Family birthday celebration features duo of limited release big red wines
The family gathered with friends and neighbors to celebrate grand-daughter Lavender’s birthday with a broad selection of pizzas, ice cream a birthday cake.
Son’s Ryan and Alec each brought a special limited release big red wine to enjoy with the broad selection of pizzas.
Cliff Lede High Fidelity Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Ryan brought from his cellar this premium Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend which he acquired as part of his wine club member allocation. He has an extensive collection of allocated special vineyard block designated bottling Cliff Lede estate Cabernets from the Stags Leap District Napa Valley estate including this red Bordeaux Cabernet, Cabernet Franc and Merlot based blend label.
Cliff Lede High Fidelity Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Ryan brought from his cellar this premium Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend which he acquired as part of his wine club member allocation. He has an extensive collection of allocated special vineyard block designated bottling Cliff Lede estate Cabernets from the Stags Leap District Napa Valley estate including this red Bordeaux Cabernet, Cabernet Franc and Merlot based blend label.
The Cliff Lede estate was established in 2002 on sixty acres in the famed Napa Valley Stags Leap District.
We've visited the Cliff Lede estate on several of our Napa Valley wine trips and several of our wine buddies including son Ryan source allocated wines as members of their club.
Cliff Lede was a Canadian businessman who collected Bordeaux and other wines before he decided to start his own 60-acre estate in Napa Valley Stag’s Leap District. Notable producer and viticulturalist David Abreu replanted the vineyards for Lede.
Lede has since acquired a small Anderson Valley winery which he renamed FEL Wines as an homage to his mother, Florence Elsie Lede. In addition to Cliff Lede’s Stag’s Leap vineyard the estate owns twenty acres in a Calistoga sub-appellation.
The Lede estate makes Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux-style blends, and Sauvignon Blanc. The flagship Cabernet Sauvignon is called Poetry. The 2013 Poetry earned 100 pts from Wine Advocate, which has written that “elegant, well-made Cabernets continue to emerge from this reputable as well as increasingly high quality producer."
The Cliff Lede winemaker is rising star Christopher Tynan who joined the estate in 2012.
Lede named vineyard blocks of the 60-acre estate in Napa Valley Stag’s Leap District after some of his favorite rock songs and albums, such as “Dark Side of the Moon.”
Lede has since acquired a small Anderson Valley winery which he renamed FEL Wines as an homage to his mother, Florence Elsie Lede. In addition to Cliff Lede’s Stag’s Leap vineyard the estate owns twenty acres in a Calistoga sub-appellation.
The Lede estate makes Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux-style blends, and Sauvignon Blanc. The flagship Cabernet Sauvignon is called Poetry. The 2013 Poetry earned 100 pts from Wine Advocate, which has written that “elegant, well-made Cabernets continue to emerge from this reputable as well as increasingly high quality producer."
The Cliff Lede winemaker is rising star Christopher Tynan who joined the estate in 2012.
Lede named vineyard blocks of the 60-acre estate in Napa Valley Stag’s Leap District after some of his favorite rock songs and albums, such as “Dark Side of the Moon.”
Hence the rock & roll theme is applied to this blend of Bordeaux varietals sourced from several of those blocks, the Cliff Lede estate Twin Peaks Ranch vineyards and a few contract growers’ sites within the Napa Valley.
This vintage release is a blend of 40% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec, and 5% Petit Verdot.
Yields are maintained at sparse levels, ranging from 2 to 3.5 tons per acre. The wine is composed of small lots from a variety of blocks, representing the diverse range of carefully selected rootstocks and clones.
Producer’s notes - “Grapes were picked in the darkness of the early morning hours, and immediately subjected to rigorous selection by Lede’s three-tiered hand sorting process. The whole berries were gently delivered to tank using a crane system, minimizing disruption of berry integrity. They were cold soaked for approximately five days, and fermentations were managed via a combination of delestage, pumpovers, and punchdowns. Extended maceration ranging from three to four weeks fine-tuned our tannin profiles, allowing us to perfect mouth feel and wine complexity. The wine was aged in 72% new French oak for eighteen months.”
Winemakers notes - “Inspired by the opulent right bank blends of Bordeaux, this wine is built from fine-grained Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Persimmon, nutmeg, allspice, and cassis evolve in multiple layers. Sweet black tea, plum, tar, and cocoa powder build through the finish. The tannins are silky and generous, which indicates that this wine will continue to develop over the next 15 years.”
Yields are maintained at sparse levels, ranging from 2 to 3.5 tons per acre. The wine is composed of small lots from a variety of blocks, representing the diverse range of carefully selected rootstocks and clones.
