Stag's Leap Cellars

This is the winery that beat the French at the 1976 Judgment of Paris and put Napa Valley on the map. The FAY and S.L.V. vineyards sit beneath the Stags Leap Palisades and produce the single-vineyard bottlings that define the house style: elegant and pure rather than showy, with the length to age.

Winemaker Marcus Notaro leads the team, and the visit is built around reserved experiences with refined food and wine pairings and views across both vineyards. Michael's wine score of 8 is among the highest in the collection, though the ambiance and staff scores of 6 suggest the wines outrun the welcome. Do not confuse it with Stags' Leap Winery, a separate estate a short way up the same road. A cornerstone of any serious Napa Cabernet itinerary.