2019 Conn Creek AVA Series Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon

Conn Creek in St. Helena, Napa Valley, was founded in 1973 by Bill and Kathy Collins, who had been amateur winemakers and enthusiasts making wine in their home. But after purchasing 54 acres of vineyards in northern Napa Valley the couple embarked on producing Cabernet Sauvignon under the Conn Creek label. In 1986 the estate was sold to Stimson Lane, the wine and spirits conglomerate owned by Altria, previously known as the Philip Morris Companies Inc. Today the estate makes Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Anthology, its flagship blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

Stags Leap District AVA in southern Napa Valley has a storied history. It is home to Stag’s Leap Cellars, whose 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon won the famous Judgment of Paris blind tasting that included several of Bordeaux’s most exalted First Growths. Vineyards were started in area in the late 19th century, but the district’s rise in prestige started in the late 1960s when Nathan Fay planted Cabernet Sauvignon. Fay later sold his estate to Warren Winiarski, founder of Stag’s Leap Cellars. The district was given its own AVA designation in 1989, and today there are 1,400 vineyard acres. The AVA is especially notable because it was the first in the U.S. to be granted AVA status based on terroir. Its distinctive soils is a mix of volcanic soils, river sediment and loamy clay-like soil. Because the soils don’t retain water well, vineyards in Stag’s Leap tend to grow fruit with great intensity and flavor. Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for 95% of the grapes planted in Stags Leap.

One of the most widely grown grape varieties, it can be found in nearly every wine growing region. A cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a hardy vine that produces a full-bodied wine with high tannins and great aging potential.