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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 88.8 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 65 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by stretch9942 on 2/19/2024 & rated 89 points: Decanted for an hour and a half. Mellow and balanced. Past its peak but still an enjoyable bottle. (104 views) | | | Tasted by SFDoug on 2/14/2015: Appearance cloudy but intense, garnet color, some sediment visible.
Nose was clean, medium intensity with aromas of resin, vanilla and asparagus
Medium acidity and tannin
Medium to full body
Long finish with cinnamon and black pepper
Flavor remarkably good for a wine that should have been consumed at least three or four years ago. (2938 views) | | | Tasted by SFDoug on 12/30/2014 & rated 85 points: This bottle definitely held up better than some of the other bottles I opened earlier this year, which was pleasant surprise. Still past its prime, however. Full bodied Napa Bordeaux style blend, dominated by Cabernet, softened with Merlot. Medium body, medium finish. Some sediment. Wish I hadn't misplaced this behind other bottles, as I know this would have been perfect about five years ago. (2877 views) | | | Tasted by SFDoug on 4/26/2014 flawed bottle: Drink up... this one was still pretty good but definitely on the outer edge of the drinking window. Strong notes of cassis somewhat overcome by alcohol to create almost a medicinal flavor. At least I remember what this wine was like at its peak. (3288 views) | | | Tasted by ArizonaWineGuy on 3/13/2014 & rated 89 points: Incredibly dark, deep red color. Classic Cabernet nose, with slight hints of pepper. Quite dry, with tannins that are still a bit immature and awkward. Black berries and black plums are the predominant fruit, backed by pepper and spice. A big Napa cab with characteristic Stags Leap qualities. (3109 views) | | | Tasted by SFDoug on 10/19/2013 & rated 92 points: I was nervous about this one, as it was one of several that had hidden away in the depths of my cellar, but fear no more. Dark cherry and blackberry notes, this is a jammy, big Napa red. The lingering finish shows the age but overall, this has held up quite well. (3250 views) | | | Tasted by ArizonaWineGuy on 8/6/2013 & rated 90 points: We just got back from a trip to Napa, and we tasted heavily in the Stags Leap District. Personally, I think the best cabs come out of Stags Leap. This particular "claret" has come back around quite nicely. Great clarity, with a deep purple color characteristic of a wine four years younger. The nose is big, filled with plums and black cherries. Huge in the mouth, with firm tannins that are going to carry this wine another seven years forward at least. The plums and cherries carry through in the mouth, along with a hearty dose of black licorice and a hint of dark chocolate. Lingers on the finish, making me wish I was back on the Silverado Trail. Very nice grape juice. (1734 views) | | | Tasted by tcason on 4/7/2012 & rated 97 points: very good (2537 views) | | | Tasted by davesdream on 9/17/2011: Nice cab for the price. Good fruit. (2814 views) | | | Tasted by KenYz on 6/24/2011 & rated 90 points: This wine has aged well, and the former window ending 2011 just isn't right. Should drink in a window of goodness till at least 2015; has lots of fruit left and openly immature tannins - years from flabby.
