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Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (Napa Valley)
RedUnited States2008
By Daniel Min · Tasted 2026-05-15 · Published 2026-09-25 · Updated 2026-09-25
At a glance
In one line
4.5/5 — the same as Vivino's 4.5 average · world avg price US$290 · The 2008 vintage from S.L.V.
Wine-Searcher critic aggregate 91 (5 reviews) · Critic listed on Vivino: (89–91) (Dec 2010)
Market note: Stag's Leap Wine Cellars was founded by Warren Winiarski in 1970, and its 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon won the red flight at the 1976 Judgment of Paris. In 2007 Winiarski sold the winery to a partnership of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and Italy's Marchesi Antinori; since 2023 Antinori has been the sole owner. The lineup runs from the entry-level Artemis up to the single-vineyard Fay and S.L.V. and the flagship blend, Cask 23.
What this wine is
S.L.V. stands for Stag's Leap Vineyard. In 1970 Warren Winiarski bought land in what is now the Stags Leap District on the east side of Napa Valley, pulled out the fruit trees and planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot — this is that vineyard. 1973 was the winery's first commercial vintage, and it is said to have come from vines just three years old. The first wine from young vines went on to beat Bordeaux first growths in Paris three years later, and the name S.L.V. has been inseparable from that event ever since.
The 2008 is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from that vineyard, listed on Vivino at 14.5% alcohol with 24 months in oak. By one Vivino reviewer's count, it is the 35th vintage since the 1973. The producer's note: "Offers generous aromas of cocoa powder, graphite, blackberry and baking spice. A broad, silky entry fills the mouth with dark berry fruit and dark chocolate flavors. The palate is rich and concentrated with round tannins that are present but enjoyable and inviting."
In 2007 the winery passed from Winiarski to a partnership of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and Marchesi Antinori, and since 2023 Antinori has owned it outright — the same Florentine family behind the Solaia 2012 in this magazine. So the 2008 was harvested the year after Winiarski handed over the keys. He died in 2024 at 96.
What the world says
May 24, 1976, Paris. At Steven Spurrier's blind-tasting table, French judges (nine in the official tally) worked through glasses with the labels hidden. When the results came out, first place among the reds went to Stag's Leap's 1973 S.L.V. (127.5 points), with Château Mouton Rothschild 1970 second on 126, then Haut-Brion 1970 and Montrose 1970. A margin of a point and a half. Château Montelena's 1973 Chardonnay took the whites as well, and when George M. Taber — the only journalist in the room — ran the story in TIME, the assumption that California couldn't beat France fell apart. Taber later told the whole story in his 2005 book, Judgment of Paris.
The 'beginner's luck' objection led to rematches. At the 1986 ten-year rematch, the winner was Clos du Val's 1972 (also in this magazine) and the Stag's Leap 1973 slipped to 6th; but at the 2006 30th-anniversary re-tasting, held in Napa and London at once, it was back in 2nd behind Ridge Monte Bello 1971 — a wine that had held up for thirty years. A bottle of the 1973, donated by Winiarski in 1996, now sits in the collection of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. The story was also dramatized in the 2008 film Bottle Shock (directed by Randall Miller, with Alan Rickman as Spurrier); the film centers on Montelena's white-wine win, leaving Stag's Leap as the other half of the same event.
The 2008 vintage averages 4.5 from 215 Vivino ratings, 200 of them (93%) at 4 stars or higher and not one below 3. The label as a whole sits at 4.5 across 8,256 ratings. Wine-Searcher's critic aggregate is 91/100 (5 reviews), and a critic listed on Vivino (publication not named) scored it (89–91) in December 2010, apparently before release. Across vintages from 1995 to 2023 the community average barely moves, staying between 4.2 and 4.6. The keywords run oak, chocolate, tobacco, vanilla (775 mentions), then blackberry, plum, blackcurrant (619), then leather, earth, graphite (441); the structure reads intensity 4.7/5 with tannin and acidity both at 3.4 — full power, with tannin and acid holding the middle, textbook Napa Cabernet. Next to its sibling Artemis 2016 (also in this magazine) the numbers are nearly identical, but graphite (58) and minerals (52) stand out in the earth group here, which reads like the signature of a single vineyard.
"A history-making vineyard SLV is the same that produced the '73 vintage which won the Paris Tasting in '76. 2008 is the 35th vintage since the '73 edition…" — Vivino review, Mar 2017, 4.5 stars
How I drank it
May 15, 2026, 4.5 stars. No note. I tapped the stars and wrote nothing.
The evening's lineup explains a lot: Château Pétrus 2017 (4.0), Château Mouton Rothschild 1987 (5.0), Dugat-Py Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Corbeaux (4.0), Maison Leroy Beaujolais-Villages Primeur (4.0), and this S.L.V. 2008 (4.5). Of the five, S.L.V. came second, with only the Mouton above it — the very château S.L.V. edged out by a point and a half in Paris in 1976. Different vintages (1970 then, 1987 now), no blind, and a jury of one — but in this unofficial rematch fifty years on, Bordeaux got its revenge. For the record, I did put it above the Pétrus.
I regret not writing anything. Back in 2019 I at least managed two words for the Artemis — "Vanilla good." — yet in front of S.L.V., the actual protagonist of the Judgment of Paris, I left nothing. On a night with Mouton and Pétrus on the same table, I think I was too busy moving between glasses to stay with any one of them. What stayed with me is a single impression: power that hadn't faded after eighteen years. I drank it three years past Vivino's suggested window (2012–2023), yet my 4.5 matches the community average exactly. The 1973 came from three-year-old vines and won in Paris three years later; this 2008 waited eighteen years to reach my glass. Next time I meet an S.L.V., I'll put it into words.
