Stags' Leap Winery

Stags' Leap Winery traces its origins to 1893, when Horace Chase and his wife Minnie Mizner Chase (sister of the future Florida architect Addison Mizner) established the estate on what is now Silverado Trail in the heart of the Stags Leap District. The property's stone Manor House, built in 1892, still stands as a defining landmark of the 240-acre estate. Frances Grange acquired the property from Horace Chase in 1913 and operated it as a resort and ranch, setting aside winemaking through that long intermission while the vineyard continued to produce fruit sold to other producers; wine production ceased during Prohibition. The estate found its modern winemaking identity when Carl Doumani acquired it in 1970-1971 and spent nearly three decades restoring it as a serious wine producer, deliberately championing Petite Sirah at a time when the variety was largely overlooked in Napa Valley.

• Founded 1893 by Horace Chase and Minnie Mizner Chase on Silverado Trail, Napa Valley
• Stone Manor House built 1892 remains standing on the 240-acre property
• Frances Grange acquired the estate from Chase in 1913 and operated it as a resort and ranch; wine production ceased during Prohibition
• Carl Doumani purchased the estate in 1970-1971 and led winemaking through 1997, establishing Petite Sirah as the estate signature

Stags' Leap Winery (apostrophe after the s) is legally and historically distinct from neighboring Stag's Leap Wine Cellars (apostrophe before the s), the Warren Winiarski estate whose 1973 Cabernet placed first at the 1976 Judgment of Paris. The two estates carry near-identical place names because both are sited in the broader Stags Leap area of Napa Valley. Litigation between Winiarski and Carl Doumani over the use of the name began in the 1970s and ran through multiple court rounds: Winiarski prevailed in Napa County Superior Court in 1978, that decision was overturned on appeal in 1982, and the dispute was resolved in 1986 by a further Napa County Superior Court judgment ruling that Stags Leap referred to a geographic area both wineries could use. The 1986 ruling ordered the now-familiar apostrophe convention: Winiarski's estate uses Stag's Leap (apostrophe before the s), Doumani's estate uses Stags' Leap (apostrophe after the s). The two men reconciled after the judgment and jointly released a 1985 Cabernet, Accord, blended from grapes of both estates.

• Stags' Leap Winery (apostrophe after the s) is legally distinct from Stag's Leap Wine Cellars (apostrophe before the s); near-identical names because both sit in the broader Stags Leap area
• Winiarski-Doumani litigation: Winiarski won in Napa County Superior Court 1978; that decision was overturned on appeal in 1982; resolved by further Napa County Superior Court judgment in 1986
• 1986 judgment ruled Stags Leap is a geographic area both wineries could use; ordered the apostrophe convention (Stag's for Winiarski, Stags' for Doumani)
• Winiarski and Doumani reconciled after the 1986 judgment and jointly released a 1985 Cabernet called Accord, blended from grapes of both estates

Carl Doumani sold Stags' Leap Winery to Beringer Wine Estates in 1997, ending his 26-year run as owner and ending the Doumani era of stewardship. Beringer Wine Estates was acquired by Foster's Brewing Group in 2000 for roughly $1.5 billion; Foster's spun its wine business off as Treasury Wine Estates in 2011, and Stags' Leap Winery has remained in the Treasury Wine Estates portfolio ever since. Treasury's Napa Valley holdings also include Beringer, Beaulieu Vineyard, Etude, Frank Family Vineyards, and Sterling Vineyards, among others. Day-to-day winemaking leadership rests with Ludovic Dervin, who joined as General Manager and Senior Winemaker in July 2022. The hospitality program is run by appointment, with the historic Manor House grounds anchoring the visitor experience.

• Sold to Beringer Wine Estates in 1997; Foster's Brewing Group acquired Beringer in 2000; Foster's spun the wine business off as Treasury Wine Estates in 2011
• Treasury Wine Estates Napa Valley portfolio also includes Beringer, Beaulieu Vineyard, Etude, Frank Family Vineyards, and Sterling Vineyards
• Ludovic Dervin joined as General Manager and Senior Winemaker in July 2022
• Visits are by appointment; the historic 1892 Manor House and gardens anchor the hospitality experience

The estate vineyard covers 85 to 90 acres within the winery's 240-acre property and is divided into 23 individual blocks, each planted to varieties selected to match the specific soil type and sun exposure of that block. The dominant plantings are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petite Sirah. The jewel of the estate is the Ne Cede Malis block, a roughly 5-acre parcel planted in 1929 as a field blend containing 15 or more varieties, with Petite Sirah predominating. These old vines, approaching a century in age, supply fruit for the estate's most prized bottling, also called Ne Cede Malis. The entire estate falls within the Stags Leap District AVA, a sub-appellation of Napa Valley recognized for its distinctive porous volcanic soils and afternoon winds off San Pablo Bay that temper the heat of the growing season.

• Estate vineyard is 85-90 acres divided into 23 blocks; total property is 240 acres
• Ne Cede Malis block: roughly 5 acres planted 1929 as a field blend of 15 or more varieties, predominantly Petite Sirah
• Primary plantings are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petite Sirah across the 23 blocks
• Located within the Stags Leap District AVA, a sub-appellation of Napa Valley on Silverado Trail

Stags' Leap Winery holds a rare position in Napa Valley history: it is one of California's earliest continuously recognized wine estates, with documented origins in 1893 and a property that has retained its historic structures and old-vine resources through more than 130 years of ownership changes. Its 1929 Petite Sirah field-blend block is a genuinely exceptional viticultural survivor, representing a planting tradition that was common in early California viticulture but is now extremely rare. The winery also carries legal and cultural significance as the estate whose name was distinguished from neighboring Stag's Leap Wine Cellars by the 1986 Napa County Superior Court judgment in the Winiarski-Doumani naming dispute, a piece of Napa lore students of American wine history are expected to know. For anyone studying the Stags Leap District AVA or the broader arc of Napa Valley viticulture, this estate offers a compelling case study in continuity, varietal identity, and place.

• One of California's earliest wine estates, founded 1893, with the original 1892 stone Manor House still standing
• 1929 Ne Cede Malis field-blend block is among the oldest continuously producing vineyard parcels in Napa Valley
• 1986 Napa County Superior Court judgment in the Winiarski-Doumani naming dispute legally distinguished Stags' Leap Winery from Stag's Leap Wine Cellars via apostrophe placement
• Situated within the Stags Leap District AVA, one of Napa Valley's most geologically distinctive sub-appellations