It was 80 degrees and sunny yesterday in Napa Valley when we joined Stags’ Leap Winery for a Virtual Wine Tasting on Instagram Live.

It was a bit windy, but nothing to complain about considering it was 44 and overcast outside my window.

The half-hour escape gathered like-minded vino lovers, sipping wine, learning about growing conditions as well as food and cheese pairings and more.

Participants included Californians, a couple who honeymooned at the Stags’ Leap Manor house two years ago, oenophiles from Arizona, Puerto Rico, NYC and an impressive number from Chicago as well as a large contingent from Canada.

The tasting kicked off with a  2018 Sauvignon Blanc–the inaugural white wine in Stags’ Leap portfolio.

Next we tried the 2016 The Leap Cabernet Sauvignon–a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec, 5% Merlot and 5% Rhône varieties.

Although Stags’ Leap wines are not inexpensive, the 2018 Sauvignon Blanc we tasted is reasonably priced at $32.00 while the 2016 The Leap Cabernet Sauvignon retails at $115, they are both quality wines.

Price points for Stags’ Leap wines range from $32.00 to $300.00.

If you can afford one or both, they are a nice treat while sheltering in place.

PLUS, if you use the promo code LIVE when you order on the Stags’ Leap website you’ll get 30% off.

The winery promises to continue to hold weekly wine tastings on Instagram Live every Thursday throughout the lockdown.

Here is next weeks’ tasting:

April 30: 2016 Block 20 Merlot and 2015 Audentia Cabernet Sauvignon  (3PM. PT/6PM.ET on Instagram Live) DON’T FORGET TO USE PROMO CODE: LIVE to save 30%.

May tastings are listed on Instagram.

TASTING NOTES from 4/23/2020

2018 Sauvignon Blanc

Stags’ Leap Winery’s inaugural 2018 Sauvignon Blanc is lively, expressive and vibrant, exhibiting the variety’s classic citrus fruit, lemongrass and white floral nuances.  Backed up by a lean focused line of acidity and a steely minerality that adds to the wine’s crispness and complexity.  There is a depth of flavor with candied lemon peel, passion fruit and melon, alongside hints of white floral jasmine and white pepper that linger on the palate of the lengthy finish. It should be served at a cool temperature straight out of the fridge.

Pairings

Enjoy on its own or pair with a wide variety of your favorite seafood (sushi, oysters, halibut), chicken or Mediterranean dishes. For cheese pairings try a fresh chèvre, soft-ripened (brie-like) goat cheeses or a Point Reyes Toma.

2016 The Leap Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2016 The Leap Cabernet Sauvignon, a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec, 5% Merlot and 5% Rhône varieties, has been aged in 37% new French oak for 20 months.

It has a darkly intense, multilayered, rich and approachable wine with depth of fruit, plushness and creamy richness. It delivers a blackberry, blueberry and macerated strawberry aroma on the nose, along with subtle baking spice notes of cinnamon, milk chocolate and coffee, alongside more savory notes of black olive and chaparral herbs.  On the palate, there is elegance, freshness and complexity, showing lifted dark blackberry, blueberry and black raspberry fruits followed by hints of chocolate, espresso and black pepper spice.  

Pairings

The 2016 The Leap Cabernet Sauvignon pairs well with with red meat such as a hearty rib-eye or a prime rib, New York strip of filet mignon. Beyond beef,  try lamb or pepper- crusted ahi tuna. As for cheeses, the wine pairs well with medium-bodied, firm-textured cow’s milk cheeses such as Swiss Gruyere, Comté, and Beemster Classic or Taleggio,