Doumani. The 2014 Napa earthquake damaged parts of the Manor House and winery, the October 2017 fires burned two historic cottages behind the Manor House, and in 2026 Treasury announced that production for Stags' Leap Winery will be moved to the production facility at Beringer Vineyards. Visits are by appointment only.

• Post-1996 cave: 28,000 sq. feet, almost 700 feet deep, room for 7,000 barrels
• Manor House basement served as a US post office from the 1920s until approximately 1944
• October 2017 fires burned two historic cottages on the property
• In 2026 Treasury announced production would move to the Beringer Vineyards facility
• Tastings by appointment only

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.stagsleap.com/pages/colorful-history, https://www.stagsleap.com/pages/the-estate, https://www.stagsleap.com/pages/vineyards, https://www.stagsleap.com/pages/winemaking-at-stags-leap, https://www.stagsleap.com/pages/visit, https://www.stagsleap.com/collections/cabernet-sauvignon, https://www.stagsleap.com/collections/petite-sirah, https://www.stagsleap.com/pages/take-the-leap, https://www.stagsleap.com/pages/silverado-trail-wine-tasting, https://www.stagsleap.com/collections/red-wine-blends/Red-Blend, https://www.stagsleap.com/collections/other-reds, https://www.stagsleap.com/collections/whites-and-rose. Secondary sources: https://www.napawineproject.com/stags-leap-winery/, https://pressdemocrat.com/article/napa/carl-doumani-napa-stags-leap-quixote-winery. Last verified 2026-10-12. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.