This was the kind of harvest during which each berry was cherished and coaxed to relative perfection in spite of nature's caprice through trials of water and fire. As harvest approached respite was provided by more moderated temperatures which helped with the retention of fruit acidity. The tiny berries were jewel-like, especially after determining that the usual lots that make up Cask 23 produced a different stylistic expression from previous Cask 23 wines. These lots were added back to the S.L.V. and FAY wines for increased complexity in both. FAY vineyard lies directly below the crown of the Stags Leap palisades and borders S.L.V., our estate vineyard that produced the famed 1976 Paris Tasting winner. It was the taste of Nathan Fay's 1968 Cabernet that led Warren Winiarski to search for vineyard land in the area. Purchased in 1986, FAY vineyard soils are in separated parts rocky, volcanic and alluvial, producing perfumey, voluptuous fruit characteristics with tenderly honed tannins.-Winery