Stag's Leap Wine Cellars "Cask 23" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Jeb Dunnuck : 100 Points

(1/28/2025) Aged 21 months in new barrels, the tiny production 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Cask 23 is brooding and inward yet has incredible purity in its darker currant and cassis-like fruit as well as subtle smoked tobacco, crushed stone, liquid violet, and graphite-driven nuances. These carry to a deep, layered, sensationally concentrated Cabernet that has sweet yet building tannins, a seamless mouthfeel, flawless balance, and a great, great finish. It needs to be hidden for a decade if you can, but this is a legend in the making and will have 50+ years or more overall longevity if well stored. For the technical geeks out there, the alcohol is 14.8% and its pH is 3.72. Maturity 2035 - 2071.

Wine Spectator : 97 Points

(11/15/2024) This is loaded with gorgeous flavors of boysenberry, mulberry and blackberry puree that maintain a sleek and refined feel as violet, iris and anise notes add range, lift and energy. A super fine-grained feel completes the seduction on the lengthy finish, where subtle minerality chimes prettily. Drink now through 2042. 2,175 cases made.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni : 97 Points

(5/2024) Over the last few years, winemaker Marcus Notaro has gradually moved these wines away from the heavier, opulent style of the past towards an approach that favors more refinement. I expect that will continue now that the Antinori family fully owns the winery. The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Cask 23 is a selection of the estate's best barrels. Rich, deep and explosive, the 2021 packs quite the punch. Black cherry, leather, tobacco, incense, licorice and cloves are all beautifully amplified in this dramatic, texturally intense Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon. Creamy tannins add to its sensual, caressing feel. Drinking Window 2028 - 2051.