Stags' Leap Winery is a winery

Winery

A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...

 located near Yountville

Yountville, California

Yountville is an incorporated town in Napa County, California, United States. It is in the North Bay portion of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 2,933 at the 2010 census. Almost one third of the town's population lives on the grounds of the Veterans Home of California.The town's name...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, in the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley

Napa Valley AVA

Napa Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Napa County, California, United States. Napa Valley is considered one of the top wine regions in the United States...

. The winery's 240 acres (97 ha) estate vineyard

Vineyard

A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...

 was first planted in 1893. In 1997, Stags' Leap was purchased by Beringer Wine Estates, which in 2000 was in turn purchased by the Australian company Foster's Group

Foster's Group

Foster's Group is a beer group with interests in brewing and soft drinks. Foster's Group is the brewer of the Foster's Lager. Foster's Group Limited is a publicly-listed company on the Australian Securities Exchange and is based in Melbourne, Victoria...

, whose two wine groups combined and are now Beringer-Blass Wine Estates. Robert Brittan continued the revitalization of the vineyards and winery until 2005.

History

The winery was founded by Horace Chase and his wife Minnie Mizner Chase. Mrs. Frances Grange acquired Stags' Leap Winery from Horace Chase in 1913. She transformed the property into a working ranch and resort. Wine production ceased due to prohibition. The vineyard remained, however, with the grapes being sold to other producers. Wine production began again in earnest in 1971 when Stags' Leap was purchased by Carl Doumani. Over a period of almost three decades, Doumani restored and improved the property. The winery's signature product was its petite syrah, at the time an undervalued grape used mostly for blending purposes. In 1988 Doumani hired winemaker Robert Brittan, who became president when the winery was sold to Beringer Wine Estates in 1997.

External links

• Stags' Leap Winery official site
• San Francisco Chronicle article regarding sale to Beringer