Ayoung FBC will release Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Wine Cellars from a Napa Valley winery, USA, in the domestic market.
On the 27th, Ayoung FBC held a press conference at Club Coravin in Lotte World Tower, Seoul, to celebrate the launch of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Wine Cellars, showcasing a total of six new products. These include the representative red wines of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, such as FAY Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, Cask 23 Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, and Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon 2021. Additionally, two white wines (Abetta Sauvignon Blanc 2023, Karia Chardonnay 2023) were also presented for the first time in Korea.
Ayoung FBC has been importing wines from various countries, including France, Italy, and Chile. However, its premium brand portfolio from the United States has been relatively weak. For instance, Shinsegae L&B imports wines from Robert Mondavi, Shafer, and NARA CELLAR, which has exclusively imported Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars for a long time, and now Ayoung FBC will exclusively import it after going through Shinsegae L&B. The industry believes that importing Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, which has historical significance, reputation, and recognition, will strengthen Ayoung FBC’s competitiveness in the U.S. wine market.
Marcus Notaro, the chief winemaker of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, attended the event and introduced the brand philosophy and characteristics of the vineyard.
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars began when Warren Winiarski acquired S.L.V. (Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Vineyard) in Napa Valley, California, in 1970. In 1976, it entered the Judgment of Paris blind tasting competition with the 1973 S.L.V. Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, winning first place in the red wine category against prestigious French Bordeaux wines such as Château Mouton Rothschild and Château Haut-Brion. This event is regarded as a turning point that changed the France-centered wine industry structure and helped Napa Valley emerge as a world-renowned wine region. This wine has been registered as a “heritage that made America” by the Smithsonian Institution.
Notaro said, “S.L.V is not overly structured and well-balanced, elegant,” adding, “I hope all the wines we produce have these characteristics.” He mentioned, “The entire Napa Valley vineyard is not large, measuring about 45 kilometers in length and 9 kilometers in width, but due to the unique characteristics created by the mixture of volcanic and sedimentary soils, steep terrain, and significant temperature differences, diverse and distinctive wines are produced.”
He explained that “the area where Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars is located experiences fog and clouds in the evening, and warms up quickly in the morning, which results in grapes with rich yet natural flavors,” adding, “The summer and autumn are dry, and winters can see heavy rains.”
After the Judgment of Paris, founder Winiarski additionally acquired Naylor’s Vineyard and introduced a wine named FAY. Notaro explained, “The vineyard that produces S.L.V and the vineyard that produces FAY are adjacent and affected by the same weather, but the differences in soil show distinct characteristics in the grapes.”
When heavy winter rains occur, the rocky terrain of the valley erodes and flows into the vineyard; S.L.V consists of relatively young soil made up of rough, red rocks. The grapes produced have robust aromas of blackcurrant, dark chocolate, and earthiness. S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits a solid structure and distinct minerality from the soil. Notaro noted that “S.L.V is a wine suitable for long aging of 20 to 30 years.”
In contrast, FAY has a relatively older soil that possesses a sticky quality closer to gray clay. The grapes cultivated within the FAY vineyard produce a wine with soft tannins and natural acidity. Elegant aromas of red cherry, raspberry, violet, and rose are characteristic and evolve into complex and delicate flavors with aging.
Another representative wine from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Cask 23, was developed by Warren Winiarski in collaboration with André Tchelistcheff, known as the “father of American winemaking.” It is Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars’ flagship wine crafted exclusively from grapes harvested from the best parcels of S.L.V and FAY. It features layered complex aromas of black cherry, blackcurrant, cedar, spice, mocha, and violet. It is characterized by a rich, concentrated flavor and smooth texture, regarded as a showcase of Napa Valley’s elegance, power, structure, and delicateness.
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars was acquired by the Antinori family in Italy in 2007 after founder Winiarski retired. Antinori is one of the oldest wine houses in Europe with a history spanning 26 generations of family management. An Ayoung FBC official said, “Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars embodies the very identity showing the origins of American wine,” adding, “This launch is the fruition of Ayoung FBC’s dedicated efforts to continuously cultivate its American premium wine portfolio and aims to enhance competitiveness in the fiercely competitive U.S. wine market.”