Stags' Leap Winery

Vineyard Maps

The Estate Vineyards of Stags’ Leap

Stone Hart was built entirely from rock and rubble excavated when blasting the new Wine Cave in 2000; Vigilance and Coyote Dance Hall vineyards are on the slope of the Stags Leap Palisades; The Leap, Coyote Blocks, and Ne Cede Malis are in the bowl of the valley below the mountain.

The low-lying vineyards contain alluvial Bale Loams on top, with volcanic ash from eroded sediment; underneath: sandy loam laced with gravel and cobbles. Excellent drainage. On the slopes of the palisades, Kidd and Boomers series… topsoil about a hand’s depth in some places on top of volcanic rhyolite and tuff. A delicious struggle for the vines.

Stags’ Leap Winery Estate Vineyards
Engraving Copyright ©2003 Roberto Rovira, All Rights Reserved

Field Blend Varieties of the Ne Cede Malis Block

DNA Research on Petite Syrah: In the 1980s, the winery undertook DNA testing to uncover the identities and possible sources of heritage vines on the property, especially the 1930s field blend planting of Petite Syrah and other Rhône varietals in the Ne Cede Malis block. The results have been used to graft new vines and were contributed to the research being conducted by UC Davis on the origin of the Petite Syrah variety.