Who would have dared to doubt that there would be a national day for wine drinking. That’s the case, and one great way to celebrate would be with one of this nation’s best wines — Stag’s Leap! Heritage Auctions has announced that Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars will offer nearly 4,000 bottles from its own Legacy Collection in an auction on March 10-11, 2022. The auction was said to be the first time a California winery of this stature has opened its wine library to this extent for Heritage. Bottles from 1972 to 2017 will be up for grabs.

According to Heritage Auctions, one of the centerpiece offerings will be a single bottle of the 1973 S.L.V Cabernet Sauvignon. This is said to be the wine that won the Judgment of Paris (1976) and which also put Napa Valley on the world wine map. Heritage also went so far as to say that a bottle of this wine is also in the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of American History permanent wine collection.

Many of the vintages up for auction are also being released for the first time. This auction is also targeting wine collectors and wine investors:

There’s no question that these bottles will be an impressive addition to any home collection — whether you plan to hold them longer in your cellar or open them to mark a milestone moment. This is a special opportunity to acquire these rare, aged beauties.

Because this Legacy Collection of wines is from Stag’s Leap own library and as they have each been aged by Stag’s Leap in optimal conditions, there should be zero doubt about the provenance. These are just some of the wines being offered– Estate-Grown Cabernet Sauvignons (FAY, S.L.V. and CASK 23), as well as ARTEMIS Cabernet Sauvignon and the Napa Valley Merlot. Here are some of the specific highlights and years coming for auction:

• CASK 23 from 1979 to 2017;
• S.L.V. from 1972 to 2017;
• FAY from 1990 to 2017;
• ARTEMIS from 2001 to 2015;
• and Napa Valley Merlot from 1977 to 2005.

Heritage noted that the lots will include 12 traditional 750 ml bottles, 6 magnums (1.5L) and a handful of 6L, 12L and 18L wines.

Marcus Notaro, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Winemaker, offered two quotes for the Heritage press release:

We are excited to partner with Heritage Auctions for this Legacy Collection auction. Many of the vintages that will be up for sale are being released for the very first time. We have never participated in an auction with this many of our wines from our treasured past. There’s no question that these bottles will be an impressive addition to any home collection — whether you plan to hold them longer in your cellar or open them to mark a milestone moment. This is a special opportunity to acquire these rare, aged beauties.

There’s no question that our wines are extremely age-worthy, and I’m always struck by how the fruit remains primary even in wines with 30 years of age,” Notaro says. “If a wine is balanced at the time of bottling, it will remain balanced. That’s what we strive for with every bottling. I’m also struck by the shared family lineage that I find when I taste through a flight of FAY, S.L.V. or CASK 23 Cabernet. The defining characteristics of the vineyard are captured in each bottle.