The seamless and integrated 2018 Cliff Lede Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon is a deep purple colored love letter to this winemaker's favored appellation. Its beautiful, scorched earth, blackberry, warm blueberries, cool slate, and dark chocolate aromas envelop the glass and are complexed with ancho chile, cumin, braised meat juices, and new leather notes. There’s a burst of black fruits and spring flowers on the palate followed by exquisitely polished and fine tannin that bring together all the layers in an impressive finish.
Blend: 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc
Vineyard Notes
The fruit was sourced from the hillside terraces of the Poetry Vineyard, Twin Peaks Vineyard estate surrounding the winery, and a few neighboring vineyards in the Stags Leap District. The wine is composed of small lots from the best blocks, representing a diverse range of carefully selected clones and rootstocks. From Poetry’s exposed, rocky terraces boasting volcanic origins, to the ancient riverbed alluvial soils of Twin Peaks, the breadth of contributing sites translates into a wine of impressive complexity.
Production Notes
Grapes were picked in the darkness of the early morning hours. The freshly-harvested fruit immediately underwent rigorous selection by a three-tiered sorting process, which included a cutting-edge optical sorter. Whole berries were gently delivered by gravity to tank using a crane system, minimizing disruption of berry integrity. Cold soaks lasted approximately seven days, and fermentations were managed via a combination of délestage, pumpovers, and punchdowns. Extended maceration ranging from four to five weeks fine-tuned tannin profiles, allowing the winemakers to perfect mouth feel and wine complexity. The wine was aged in French oak barrels, 32% of which were new, for twenty-one months.
Winemaker Notes
Its beautiful, scorched earth, blackberry, warm blueberries, cool slate, and dark chocolate aromas envelop the glass and are complexed with ancho chile, cumin, braised meat juices, and new leather notes. There’s a burst of black fruits and spring flowers on the palate followed by exquisitely polished and fine tannin that bring together all the layers in an impressive finish.
