Since patriarch Marchese Piero Antinori visited Napa in 1985, the family-owned company has been expanding its presence in the region.
He established a close friendship with Warren Winiarski, the founder of Stag’s Leap, who decided to sell the estate in 2007. Ste. Michelle Wine Estates purchased an 85% stake in Stag’s Leap from Winiarski that year, with Antinori acquiring the remaining 15%. The two partners have collaborated for the past 16 years to enhance Stag’s Leap’s reputation, and now Antinori is set to take full ownership. The sale is expected to close by the end of June, with the purchase price undisclosed.
Piero Antinori, honorary president at Marchesi Antinori, said, “There are few opportunities in one’s lifetime when such an important and historical winery as Stag’s Leap is available. I have to thank Ste. Michelle Wine Estates for this great occasion that has been given to us.” He went on to say, “It is a source of pride for me and my family to have the possibility to confirm the promise made to my friend Warren Winiarski 16 years ago, to preserve the legacy and the values of such a prestigious estate as Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars is.”
Stag’s Leap gained worldwide recognition when its 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon outshone top Bordeaux wines like Château Mouton-Rothschild and Château Haut-Brion in the 1976 Judgement of Paris. This achievement helped to establish Napa Valley’s position on the fine wine world map and cemented Stag’s Leap’s reputation. It’s even been nicknamed one of Napa Valley’s “first growths.”
While Ste. Michelle has enjoyed success with Stag’s Leap, the company is now focusing on its Pacific Northwest home territory after being sold to private equity firm Sycamore Partners for $1.2 billion in 2021. As a result, Antinori was the natural choice to purchase Stag’s Leap, which has around 120 hectares under vine in Napa Valley. Antinori, a Tuscan producer with vineyards in Tuscany and Umbria, dates back to 1385 when Giovanni di Piero Antinori joined the Vintner’s Guild in Florence. It sells approximately one million cases per year.
