LOS ANGELES, CA.- Christie's online auction Fine & Rare Wines: Featuring The Reserve Cellar and 50th Anniversary Wines Direct From Stag's Leap Wine Cellars closed for bidding June 15th and set a new world record price for a bottle of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon S.L.V. 1973. The bottle realized $22,500, selling for more than five times its low estimate.
Chris Munro, Head of Wine, Americas, comments: We were delighted with today's world record price for one of America's truly historic wines. In this 50th anniversary year of the Judgment of Paris the Stag's Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. 1973 takes it deserved place at the top table with the worlds iconic wines."
Juan Muñoz-Oca, Estates Director, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, comments: "This world record result is a powerful testament to the enduring legacy of the 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon and the vision of our founder, Warren Winiarski. Fifty years after the Judgment of Paris, it's remarkable to see this historic moment and the wine at the center of it continue to captivate collectors and reaffirm Napa Valley's place among the world's great winegrowing regions. We are honored to share in this milestone with Christie's."
Crafted by founder and former winemaker of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Warren Winiarski, the 1973 legendary Cabernet Sauvignon surpassed the greatest of France's reds at the 1976 Judgment of Parisa blind tasting organized by Steven Spurrier and Patricia Gallagher. The panel consisted of nine esteemed French judges who evaluated top reds and whites from France and California without knowing their origins. The groundbreaking results sent shockwaves through the wine industry with the California wines outscoring the French in both categories.
The 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon stood as a centerpiece to the sale, with the world record price celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Judgment of Paris and its landmark victory that established Napa Valley as a world‑class wine region and secured Stag's Leap Wine Cellars' place among the most celebrated estates globally. Fine & Rare Wines: Featuring The Reserve Cellar and 50th Anniversary Wines Direct From Stag's Leap Wine Cellars showcased 50 exceptional lots that highlighted the estate's pioneering legacy and its enduring influence on the world of fine wine.