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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 59 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Franken Berry on 2/18/2024 & rated 93 points: I thought I had grabbed a 13 from the cellar, and did not notice the vintage until after the bottle was finished. I pulled the cork 90 minutes before dinner. This wine is in a great place at the moment. Black/blue fruits on the nose, mostly blackberries and currants on the palate, with a bit of plum, finishing with licorice, chocolate and tapenade. Typical streak of minerality. Nice balance between the dark fruits and integrated tannins. Well done and a great cab for the price (694 views) | | | Tasted by wconnolly on 11/12/2023 & rated 91 points: Big, robust, fruit filled. Deep garnet color, great fill level, no signs of diminution. Plenty of raspberry, blackberry, graphite and pepper on the palate. Full bodied with grippy but not overwhelming tannins and a lingering oaky finish. In short, just about the sweet spot as far as my tastes go. The drinking window seems to be right on target for this (707 views) | | | Tasted by Franken Berry on 9/24/2023 & rated 93 points: I have had a few 2015 cabs recently that have all entered a nice drinking window. Early on, I found this to be rather reserved and a tad bitter (times two bottles) but this one was ready to go.nice black and blue fruits, dry mineral driven finish. Well balanced, lush fruits. Nice complexity from the blend of Bordeaux grapes.
This is probably drinking at its peak for tastes (1184 views) | | | Tasted by blabbott on 12/24/2022 & rated 94 points: Really wish we had more of this wine. Black fruit and chocolate on the foretaste, good, well balanced tannins and spice come into play. A long complex finish. Tasting at its peak, still fresh and just slightly edgy, but full of layers and flavor. (1334 views) | | | Tasted by Hi.its.Don.4.Wine on 3/17/2022 & rated 93 points: Rock Blocks - eh
For those not aware (of at least the following information), the title of this post refers to the founder of his namesake winey; Cliff Lede. Still confused? After founding the winery in 2002, Cliff asked David Abreu to replant the vineyards. Then Lede decided to name each vineyard block after some of his favorite rock songs and albums, from “My Generation” to “Dark Side of the Moon,” creating what is known today as the Cliff Lede Vineyards “Rock Blocks.” 46 songs in total on Spotify (is that a dirty name?). As for the addition of “eh,” Cliff happens to be Canadian, it was the closest thing I could use for the article for that identifying information. For today’s wine, I’ll be focusing on the
Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District 2015
From his Napa Green Certified estate hillside terraced vineyards of Poetry and Twin Peaks, with a little extra thrown in, this Bordeaux blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 7% Merlot, 7% Malbec, and 2% Cabernet Franc, is finessed further along with the addition of 21 months aging in French Oak barrels, 80% of which are new.
Thus creating a very Bordeaux-esque style of wine. Concentrated flavors of cassis, blackberry with undertones relatively dry and rustic. Tannins make themselves known, but not overt, although needing the last few years and potentially many more to soften even further. The medium-long finish is accompanied by spice notes to complete the total package. Cellaring or a long decant (2 hours minimum) will only enhance your experience.
For those seeking an Old World wine from new and progressive winemakers, this is your wine. You might even stop over at Spotify and get a listen to Cliff’s Rock Blocks, so long as you’re not boycotting them.
Cheers (2304 views) | | | Tasted by tc from santee on 2/21/2022 & rated 92 points: A well structured wine showing the Stags Leap terroir. (1878 views) | | | Tasted by Handy1 on 2/13/2022 & rated 92 points: Open for 3 hours ready to go. Nice dark fruit some tannins but really nice. (1674 views) | | | Tasted by tunaguy on 6/28/2021: this was mediocre for me. mostly cassis and pyrazines with some oaky notes. did not carry it's 15% well. (2407 views) | | | Tasted by Frank-H on 3/28/2021 & rated 90 points: Good wine. 90 (1966 views) | | | Tasted by Kenny_Powers on 1/24/2021 & rated 92 points: Give it an hour of air. Then send me a personalized thank you letter. I like gruyere and spicy genoa if you wanna send gifts. (1778 views) | | | Tasted by Kathrynfore on 12/25/2020 & rated 97 points: My husband and I both gave this a 97 because it was everything a Cab should be. In fact, Cliff Lede Cabs have been consistently outstanding, in our opinions. (We previously had the 2013 and 2014 vintages as well, and rated both of them very high.)
