Gibbs Selection Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap 2021

A fair amount of Napa Valley locals will tell you we are an agricultural town first and foremost. Farming has always been Napa's number one occupation. Before grapes were the crop of choice, our region was known for expansive orchards of varying stone fruits and walnuts.

For the family behind Gibbs wines, there is a generations-long heritage connected to the soils of Napa Valley. The patriarch, Dr. Lewis Gibbs Carpenter Jr., uprooted his family from their cattle ranch in Gilroy, CA, to St. Helena in the 1950s and bought a parcel of land in Cross Creek Valley. He was a passionate farmer who believed in the growing potential of Bordeaux varietals, which were new to the valley. Lewis took a faithful leap in the 1960s and re-planted all but three rows of the family's orchards to vines. However, it wasn't until 2000 that Lewis' son-in-law, Craig, began making wine from those very vines. Craig came to Napa as a graphic designer, creating labels for wineries throughout the valley. By day, he designed for Elyse, Beringer, and Robert Craig (to name a few). By night, he refined his winemaking with the fruit from Lewis' vines under two private labels called "Terroir Napa Valley" and "Sentall." Sadly in 2013, Lewis passed, and in memory of his "agriculturist heart," Craig and his son, Spencer, created the Gibbs label to make wines that passionately express Napa Valley's terroir.

The family owns two vineyards where they produce Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. Appreciation for great grape growers runs deep, though, and Craig & Spencer will jump at the opportunity to work with an exceptional vineyard. They have "Selection" for occasions like this: a collection of one-off wines often never made again after the first vintage or from the same vineyard. This Stags Leap wine is their first-ever made from the sub-AVA and is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Stags Leap is undoubtedly a classic and historically significant AVA within Napa, having been the first area planted with Cabernet Sauvignon in 1961. The red, volcanic soils of the district's eastern portion, combined with the sediment-rich soil fanning from the Napa River, create low-vigor vines producing deeply concentrated berries.

Craig and Spencer crafted 184 cases of the wine, which aged for 30 months in 60% new French oak. The additional time in barrel allowed the powerhouse tannins to soften, beveling the sharp edges and melding with refined acidity. Purple florals, red fruits, and licorice aromas weave through the nose, leading into a powerhouse palate with structured, lush tannins and rich flavors of Medjool dates, black plums, and cedar.