Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Fay Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

This beautifully balanced and layered wine offers delicious red- and black-cherry aromas, showing full, ripe flavors of succulent blueberries and blackberries with accents of cedar, graphite, iron and spearmint. It exhibits the polished, suave nature of Stags Leap District reds, overcoming a challenging vintage. Drink now or hold.

Having just been bottled, it's possible the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Fay Vineyard wasn't showing its best. It seemed rather muted on the nose, only slowly opening to reveal cherry and blueberry fruit. However, it was full-bodied and typically silky, so it didn't seem to be suffering much (if at all) on the palate, finishing with ample length and grace.

Warmed plum sauce and blueberry notes lead the way, showing off the vintages telltale gush of up-front fruit. The back end is built more on licorice and singed apple wood, though, as the fruit loses some energy. A solid effort. Drink now through 2030. 3,700 cases made.