2013 Nichols Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District Napa Valley 750 ml

“Power, muscle, elegance and delicacy” — Britt Nichols’ First Shot at Stags Leap

Forty years ago, a British wine merchant organized what seemed to be a one-sided blind tasting on the banks of the Seine. Pitted against Bordeaux’s First Growths were a handful of upstart Cabernets from California. When the votes were tallied and the bottles disrobed, the French cried foul. A panel of French judges placed Warren Winiarski’s 1973 Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon #1 — outpointing First Growths Mouton-Rothschild and Haut-Brion!

Steven Spurrier’s “Judgment of Paris” tasting catapulted Napa Valley, and more specifically, Stags Leap, into the international limelight, which Stags Leap has never relinquished.

In both 2012 and 2013 — extraordinary back-to-back vintages that Robert Parker would compare favorably to any in Napa Valley history — Stags Leap shined like never before. Shafer Hillside Select, Bevan, and Odette (PlumpJack’s new Stags Leap project) all garnered 100-point mentions from The Wine Advocate.

Interestingly, and as Parker pointed out succinctly in his much-quoted report “Napa’s Cup Runneth Over,” each year was characterized by drought conditions but fairly mild temperatures. Harvest came early. Natural concentration was extreme, and particularly in the case of 2013 (now generally regarded as the more exceptional of the two years), acids were “laser-like” and tannins firm.

But perhaps even more remarkable than the quality of the harvest was the quantity. Even on the rocky soils of Stags Leap, where the rugged terrain naturally keeps yields in check, growers reported crop loads that were 30-40% greater than the norm. As a result, in 2013, for the first time, a brilliant young enologist was offered a rare opportunity to make a small batch of Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon, drawn from one of the most prized vineyards in the AVA.

As was the case with her first releases of Nichols Cabernet Sauvignon in 2012, Britt Nichols — who cut her winemaking teeth at stints with Jordan, Peter Michael, and Philippe Melka — knocked it right out of the park.

The 2013 Nichols Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap is one of those wines that reminds you why the French were so thoroughly embarrassed at “The Judgment of Paris.” Comprised of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot, this 2013 is opaque purple. Explosive nose of blackberry and mountain blueberry, hints of graphite and spring flowers. Big, broad, and ultra-ripe on the attack, packed with crushed blackberry and cassis preserves. Despite the massive concentration of the vintage, Nichols manages to combine power with elegance, muscle with delicacy, making for a wonderfully harmonious Cabernet Sauvignon that should develop gracefully in bottle over the course of the next 10-15 years.

Compared to $75 from the winery. Just $28/bottle today only on WineAccess. Shipping included on 4.