2012 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Cask 23 750 ml

2012 Stag’s Leap Cask 23. Parker: “A profound (97-100pt) example of this profound wine.”

Since the Judgment of Paris tasting of 1976, when Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon outpointed Bordeaux’ First Growths, Warren Winiarski’s brainchild winery has won over collectors worldwide. But despite all the critical fanfare, and even as demand far outstripped supply, Stag’s Leap failed to join Robert Parker’s esteemed 100-point club.

But, with the release of Stag’s Leap’s colossal 2012 “Cask 23,” even Robert Parker could no longer hold back.

In a review in which The Wine Advocate claimed the newly released 2012 “appears to be the finest Cask 23 since the glory years of the mid-eighties,” Parker described “dense purple color … blackcurrant jam … a profound example of this iconic wine.” 97-100 points. Anticipated Maturity: “Now-2038.”

Opaque purple. Extravagant aromatically, featuring a plush mix of blackberry, cassis, mountain blueberry, and sweet spice. Rich, weighty, and dense on the attack, packed with crushed-black-fruit preserves, splashed with crème de cassis. At once powerfully structured, polished, and sleek — the hallmarks of “Cask 23” — finishing with the sturdy tannin backbone that argues eloquently for 2-3 decades of cellar slumber.

The Wine Advocate: 97-100 points. $240/bottle.