The Californian winery is located in the AVA area of the same name, Stags Leap District in Napa Valley. The name means "deer leap" and goes back to a legend of the Wappo Indians who used to live in Napa Valley. A stag is said to have escaped its hunters from a rocky hill in the valley by making a courageous leap to freedom. Former Chicago university professor Warren Winiarski (*1928) moved to Napa Valley in 1964 with his wife Barbara to fulfil his dream of growing grapes. He gained practical experience at Soverain Winery and then worked as an assistant winemaker at Mondavi. In 1970, he founded his own winery. In 1976, the estate became famous when the "Cabernet Sauvignon S.L.V. 1973" beat renowned Bordeaux wines at the legendary Paris Wine Tasting and took first place. In August 2007, the estate was bought by Ste Michelle Wine Estates (subsidiary of U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company) in Washington State for a reported US$ 185 million.
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Technischer Lehrer, staatl. geprüfter Sommelier, Hotelfachschule Heidelberg