Stags Leap District AVA
Situated north of the town of Napa along the Silverado Trail, this California AVA was established in 1989 within the Napa Valley AVA. It runs from the Yountville crossing south for about 3 miles. Its name comes from an outcropping of red rocks at the area’s eastern end, where a stag supposedly escaped his pursuers by leaping across the treacherous gap. This 2,700-acre area comprises the right soil and climate to make superb Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Merlot is planted here as well, but chardonnay is losing acreage as growers increasingly turn to Cabernet Sauvignon.
The New Wine Lovers Companion, 2nd Edition, by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst. Copyright © (1) 2003, 1995 by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst. Reprinted by arrangement with Barron's Educational Series, Inc.