Had with prime rib, but would be very good with grilled steak or anything regarding a very flavorful and quite bold (but not too bold) Cab. (1750 views) | | | Tasted by VinoViking on 12/5/2020: Not ready for prime time. Tight and selfish at this point. Hold. (1812 views) | | | Tasted by YankeeRobio on 10/22/2020 & rated 95 points: Fantastic wine (1649 views) | | | Tasted by wynnewood500 on 8/23/2020: One of four young cabs selected for a family tasting on vacation. This was our most expensive wine and performed very well although it needs significant aging. (1456 views) | | | Tasted by JHuseby1 on 7/25/2020 & rated 94 points: Outstanding! We'll developed with velvety mouthfeel and rich dark fruit. (1340 views) | | | Tasted by littlefoot on 4/28/2020 & rated 91 points: Not particularly Stag's Leap-y but very good. A bit chunkier. VERY tannic, actually. For reference, the Darioush cab tasted some months ago has softened up substantially, and this has not.
Good dark fruits, moderate oak. (1788 views) | | | Tasted by The Wine Sherpa on 4/25/2020 & rated 95 points: This one is just entering its drinking window and is already fantastic. Needs several hours of decanting. This will only get better with more time. I would give it at least 3 more years. Still Improving in the bottle. Really bold and needs time for tannins to relax. Yet another Cliff Lede Cab hit. (1596 views) | | | Tasted by jrhonda160 on 1/26/2020 & rated 91 points: Fresh, clean, very nice. (1826 views) | | | Tasted by cos65 on 12/15/2019: Served blind
Dense deep purple
Ripe dark berry without being over ripe
Fairly tight tannins on opening, better with air, ripe rich cocoa notes, but still better with a few more years. (1751 views) | | | Tasted by CoryDean44 on 11/15/2019 & rated 93 points: Deep purple hue. Scents of pencil shavings, carmel, and toasted pecan. Plum, and cassis with oak and hint of cocoa. Incredible structure and well balanced with an unbelievably long drying finish. 93 points. (1917 views) | | | Tasted by Nutty08 on 9/1/2019 & rated 93 points: Impressive. Smoky and dark fruited, polished strong tannins and a bit of vanilla. Love the dark profile and smoky flint notes. Really strong entry level wine. (2164 views) | | | Tasted by Bro-rolo on 8/16/2019 & rated 90 points: well ok you can drink this Napanomics bomb...but like the Arizona Cardinals you could have found something better than Kliff Kingsbury lolz #Kliffloveswhiteclaws (2500 views) | | | Tasted by Halahoop_eh on 8/11/2019 & rated 93 points: Rich, Smokey, oaky, super fine tannin, great legs (1601 views) | | | Tasted by Scar510 on 8/10/2019 & rated 95 points: Hawai’i! Merrimans. Loved it, jammy. Awesome. (922 views) | | | Tasted by Joshdana on 7/31/2019 & rated 90 points: Big flavor, still a aggressive. Would like to age (1561 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Sara d'Amato
WineAlign (10/12/2018)
(Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Szabo, MS
WineAlign (10/10/2018)
(Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By David Lawrason
WineAlign (10/5/2018)
(Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Linda Murphy
Decanter, 2015 California Cabernet Sauvignon (7/8/2018)
(Cliff Lede, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District, California, USA, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Brilliance in Napa Valley: 2016 & 2015 Cabernets (Jan 2018) (1/18/2018)
(Cliff Lede Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (stags Leap District) Napa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By James Suckling
JamesSuckling.com (10/3/2017)
(Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Stags Leap District, Red, United States) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of WineAlign and Decanter and Vinous and JamesSuckling.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Cliff Lede Producer websiteCabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
Used as frequently in blends as in varietal wines, Cabernet Sauvignon has a large number of common blending partners. Apart from the obvious Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the most prevalent of these are Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (the ingredients of a classic Bordeaux Blend), Shiraz (in Australia's favorite blend) and in Spain and South America, a Cabernet – Tempranillo blend is now commonplace. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are now generally softened with Cabernet SauvignonUSAAmerican 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)Stags Leap District Stags Leap District |
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