Calwineries

Stags Leap Winery

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Stags Leap Winery was originally founded by Horace and Minnie Mizner Chase. They were active members of San Francisco society and hosted numerous gatherings at their stone mansion. This was the first golden age of Napa Valley wine production that was unfortunately destined to end.

After the ravages of phylloxera and Prohibition, the property was neglected for several decades. It was not until 1971 that Carl Doumani began to restore the vines. In 1988, Doumani hired Robert Brittan to make the first vintage at Stags Leap Winery since Prohibition.

The vineyard has an excellent eastern exposure and enjoys the warm afternoon sun of the Napa Valley. At the same time, the property’s temperature is moderated by the characteristic afternoon winds that sweep through the Stags Leap AVA.

Kevin Morrisey has been the head winemaker at Stags Leap Winery since 2005. In 1998, he began working as an enologist on the property. This followed an internship at the legendary Chateau Petrus in Bordeaux and the completion of an M.S. in Enology at UC Davis. In 2003, he briefly left the winery to go to work for Pinot Noir specialist Tony Soter at Etude in the Carneros AVA.