Providing a great point-counterpoint entry, the wine exhibits notes of Hershey’s milk chocolate and blue-raspberry. On the palate, Bing cherry juice and raspberry jam light up the senses, followed by fresh thyme and vanilla cream. Going from this juicy entry to the lush palate, a slight minerality is noticed on the back end. This is all well supported by the sweet, concentrated tannin for which the Stags Leap District is world renowned. This is followed by an essence of birch beer that is lightly woven together with uber-fine-grained tannin on the finish. This wine should age well for another 15 years and would be a great accompaniment to a bed of risotto generously covered in Parmigiano Reggiano shavings.
Blend: 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1.5% Petit Verdot, 1.5% Malbec
97 Tasting Panel Energetic and earth-laden, with suede tannins that carry weight. The mouth is lathered with mulberry, sweet earth, spearmint, graphite, and cherrywood-cedar. Its broad shoulders are balanced on a balanced, fresh acidity, with a refined finish of violets and black plum compote.
94 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com The 2022 Pine Ridge Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon is generous and demonstrative on the palate before finishing long and stylish. This wine excels with aromas and flavors of spice box scents, summer blueberries, and creamy chocolate. Serve it a grilled, well-textured T-Bone steak. (Tasted: September 26, 2024, San Francisco, CA)
92 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate Scents of cherry and raspberry mark the nose, joined by hints of soft leather or suede. It's full-bodied and ripe but with a bit more acid and tannin than the Napa Valley bottling. Nicely structured, finishing tart and silky.
92 Jeb Dunnuck The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District is a clear step up over the Napa Valley release. Darker currants, black cherries, leather, flowery incense, and spicy notes all define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a ripe, concentrated mouthfeel, sweet, integrated tannins, and a great finish.
