April 11, 2024 - Nicely balanced SLD Cab, drinking very well. Continued to improve as evening progressed so extended decant is recommended.
April 9, 2023 - Paired nicely with lamb and risotto. Aged perfectly. Did not require much decanting time to achieve drink ability.
October 22, 2022 - A fantastic 2012 Stags Leap, from Cliff Lede. Just what I’m looking for in a big cab with 10 years under its belt. Lovely blueberry boysenberry nose, medium minus tannins on the front end- smooth and segues to velvety plum, Cassis, chocolate toffee and leather, with an onset of zin-like texture and building acidity. Hope the case of ‘19 is equal to the challenge come 2029 and beyond!
June 11, 2022 - Inky violet color, consistent to edge. Mint, raspberry complement acidic cherry. Continue through flavors complimented by cassis- has 5+ left
April 23, 2022 - pretty much same notes as before except a little more weight and a little longer finish. Soft and ready to drink.
March 30, 2022 - The wine has low acidity. It smells like raspberry, red currant, butterscotch and honey. The body is full. The wine finishes long. It tastes like plum, apricot, red currant, butterscotch and raspberry. The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. The wine has smooth texture.
November 26, 2021 - Heavy body, smooth, dark berries
November 7, 2021 - Some orange at the rim. Nice black and some red fruits after a one hour decant. Soft with no noticeable tannins. Short to medium finish
Drink now or for 2 to 3 more years. Right in the heart of its drinking window
November 3, 2021 - Did not decant because recent experience with older Cliff Lede cabs have taught us that 2012s might be losing a little, and this one was just starting to in our opinion (drink now). Paired perfectly with a duck-mushroom ragu.
October 19, 2021 - Needs to be decanted. Old tire (Amy thinks sulfur) on the nose upon opening. After a while the smell dissipated. Fruit forward classic Cali cab. Well balanced. Still a fair amount of backbone. Bramble fruit and a savory hint. Nice long finish. Could age a couple more years easily.