Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cask 23 Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Professional Ratings

• 95 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  A barrel sample, the 2017 Cask 23 Cabernet Sauvignon is very deep purple-black colored with pronounced notes of crème de cassis, mocha, plum preserves and unsmoked cigars with touches of dried herbs, fragrant soil and iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a great intensity of ripe black fruit and grainy tannins with just enough freshness and a long, slightly chewy finish.
  Barrel Sample: (93 - 95)+
• 95 Wine & Spirits

  On the spring day our panel tasted this wine, sitting outdoors, the breeze picked up as we approached this glass, and it seemed to cool down its intense concentration. As it turned out, that cool concentration stayed with the wine for days after opening, a structural component giving this the clarity and lively power of an epic Cask 23 vintage. Marcus Notaro finalized the blend at 52 percent from S.L.V. and 48 percent from Fay and aged it almost two years in new French oak barrels. The tannins are rich, the aroma smoky, but the bright liveliness of the fruit—the persimmon, the cherry and the fresh cigar tobacco—are the elements that shine through. Youthful and unevolved, this wine is an investment in the future, with patient cellaring required.

• 95 James Suckling

  This has a fresh, fruity nose of blackberries, small black cherries, mahogany, anise and crushed hazelnuts. It’s medium-to full-bodied with a creamy, silky texture. Seamlessly smooth, ripe tannins accompany velvety layers of ripe blue and black fruit. Wonderful now or in years to come. Better in 2023.

• 94 Decanter
  Prior to the 1990 vintage, Cask 23 was a selection of the finest blocks of the SLV Vineyard. Then, with the acquisition of the neighbouring Fay Vineyard, this bottling transitioned into a blend of the finest parcels of both. This 2017 vintage (with 21 months in oak, as with both the single-vineyard bottlings) combines close to equal parts of the two sites, showing the brightness and energy of Fay with the brooding power of SLV. Aromas of coffee, clay and cedar precede a ripe but balanced palate and a long, driving finish. Drinking Window 2020 - 2045
• 93 Wine Spectator
  Violet, cassis and blackberry puree notes form the bulk of this wine, while dashes of singed cedar and briar chime in throughout, with a tug of sweet earth at the very end. Still rather coiled up, so let this unwind with cellaring. Best from 2022 through 2035.