Wine Spectator: Napa Winemaking Icon Warren Winiarski Dies At 95
June 10, 2024Winemaker Warren Winiarski, founder of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and owner of Arcadia Vineyards, died peacefully at home on June 7 at the age of 95.
In 1970, Winiarski purchased a 50-acre fruit orchard and ranch in Napa Valley and began planting Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. He started making wine from those plantings, along with some existing Petite Sirah vines, debuting his Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars label in 1972.
Winiarski’s winery was among a prominent class of wineries that debuted that year, a group of nearly two dozen that included Burgess Cellars, Caymus, Chateau Montelena, Clos du Val, Diamond Creek, Silver Oak, Spottswoode and Stags’ Leap Winery (located just a mile from Winiarski’s similarly named operation), among others. The vast majority of the group focused on Cabernet Sauvignon and went on to define California and Napa Valley wine for a generation. Wine Spectator has more on Winiarski’s life and career.
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