History
Winiarski tasted Fay's garage Cabernet in 1969, bought the adjoining 44 acres in 1970 for about $200,000, tore out the prunes and planted S.L.V. Its 1973 Cabernet won the Judgment of Paris on May 24, 1976, the tasting that remade California's reputation. Nathan Fay had planted his own vineyard in 1961, the district's first Cabernet; Winiarski bought most of it in 1986 and replanted. In 2007 Ste. Michelle and Marchesi Antinori bought the winery and vineyards for a reported $185 million, and in July 2023 Antinori completed the purchase of Ste. Michelle's share to become sole owner.
The Site
The two estate vineyards total about 114 acres under the Stags Leap Palisades: S.L.V., roughly 35 acres on volcanic soils that give concentration and grip, and FAY, 66 acres on alluvial ground that gives rounder, softer fruit, a side-by-side soil lesson in one small district. Both reached transitional organic status in 2022, farmed with sheep and cover crops.
Vines and Blocks
Cabernet Sauvignon dominates both vineyards, each carrying about an acre and a half of Cabernet Franc.
The Wines
The S.L.V. and FAY designates, and the CASK 23 selection drawn from both, define the district: perfumed, iron-edged Cabernet of structure without weight, from the rows that beat Paris.