Has an emphasis on a cabernet franc quality - rich, peppered and still smooth. Good complexity, excellent balance as always with CLV. (2762 views) | | | Tasted by ejca on 4/6/2011: pretty good (2771 views) | | | Tasted by ArizonaWineGuy on 2/17/2011 & rated 90 points: Drinking very nicely right now. Dry, with solid structure backed by firm, nicely integrated tannins. Plenty of fruit still kicking around in here. My gut says this is going to explode in another few months. Yummy! (2754 views) | | | Tasted by rdsboca on 10/23/2010 & rated 86 points: Over oaked but decent red cherry fruit behind it. Finishes a bit tannic and sour. Missing mid palate. Not overly sophisticated. (2741 views) | | | Tasted by ArizonaWineGuy on 9/26/2010 & rated 89 points: Coming along. Pretty big and dry at this stage, but a good bit of fruit coming through. I think this will be at its peak in the next 6 - 18 months. Begs for a good fatty rare ribeye steak. (2700 views) | | | Tasted by Outplaying on 3/17/2010: Ken and Kelly over for dinner III (Our House, Avondale, PA): I agree with Milwaukeewino. This was really good and better than I remember. Very nice and a great QPR at $29 - wish I had bought a bunch more. (3157 views) | | | Tasted by winejnky on 5/2/2009 & rated 92 points: Robust fruit, Stag's Leap character, just a bit sweet but in a good way, oak is eveident but subtle, very smooth. Plenty of Oomph and Wow for the $. (3417 views) | | | Tasted by Life At Your Leisure 🍷 on 3/1/2009 & rated 90 points: Dark crimson with a nose of dark chocolate and blueberries. The body is full with a palate filled with sweet mocha and hints of fig, mushroom, and spice with a pleasant earthiness. It's a wonderful balance between the Cabernet, Merlot and othe varietals. The Merlot provides the fragrance that jumps from the glass as the Cabernet provides depth, structure and character that takes this wonderful drinking experience all the way to the very end. This is an excellent wine. Drink from 2009 to 2019. (941 views) | | | Tasted by milwaukeewino on 1/21/2009: Man is this bigger and richer than I remembered. I've had a case for awhile but don't drink it very often.
Silky red color. Pretty intense.
Big nose. Plenty of oak and spice. Again, more than I remember.
Dark berry fruit. Glossy.
Fat mid-palate (in a good way). Spicy. Decent acidity.
Long finish. Dark.
This is good but it is not really Claret. It is fat and rich and full. More like traditional Napa Cab.
Fun. (3637 views) | | | Tasted by winegr on 12/25/2008 & rated 87 points: 87 pts. Tastes nice, but nice like a 2nd or 3rd label from a good maker.... Doesn't have the depth or interest to merit anything over 87 or 88 points IMO. Nice flavor profile though. (3472 views) | | | Tasted by vancouvermatt on 8/3/2008 & rated 87 points: Did not live up to expectations. (3619 views) | | | Tasted by mellison on 6/22/2008: This bottle was no better then the others. (3863 views) | | | Tasted by mellison on 5/31/2008 & rated 86 points: I had this wine a few days ago and panned it. Thinking perhaps I had overreacted and been too harsh so decided to try another bottle. Unfortunately this one was identical to the first. Think thick blackberry jam and tar. I would surmise that this wine was heavily manipulated with reverse osmosis and other tricks of the trade. This wine was manufactured to the 90 point level but did not make it for me. I hate to surmise all the tricks that must have been used to manufacture this. (3949 views) | | | Tasted by mellison on 5/28/2008 & rated 86 points: This wine was a huge disappointment. WS had given it great reviews and thought it might be a good drinking/value wine. Tasted thick with a bitter aftertaste. Tastes of sticky jam and tar predominated. I decanted to give it a fair chance but it failed miserably. This is a a second rate wine at best. Drank it over a couple of hours and it never got better. Drank with marinated sirloin steak, salad and caprese salad. Nothing could make it ok. Think of drinking congealed blackberry jam with a bitter after taste. This is the last bottle of Cliff Lede I will buy. Unfortunately have have more of this and 2005 to do something with. (3970 views) | | | Tasted by amateurwino on 5/11/2008 & rated 90 points: Strong oak in this wine imparts a heavy vanilla flavor to this, and together with the tannins, there's an overall creaminess to this. Ripe cassis fruit comes through, and this was the definite QPR winner of the night at Sparks. My first bottle of Cliff Lede, not blown away but I'll reserve further judgment until I can have their higher end bottlings. This was good but I wouldn't rush to buy it, just a bit too much oak for me. (4059 views) | | | Tasted by pgm on 3/5/2008 & rated 90 points: Delicious. This is a pretty easy-drinking, lush style, with currant, black cherry and plum on the nose and in the mouth. A little vanilla/chocolate note from the oak, but it's not overdone at all. A little more firmness from the tannins, and this would be truly remarkable. Good value in CA cab. (4285 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Cliff Lede Producer websiteRed Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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