The Stags Leap District AVA is an American Viticultural Area located within the Napa Valley AVA north of the city of Napa,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. The Stags Leap District was the first

appellation An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boun ...

to be designated an AVA based on the unique ''

terroir (, ; from ''terre'', "land") is a French term used to describe the environmental factors that affect a crop's phenotype, including unique environment contexts, farming practices and a crop's specific growth habitat. Collectively, these contex ...

'' characteristics of its soil. The soil of this region include loam and

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

sediments from the

Napa River The Napa River is a river approximately long in the U.S. state of California. It drains a famous wine-growing region called the Napa Valley, in the mountains north of the San Francisco Bay. Milliken Creek and Mt. Veeder watersheds are a few ...

and

volcanic soil The soil composition of vineyards is one of the most important viticultural considerations when planting grape vines. The soil supports the root structure of the vine and influences the drainage levels and amount of minerals and nutrients that the ...

deposits left over from

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is dis ...

of the

Vaca Mountains The Vaca Mountains are a mountain range in Napa and Solano Counties, California that is one of the California Coast Ranges. They represent the easternmost of the Inner Coast Ranges in north−central California, and divide the Suisun Valley on ...

. Like many Napa Valley AVAs, Stags Leap District is particularly known for its Cabernet Sauvignon. In 1976 at the

Judgment of Paris Judgement (or US spelling judgment) is also known as ''adjudication'', which means the evaluation of evidence to make a decision. Judgement is also the ability to make considered decisions. The term has at least five distinct uses. Aristotle ...

wine tasting Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onward. Modern, professional w ...

, the 1973 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet from the area that would become this AVA won first place in the red wine category, beating out classified Bordeaux estates. Today, the Stags Leap District is home to twenty different wineries.

History

Grapes were planted in the area that would become the Stags Leap District as early as the 1870s, with the first winery in the area being founded in 1878. Nathan Fay planted the first Cabernet Sauvignon in the area in 1961, on land that would later be purchased by Warren Winiarski for Stag's Leap Wine Cellars.

Winery Association

One of the leading forces in the region is Stags Leap District Winery Association which aims to promote the wines of the AVA and host an annual day-long event called ''Vineyard to Vintner'' which allows consumers the opportunity to interact with wineries and taste the regions wine. The following wineries are members: * Baldacci Family Vineyards * Chimney Rock Winery * Cliff Lede Vineyards * Clos Du Val * Malk Family Vineyars * Ilsley Vineyards * Pine Ridge Vineyards * Regusci Winery * Shafer Vineyards * Silverado Vineyards * Stags' Leap Winery * Stag's Leap Wine Cellars * Steltzner Vineyards * Taylor Family Vineyards

References

{{Authority control American Viticultural Areas of the San Francisco Bay Area Geography of Napa County, California American Viticultural Areas 1989 establishments in California