Producer’s notes - “Grapes were picked in the darkness of the early morning hours, and immediately subjected to rigorous selection by Lede’s three-tiered hand sorting process. The whole berries were gently delivered to tank using a crane system, minimizing disruption of berry integrity. They were cold soaked for approximately five days, and fermentations were managed via a combination of delestage, pumpovers, and punchdowns. Extended maceration ranging from three to four weeks fine-tuned our tannin profiles, allowing us to perfect mouth feel and wine complexity. The wine was aged in 72% new French oak for eighteen months.”
Winemakers notes - “Inspired by the opulent right bank blends of Bordeaux, this wine is built from fine-grained Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Persimmon, nutmeg, allspice, and cassis evolve in multiple layers. Sweet black tea, plum, tar, and cocoa powder build through the finish. The tannins are silky and generous, which indicates that this wine will continue to develop over the next 15 years.”
Dark inky purple garnet colored, medium-full bodied, smooth, polished and nicely balanced bright black berry and plum fruits with notes of graphite, mocha, expresso, anise, spice and black tea with earthy floral on an elegant soft tannin finish.
RM 92 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=3526988
http://www.cliffledevineyards.com/
https://twitter.com/CliffLedeWine
@CliffLedeWine
https://cliffledevineyards.com/
Alec brought from his cellar this unique limited release Sonoma County Cabernet from Hill Family Vineyards that he acquired as part of his wine club allocation.
RM 92 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=3526988
http://www.cliffledevineyards.com/
https://twitter.com/CliffLedeWine
@CliffLedeWine
https://cliffledevineyards.com/
Alec brought from his cellar this unique limited release Sonoma County Cabernet from Hill Family Vineyards that he acquired as part of his wine club allocation.
Hill Family Vineyards “The ALison” Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
We wrote several times about Hill Family Wines including this blogpost Hill Family Estate Napa Cabernet 2018 - excerpted here.
As newlyweds, Alec and Vivianna visited Hill Family Estate during their forest fire shortened honeymoon in Napa a year ago September. They visited the new Hill Family Estate winery, located just minutes south of Yountville just off Ste Helena Highway 29, the western main artery of Napa Valley. They tasted this wine there and acquired it as part of their wine club allocation.
Doug Hill founded Hill Family estate vineyards back in 1977 when he acquired his first vineyards. Since then, eleven different vineyard locations have been added to the Hill Family Estate portfolio, mostly in Napa Valley and its environs now covering more than 100 acres in numerous significant sub-appellations within Napa Valley.
For nearly four decades, the fruit was sold to the likes of Far Niente Winery, Silver Oak Cellars, Duckhorn Vineyards, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Caymus Vineyards, Cakebread Cellars and a host of other winery luminaries. Hill Family grapes were considered among the finest grown in the prestigious Napa Valley.
Around the turn of the century, Ryan and Carly Hill approached their father with the vision to establish the family winery with the family name on it. Hill Family Estate was born in 2001 with the first fruit that would become Hill Family Estate wines. A total of around 980 cases were produced and released in 2004. The new brand was immediately acclaimed and gained national prominence with numerous Awards and industry plaudits.
Hill Family Estate winemaker Alison Doran joined the team and crafted the inaugural 2001 vintage. Alison was introduced to Doug while he was growing grapes and she was making wine for Lewis Cellars, another one of our benchmark favorite producers, and the other estate visit tasting the kids attended during their shortened honeymoon. Alison developed her skill while being mentored by renowned wine expert Andre Tchelistcheff, completing a degree in winemaking at UC Davis and spending time in the legendary wine region of Alsace, France. Today, Doug and Alison work closely together selecting the highest quality grapes and producing ultra premium wines
Today, the Hill Family owns 120 acres of vineyards with properties on Atlas Peak, in Carneros, Oak Knoll and American Canyon. Th ey are 100% family-farmed, family-owned and family-operated.Production ranges between 9,000 to 12,000 cases annually sourced from 12 different estate vineyards allowing them to select the highest quality fruit for their wines.
The Hill Family portfolio has grown to over twenty five different labels across the broad range of varietals, blends, and single vineyard designated offerings.
Hill Family Estate opened a tasting facility in downtown Yountville, directly down from the famous French Laundry Restaurant of Chef Thomas Keller and Keller’s Bouchon Restaurant, a classical French bistro also located in Yountville where Ryan Hill was formerly a sommelier.
I wrote about Hill Family Estate and their wines in detail in a blogpost late the year before last and in follow on blogposts: Hill-Family Estate Origin Napa Valley Red 2016 and Hill Family Estate Origin Napa Valley Red 2018.
