Stags Leap District AVA


Stags Leap District is an American Viticultural Area located in Napa County, California, directly east of the town of Yountville and approximately north of the county seat of Napa. It was established as the nation's 104th, the state's 59th and the county’s fourth AVA on January 26, 1989 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Treasury after reviewing two petitions received since 1985 from the Stags Leap Appellation Committee proposing a viticultural area in Napa Valley, California, to be known as "Stags Leap."

According to the ruling, the ATF concluded that the soil is the primary geographical feature that distinguishes Stags Leap District from the surrounding areas. The
Bale soil series predominates the region with clay loam sediments from the Napa River and volcanic soil deposits left over from erosion of the Vaca Mountains. Stags Leap District is a small sub-appellation, only about, within the renown Napa Valley appellation and is particularly known for its Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah. In the 1976 Judgment of Paris wine tasting, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars' 1973 Cabernet vintage, grown and processed in the locale that would later be designated an AVA, ranked first in the red wine category besting wines from top-rated Bordeaux estates, immediately recognizing California, especially Napa Valley, as a primer viticulture region. As of 2025, Stags Leap District is resident to approximately twenty wineries. The plant hardiness zone ranges from 9a to 9b.

History

The origin of the name "Stags Leap" is not well documented. Most common oral histories attribute it to a native Wappo legend of a stag leaping to escape hunters as another version refers to a large, majestic stag that eluded a generation of hunters, always leaping and escaping at the last moment.
Grapes were planted in 1872, by Terrill L. Grigsby, on the family's parcel where the current Stag's Leap estate resides. He built Occidental Winery, the area's first, in 1878. Nathan Fay planted the first Cabernet Sauvignon in the area in 1961, on land that would later be purchased by Warren Winiarski for Stag's Leap Wine Cellars. At the relatively unknown Paris Wine Tasting of 1976, celebrating the United States Bicentennial, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars' 1973 Cabernet vintage, grown and processed in the locale later given AVA status, ranked first in the red wine category besting wines from top-rated Bordeaux estates, and suddenly elevating California, especially Napa Valley, as a primer viticulture region.

Winery Association

One of the leading influences in the region is the Stags Leap District Winery Association which promotes the viticultural area wines and hosts an annual day-long event called Vineyard to Vintner giving consumers the opportunity to interact with local wineries and wine tastings. The following wineries are members: