Cliff Lede Vineyards Poetry Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

98 Points - Decanter

Notes from the Winemaker

Cliff Lede Vineyards is a family-owned and operated winery located in the famed Stags Leap District. For over 20 years, Cliff Lede Vineyards has prioritized crafting wines of extraordinary quality with authenticity and sustainability in mind. 
Vintage   
Warm temperatures in February and March jumpstarted an early 2022 growing season. Early budbreak often comes with the vulnerability to frost, but luckily our vines suffered no damage during the cool spring nights. Early irrigations were necessary to set up healthy canopies and the vines set an average crop after an uneventful bloom period. The uniform and even clusters needed little thinning, and attention was paid to sculpting the shoots and laterals to ensure adequate shading and airflow throughout the fruiting positions. 
Late August was hot, and September was forecasted to be even hotter, so we began picking in rapid succession before the heat to preserve the fresh acidities and delicate aromatics already present in the grapes.  
Vineyard    
The Poetry Vineyard, carved into a steep west-facing hillside, reaches from the highest elevations of the Stags Leap District appellation to the valley floor. This vineyard draws its uniqueness from shallow, volcanic soils atop fractured shale. Due to the stressful nature of the site, planted with high vine density and farmed to exceptionally low yields, the vines develop slowly and produce small flavorful berries. The vineyard is planted to legendary, proprietary heritage selections of Cabernet Sauvignon.  
Winemaking 
In the cool darkness of night, grapes were hand-picked into twenty-five-pound bins to minimize crushing. By early morning, the grapes were subjected to rigorous selection by our three-tiered sorting process, which includes our cutting-edge optical sorter and a slow, individual berry hand sort. Whole berries were gently delivered by gravity to tank by our unique crane system, which kept the berries intact. Cold soaks lasted from five to eight days, and fermentations were managed through a combination of pump overs and délestage. Extended maceration of up to four weeks ensured exceptional extraction and fine-tuning of tannin profiles. Following twenty-one months of élevage in French oak barrels, 83% of which were new, the blend was selected from our best lots of the Poetry Vineyard. 
Winemaker Notes 
This 2022 Poetry is a study in elegance and vibrancy. On the nose, it opens with ethereal aromas of mulberry, cassis, and red currant, followed by hints of dried fig, lending a subtle, refined sweetness. As the wine breathes, mineral-driven notes of chalk, talc, and slate emerge, grounding the fruit in a fresh and precise expression. A core of iron and violet flavors and aromas underscores the blend, offering a mouthfeel that feels both powerful and poised. The long finish is polished and integrates seamlessly with structured yet 
elegant tannins. – Christopher Tynan, Director of Winemaking 

93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc