B-21 Top Recommendation Read More
"This is one of those beguiling 2018 Napa Cabernets that is simply going to blow you away!" –Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate
Meticulously crafted to age beautifully over the 20 years, the flagship 100pt 2018 Cliff Lede Poetry is a stunner, a perfect Bordeaux-style blend with nearly 90% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stags Leap AVA offering fresh black fruit layered with ripe tannins and a never-ending finish, named a Cellar Selection by the Wine Enthusiast offered at best on the market pricing.
Perched on a hill overlooking the breathtaking, rugged landscape of Napa's renowned Stags Leap District, the stunning Cliff Lede Winery reflects its founder's background in high-end construction, its state-of-the-art cellars boasting custom crafted tanks inspired by Chateau Latour. After purchasing 60 acres in the northeast corner of the AVA in 2002, owner Cliff Lede (pronounced "lay-dee") acquired the Poetry Vineyard a year later, replanting the steep rocky parcel stretching from Stags Leap's highest elevations down to the Silverado Trail with Bordeaux varietals under the direction of famed vineyard manager David Abreu. Formerly part of the legendary Colgin winemaking team that produced seven 100pt Parker wines over five years, winemaker Christopher Tynan has driven Poetry's stratospheric rise in quality since taking the reins at Cliff Lede in 2012, placing it among Napa's elite Cabs with 95+ point ratings year over year including three 100pt scores in top vintages like 2018. After overseeing the hand picking of grapes at night to preserve freshness and employing rigorous selection, Tynan aged each parcel for the 2018 Poetry separately for 21 months in 82% new French oak barrels, yielding elegant, concentrated fruit with mineral-driven acidity in a final Cab-dominated blend that critic Jeb Dunnuck describes as "pure class."
From an exceptional Napa vintage that the Wine Spectator's James Molesworth declares "sets a new bar," the 2018 Cliff Lede Poetry is a "rich and unctuous" Napa Cab described by Vinous critic Antonio Galloni simply as "brilliant!" – a worthy addition to the cellar for Napa Cab collectors. |