Cliff Lede Napa Valley Claret 2017
For daughter Marleigh's family birthday gathering, son Ryan pulled from his cellar several Red wines for dinner including this Cliff Lede Napa Claret. He is a member of the Lede wine club and gets regular allocations of Lede labels and has a broad selection including this label which is normally only available exclusively to club members. The term 'Claret' is the British moniker for a Red Bordeaux Blend.
We hold more than a dozen Lede labels ourselves and we've visited the Lede Estate in the Stags Leap district along Silverado Trail in lower Napa Valley during several of our Napa Valley tours.
Cliff Lede is a Canadian businessman who collected Bordeaux before he decided to start his own 60-acre estate in Stag’s Leap District in 2002. He charged notable Napa winemaker and viticulturist David
Abreu to replant the vineyards. Rising star Christopher Tynan has
been winemaker since 2012.
Lede produces a broad portfolio of Cabernet Sauvignons including several single vineyard block designated 'Rock Block' labels named for Rock & Roll albums. The flagship Cabernet Sauvignon, called Poetry earned 100 pts from Wine Advocate for the 2013 vintage release.
The Bordeaux varietal grapes in this Claret blend are sourced from the Lede Estate Twin Peaks Vineyard in the Stags Leap District and a few grower partners within Napa Valley. The blend is not specified.
Cliff Lede Napa Valley Claret 2017
Winemaker Notes for this label: "
The 2017 Claret is a fresh an elegantly delineated wine boasting a mix
of inviting fruit and spice notes. This dark ruby colored wine is laden
with chocolate covered cherries, powered cocoa, and cassis aromas.
Summer raspberry and blackberry flavors coat the palate and luxurious
blueberry jam flesh out on the long, expansive finish. This lovely
Claret is lithe and playful, but manages to maintain a weighty
seriousness. The black licorice, allspice, and plum notes persist on the
finish tempting the taster for another glass."
We tasted this opposite the Darioush Shiraz and it was akin to bringing a knife to a gunfight - the Claret being muted and opaque in comparison to the massive, bold Shiraz. In a neutral setting, this would've been ideal with a grilled steak or moderate cheese course.
Dark purple garnet colored, slightly opaque, medium bodied, nicely balanced and integrated moderate blackberry and currant fruits with notes of tobacco and spice turning to moderate tannins. Ryan knows this label well and said this vintage release was subpar, slightly austere to the normal vintage releases.
RM 89 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3467545
https://www.ledefamilywines.com/
For daughter Marleigh's family birthday gathering, son Ryan pulled from his cellar several Red wines for dinner including this Cliff Lede Napa Claret. He is a member of the Lede wine club and gets regular allocations of Lede labels and has a broad selection including this label which is normally only available exclusively to club members. The term 'Claret' is the British moniker for a Red Bordeaux Blend.
We hold more than a dozen Lede labels ourselves and we've visited the Lede Estate in the Stags Leap district along Silverado Trail in lower Napa Valley during several of our Napa Valley tours.
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| Cliff Lede estate viewed from the Lede Poetry Inn across Silverado Trail |
Lede produces a broad portfolio of Cabernet Sauvignons including several single vineyard block designated 'Rock Block' labels named for Rock & Roll albums. The flagship Cabernet Sauvignon, called Poetry earned 100 pts from Wine Advocate for the 2013 vintage release.
The Bordeaux varietal grapes in this Claret blend are sourced from the Lede Estate Twin Peaks Vineyard in the Stags Leap District and a few grower partners within Napa Valley. The blend is not specified.
Cliff Lede Napa Valley Claret 2017
Winemaker Notes for this label: "
The 2017 Claret is a fresh an elegantly delineated wine boasting a mix
of inviting fruit and spice notes. This dark ruby colored wine is laden
with chocolate covered cherries, powered cocoa, and cassis aromas.
Summer raspberry and blackberry flavors coat the palate and luxurious
blueberry jam flesh out on the long, expansive finish. This lovely
Claret is lithe and playful, but manages to maintain a weighty
seriousness. The black licorice, allspice, and plum notes persist on the
finish tempting the taster for another glass."We tasted this opposite the Darioush Shiraz and it was akin to bringing a knife to a gunfight - the Claret being muted and opaque in comparison to the massive, bold Shiraz. In a neutral setting, this would've been ideal with a grilled steak or moderate cheese course.
Dark purple garnet colored, slightly opaque, medium bodied, nicely balanced and integrated moderate blackberry and currant fruits with notes of tobacco and spice turning to moderate tannins. Ryan knows this label well and said this vintage release was subpar, slightly austere to the normal vintage releases.
RM 89 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3467545
https://www.ledefamilywines.com/
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