Photos by Jaye C, The Wide World of Wine

Stag’s Leap District in Napa Valley is California’s most distinguished. Dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, it contains America’s most famous wineries. The names literally roll off the tongues of wine lovers around the world:  Stag’s Leap. Clos du Val, Shafer, among others.

Its reputation was affirmed at the landmark Judgment of Paris in 1976 and has grown in stature ever since. At that competition, two up-start California wine producers triumphed over renowned bottlings from Bordeaux and Burgundy in a blind tasting judged by France’s foremost wine experts.

At a time when France ruled the wine world, this was a major upset. What began as a publicity stunt orchestrated by English wine merchant Steven Spurrier produced an outcome that shook the wine world with seismic force.

Winemakers from the Stags Leap District that were featured in the Chicago Wine Spectator Grand Tour presented their wines at Gioia Restaurant and Pastificio in the heart of Chicago’s West Loop community. Chef/Partner Federico Comacchio paired his modern interpretations of regional Italian cuisine, with the wines of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Patz and Hall, and Col Solare.

Antipasto featured 2019 Eroica Riesling from Columbia Valley, Washington State and concluded with Dolce (dessert of Chocolate Soufflé, Passion Fruit Gelato and Moscato Mousse)) paired with 2008 Antinori Muffato from Umbria, Italy. All the wines presented were under the umbrella of Ste Michelle Wine Estates, America’s eighth largest wine producer.

The lunch featured Katie Nelson, winemaker to Chateau Ste. Michelle with her 2016 Artist Series, Columbia Valley; Stephanie Cohen, Col Solare, with her 2016 Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon; Tom Klassen of Patz & Hall with his 2016 Chenoweth Ranch Pinot Noir, Sonoma; and Luis Contreras of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 2016 with S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa.

Tom Klassen of Patz and Hall was first to speak. “This wine (Chenowith Ranch Pinot Noir) represents a very good sampling of our vineyards along the Sonoma Coast. There’s a certain savoriness that it has a lot of the time. The Sonoma Coast does almost everything really well, so there’s also a very good basic fruit character there, so we weigh in on those elements and there’s a certain amount of barrel spice that we add.

“There’s lots going on with this wine and with this dish,” (Risotto with Speck (a cold-cured ham from northern Italy near Austria). The word ‘Speck’ means bacon in German.) The dish also featured Lagrein cheese (wine-soaked cheese with a flavor-bomb of herbs and garlic), also from northern Italy in the Alto Adige region, which also borders Austria, and mushrooms). “it’s just amazing!” Klassen exclaimed.

Barrel aging is a key factor in the success of Stags Leap District wines. Nearly all the wineries have their own proprietary barrel regime and their own coopers, which provide barrels according to the winemaker’s individual specifications.

“We’re constantly fine-tuning that process with our coopers,” Klassen said. “We find that our wines don’t need a lot of barrel aging to express themselves.

“Most of our barrels are delivered by our coopers after three years of aging,” he stressed. “We find that after three years; the barrels help us to give the wine that added depth. So, we find that extra age in the barrel to be of great benefit.”

Winemaker Luis Contreras of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars has a unique story to tell. “My father worked in the vineyards,” he recalled. ” So, I grew up around wine.

“My father would travel to the US from Mexico in the early 80s to work in the vineyards.

“After a few years, he decided to move his family to Napa to be with him.  The first thing my father said to me was ‘you’ve got to come work with me in the vineyards.’ ”

That early experience started what would become a love affair with wine and the start of a burgeoning career.

“‘For me, it was right after high school that I was looking for a job and found out there was a position at Stags Leap for a seasonal bottling worker. I took that opportunity, then after two years, I saw a cellar worker carefully removing wine and sanitizing the barrels. When I saw how much care went into his work, I wanted to do that job. That’s where it started. That’s when I fell in love with wine.

Even with his advanced position, Contreras says he still feels that he has a lot to learn. “You never learn all that there is about wine. When you talk about oak, that opens up a whole new world. When you talk about the making of wine, you can almost ‘hear’ the wine fermenting in the barrel. ”

One of the perks of his job, Contreras confided, is that he got to taste the 1973 Cask 23 Cabernet Sauvignon that was the winning red wine in the 1976 Judgment of Paris.  “Just being able to taste that wine and get a snapshot of what the industry was like at that time was one of the highlights of my career.

“When the wine first hits your mouth, you’re aware of its bright acidity, which was the style of winemaking at that time. That sensation rises and then plateaus to reveal the taste of black tea and dry herbs. I remember that if you smell it and then come back after two or three minutes, it keeps evolving to different flavor profiles. There are only about seven bottles left in the wine cellar, so I was really fortunate to experience it.”

Contreras has worked for Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars for 21 years. He began his career as a temporary bottling worker in 1996, and worked his way up the ranks, spending eight years as a cellar worker, before being promoted to Cellar Master in 2006. He was named Assistant Winemaker in 2017.

While Stag’s Leap is known for its famous Cabernet, the winery also produces white wines of unique character.

“Sauvignon Blanc is a very expressive varietal,” Contreras noted.  “It depends on where it grows and how you manage it in the vineyard,” Contreras noted as he tasted his 2020 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc with Chef Comacchio’s Insalata Puntarelle, with Lagustines (spiny lobster) Cantabria anchovies and sweet garlic dressing.

“Most people think of Sauvignon Blanc as grassy and tasting of green peas. If it’s properly vinified, it really reflects all those stages that you do. For example, if you pick it on the riper side, you tend to get more tropical fruit and citrus in it. Also, during the vinification, there are a number of things you can do to enhance those qualities and have them reflected in the product.”

Col Solare Winery is an alliance with Tuscany’s Piero Antinori. Stephanie Cohen is the newest addition to the winemaking team. Stephanie joined Col Solare in May 2020 after a yearlong stint as Enologist at Columbia Crest. Working with premium grapes from Red Mountain was a crowning achievement for her.

“I love the intimate relationship with the vineyard. The intense focus on quality from the vineyard to the bottle that comes with small production is unparalleled.”

The significance of the fact that she is among a growing number of women involved in winemaking is not lost on her. “It’s hard to think of another industry as inclusive as ours.”

Katie Nelson was named Senior Director of Winemaking at Columbia Crest last year. She is only the third winemaker to be named in the winery’s 35-year history.

“My winemaking approach is bold and explores variety with a gentle hand, aiming to create wines which are elegant, but exciting.”

With 22 years of experience under her belt, she’s learned to take risks. “Somewhere along the way, I tossed my nerdiness aside and have learned to be bold.”

Her 2019 Eroica Riesling from Columbia Valley paired perfectly with the Smoked Alaska King Salmon Antipasto, which started the afternoon meal, along with fennel blood orange and pomegranate with dill.  The bright fruit and crisp acidity of the wine and the complex flavors of the salmon dish were perfect palate primers for the superb meal ahead. For more on Ste Michelle Wine Estates, visit st-michelle.com.