2015 HALL Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District
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Tasting notes
The very deep purple-black colored 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap comes sashaying out of the glass with evocative earth scents—forest floor, fungi, mossy bark and dusty soil—over a core of warm red and black cherries, crème de cassis and blueberry compote plus touches of cigar box and eaucalyptus. The powerfully fruited, rich, full-bodied palate is wonderfully contrasted by layers of fragrant earth notions and framed with ripe, firm, grainy tannins, finishing with fantastic persistence and depth.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District is one of the more opulent, sexy, and sumptuous barrel sample in the lineup, and while it has plenty of structure, the tannins are sweet, polished and rounded. Liquid violets, blueberries, cassis, white flowers and hints of spice all make this full-bodied, seamless, elegant 2015 already hard to resist. Don't be fooled though, it's going to age great. One of the eye-opening tastings while working on this report was the lineup from Kathryn Hall’s estate located in St. Helena. There’s a wealth of wines here, yet they all have deep, concentrated, pure profiles as well as singular characters. You could pretty much randomly select from this lineup and be guaranteed to have a brilliant wine. Hats off to winemaker Steve Leveque. All the 2016s, and the majority of the 2015s, were tasted as barrel samples.
The clear highlight in this range, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon (Stags Leap) is on a completely different level than the other Hall Cabernets. The trademark brightness, vibrant acidity and lift that are so typical of Stags Leap play off the inky blue/purplish fruit beautifully. A visceral, thrilling wine, the Stags Leap shows the pure pedigree of the appellation. Scents of mint, lavender and sage meld into the huge finish. This is a magnificent Cabernet in the making.