Where this wine shows up
On May 24, 1976, at a blind tasting in Paris organized by British wine merchant Steven Spurrier, the scores of nine French judges (the official tally) put Stag's Leap Wine Cellars' 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon first among the reds, with 127.5 points — ahead of Château Mouton Rothschild 1970, Château Haut-Brion 1970 and Château Montrose 1970. Château Montelena's 1973 Chardonnay won the whites. TIME's George M. Taber, the only journalist present, broke the story. At the 1986 ten-year rematch the 1973 placed 6th; at the 2006 30th-anniversary re-tasting, held simultaneously in Napa and London, it placed 2nd behind Ridge Monte Bello 1971. A bottle of the 1973, donated by Winiarski in 1996, is in the collection of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
Wikipedia — Judgment of Paris (wine) · Smithsonian National Museum of American History — 1973 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon · Stag's Leap Wine Cellars — official history
Randall Miller's 2008 film, with Alan Rickman as Steven Spurrier and Bill Pullman and Chris Pine as Château Montelena's Jim and Bo Barrett. The story is told from the side of Montelena, the white-wine winner, but the red flight at that same tasting went to Stag's Leap's 1973. The film is said to close with a note that the Montelena Chardonnay 1973 and the Stag's Leap Cabernet 1973 went on display at the Smithsonian.
Artwork and stills are not reproduced for copyright reasons; scenes are summarised.
Vivino community data
2008 vintage rating distribution (215 ratings, average 4.5)
| 5★ | 74 (34%) | |
| 4★ | 126 (59%) | |
| 3★ | 15 (7%) | |
| 2★ | 0 (0%) | |
| 1★ | 0 (0%) |
Most-mentioned aromas
| Family | Mentions | Top keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Oak | 775 | oak 198 · chocolate 144 · tobacco 106 · vanilla 104 · coffee 38 |
| Black fruit | 619 | blackberry 167 · plum 95 · dark fruit 77 · blackcurrant 76 · black cherry 48 |
| Earth & leather | 441 | leather 95 · earthy 91 · graphite 58 · minerals 52 · cocoa 39 |
| Red fruit | 207 | cherry 122 · raspberry 45 · red fruit 14 · red cherry 6 · strawberry 6 |
| Spice | 147 | pepper 36 · licorice 27 · mint 17 · cinnamon 12 · savory 9 |
| Floral | 42 | violet 31 · lavender 6 · perfume 2 · dried flowers 1 · jasmine 1 |
| Dried fruit | 29 | dried fruit 10 · fig 9 · prune 6 · raisin 2 · dried blueberry 1 |
Structure: Acidity 3.4/5 · Intensity 4.7/5 · Tannin 3.4/5 · Sweetness 1.6/5
Average by vintage (all vintages: 8256 ratings, average 4.5)
| Vintage | Average | Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 4.2 | 30 |
| 1997 | 4.3 | 52 |
| 1998 | 4.2 | 37 |
| 2000 | 4.3 | 35 |
| 2003 | 4.5 | 32 |
| 2004 | 4.4 | 58 |
| 2005 | 4.5 | 422 |
| 2006 | 4.4 | 108 |
| 2007 | 4.5 | 191 |
| 2008 | 4.5 | 215 |
| 2009 | 4.3 | 211 |
| 2010 | 4.4 | 375 |
| 2011 | 4.4 | 465 |
| 2012 | 4.5 | 997 |
| 2013 | 4.5 | 916 |
| 2014 | 4.5 | 571 |
| 2015 | 4.6 | 550 |
| 2016 | 4.5 | 427 |
| 2017 | 4.6 | 296 |
| 2018 | 4.6 | 350 |
| 2019 | 4.5 | 296 |
| 2020 | 4.5 | 240 |
| 2021 | 4.5 | 190 |
| 2022 | 4.5 | 101 |
| 2023 | 4.4 | 46 |
My original note (Vivino, 2026-05-15)
“”
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→Frequently asked questions
What kind of wine is Stag's Leap S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon?
A 100% Cabernet Sauvignon red from Stag's Leap Wine Cellars' single S.L.V. vineyard in Napa Valley's Stags Leap District AVA. The 2008 is 14.5% alcohol with 24 months in oak, very full-bodied, with oak, chocolate, blackberry, leather and graphite notes. 4.5 on Vivino (215 ratings); Wine-Searcher critic aggregate 91/100.
How much does it cost?
World average US$290 per 750ml ex-tax (Wine-Searcher, Sept 2026).
What food pairs with it?
The Vivino community suggests beef, lamb, poultry, game such as venison, and mature hard cheeses.
What is S.L.V.'s connection to the Judgment of Paris?
At Steven Spurrier's blind tasting in Paris on May 24, 1976, this vineyard's 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon took first place among the reds, ahead of Château Mouton Rothschild 1970, Haut-Brion 1970 and Montrose 1970. The 2008 is a later vintage from the same vineyard. A bottle of the 1973 is held by the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
Links & sources
View on Vivino · Prices on Wine-Searcher
- Vivino — wine page, community data and listed critic scores
- Wine-Searcher — S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 price and critic aggregate
- Wikipedia — Judgment of Paris (wine)
- Smithsonian National Museum of American History — 1973 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
- Stag's Leap Wine Cellars — official history
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