Doug Hill founded Hill Family estate vineyards back in 1977 when he acquired his first vineyards. Since then, eleven different vineyard locations have been added to the Hill Family Estate portfolio, mostly in Napa Valley and its environs now covering more than 100 acres in numerous significant sub-appellations within Napa Valley.
For nearly four decades, the fruit was sold to the likes of Far Niente Winery, Silver Oak Cellars, Duckhorn Vineyards, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Caymus Vineyards, Cakebread Cellars and a host of other winery luminaries. Hill Family grapes were considered among the finest grown in the prestigious Napa Valley.
Around the turn of the century, Ryan and Carly Hill approached their father with the vision to establish the family winery with the family name on it. Hill Family Estate was born in 2001 with the first fruit that would become Hill Family Estate wines. A total of around 980 cases were produced and released in 2004. The new brand was immediately acclaimed and gained national prominence with numerous Awards and industry plaudits.
Hill Family Estate winemaker Alison Doran joined the team and crafted the inaugural 2001 vintage. Alison was introduced to Doug while he was growing grapes and she was making wine for Lewis Cellars, another one of our benchmark favorite producers, and the other estate visit tasting the kids attended during their shortened honeymoon. Alison developed her skill while being mentored by renowned wine expert Andre Tchelistcheff, completing a degree in winemaking at UC Davis and spending time in the legendary wine region of Alsace, France. Today, Doug and Alison work closely together selecting the highest quality grapes and producing ultra premium wines
Today, the Hill Family owns 120 acres of vineyards with properties on Atlas Peak, in Carneros, Oak Knoll and American Canyon. Th ey are 100% family-farmed, family-owned and family-operated.Production ranges between 9,000 to 12,000 cases annually sourced from 12 different estate vineyards allowing them to select the highest quality fruit for their wines.
The Hill Family portfolio has grown to over twenty five different labels across the broad range of varietals, blends, and single vineyard designated offerings.
Hill Family Estate opened a tasting facility in downtown Yountville, directly down from the famous French Laundry Restaurant of Chef Thomas Keller and Keller’s Bouchon Restaurant, a classical French bistro also located in Yountville where Ryan Hill was formerly a sommelier.
I wrote about Hill Family Estate and their wines in detail in a blogpost late the year before last and in follow on blogposts: Hill-Family Estate Origin Napa Valley Red 2016 and Hill Family Estate Origin Napa Valley Red 2018.
We had one of their special limited release premium labels available to Hill Family Diamond Club members that Alec acquired as part of Alec's club allocation during Father's Day Grilled Steak Wine Dinner last year.
This label is a special homage to Alison Green-Doran, the Hill Family winemaker.
As noted, Alison joined Hill Family Estate in 2001 and crafted the inaugural vintages of Origin and “Beau Terre Vineyard” Merlot and she has continued to craft Hill Family vineyards’ wines since.
Hill Family Vineyards “The Alison” Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
This limited-edition wine celebrates Hill Family’s winemaker Alison Green-Doran’s 50th harvest! The “L” on the front label represents the number 50 in roman numerals to honor this momentous occasion. The wine is crafted from Cabernet Sauvignon grown on her family’s historic Hoot Owl Creek Ranch in Alexander Valley and a small amount (1%) from Napa Valley.
This is a blend of 99% Cabernet Sauvignon, .5% Malbec and .5% Merlot. It was aged 20 months in 50% new Remond Alliers and COF (Center of France) Oaks.
Production was 300 cases.
Winemaker Alison Doran’s tasting notes: “The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon has gorgeous aromas coming right out with blackberry, boysenberry and black licorice. The palate is built to last, still showing a tannic structure, with flavors of dark berry and dark chocolate. This wine needs some time for all the parts to come together, after its 20 months spent in barrel!”
This was dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, rich, bright vibrant and expressive blackberry fruits with notes of anise, bitter sweet dark mocha chocolate and black tea, with a lingering tangy moderate tannin laced finish.
RM 91 points.
Winemaker Alison Doran’s tasting notes: “The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon has gorgeous aromas coming right out with blackberry, boysenberry and black licorice. The palate is built to last, still showing a tannic structure, with flavors of dark berry and dark chocolate. This wine needs some time for all the parts to come together, after its 20 months spent in barrel!”
This was dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, rich, bright vibrant and expressive blackberry fruits with notes of anise, bitter sweet dark mocha chocolate and black tea, with a lingering tangy moderate tannin laced finish.
RM 91 points.
