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Warren Winiarski, founder of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars and owner of Arcadia Vineyards, died on 7 June at the age of 95. Winiarski, who was born in Chiacago, initially pursued an academic career. After spending a year in Italy, he wanted to produce wine himself. In 1970, he bought a 50-hectare orchard and ranch in Napa Valley and began to plant Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. In 1972, he marketed them under the name Stag's Leap Wine Cellars.
In 1976, he suddenly became famous. His 1973 S.L.V. Estate Cabernet Sauvignon won at a tasting organised by British wine merchant and author Steven Spurrier in Paris, where Californian wines were judged against some of the best Bordeaux. The French jury awarded the highest honours to Winiarski's wine. This Paris tasting, which was also made into a Hollywood film ("Bottle Shock"), is regarded as the starting signal for the success of viticulture in Napa Valley. In 2012, Winiarski donated a bottle of the 1973 Stag's Leap Cabernet to the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
Warren Winiarski became a defining figure in the American wine industry and in Napa Valley in particular. In 2007, he sold Stag's Leap Wine Cellars to a consortium of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and Antinori. About a year ago, Antinori took over all the shares. Winiarski remained active at his second winery Arcadia Vineyards in the south of Napa Valley.
(al / Source: Wine Spectator)